Social Media Changes – January 2019
Things are constantly changing in the social media world. It can be hard to keep up with all of the latest features and policy changes, so we’ve made it easy for you to stay up to date by creating a monthly roundup of what’s new on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and...
How to Add a Human Touch to Your Social Media
Are you posting another market commentary on your social media? To be sure, posting financial content, in the form of your podcasts, market commentaries, and blogs will cement you as a thought leader in the digital landscape. But if you’re only posting...
Social Media Changes – December 2018
Things are constantly changing in the social media world. It can be hard to keep up with all of the latest features and policy changes, so we’ve made it easy for you to stay up to date by creating a monthly roundup of what’s new on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and...
5 Ideas For Your Holiday Social Media
December is upon us! With all the festivities, events, and end-of-year planning, it can be easy to let your social media presence slip. You’re the life of the real party, who cares about Facebook! Well, your followers certainly do, and now is the perfect time to boost...
5 Steps to Creating A Powerful Value Proposition
Businesses that fail to quickly and clearly articulate their uniqueness and value have failed at the most simple and critical business requirements—defining why you. This would appear to be the simplest of tasks, but it’s not. And for many financial advisors, it’s...
Social Media Changes October 2018
Things are constantly changing in the social media world. It can be hard to keep up with all of the latest features and policy changes, so we’ve made it easy for you to stay up to date by creating a monthly roundup of what’s new on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and...
National Book Month Celebration
Our Top Advisor's Marketing Podcast has had some incredible authors join us as guests. We've covered topics from marketing, practice management, and personal development. To celebrate National Book Month, we've brought together a list of some of those great authors...
Social Media Changes – September 2018
Facebook Fact Checking As they continue to fight the spread of misinformation on their platform, Facebook has now expanded their fact-checking system to also review photos and videos in addition to written content. Using a “machine learning model,” photos and videos...
Outsourcing Your Social Media: How it Works
Financial advisors are catching on to how beneficial it is to outsource their social media. When an advisors works with an outside marketing company, they’re paired with a social media specialist (like me!) who creates posts that captures their brand’s values,...
Our Current Reads
At Top Advisor Marketing, we love books. Reading or listening to storytelling is by and far one of our favourite pass times. For some of us our library cards see more action than our credit cards. In the spirit of a well worn book, we've compiled a list of what...
Social Media Changes – August 2018
Things are constantly changing in the social media world. It can be hard to keep up with all of the latest features and policy changes, so we’ve made it easy for you to stay up to date by creating a monthly roundup of what’s new on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and...
Maximizing Your Internal Thought Leadership
Do you remember how in high school gym, your teacher would always say, “There is no I in team?” Well, he may have been on to something. It turns out we are so much smarter than just “I”. Hands down, one of the greatest gifts I have been given is my amazing team. Do...
3 Tips for Capturing Captivating Images
When was the last time you tried to capture that picture perfect moment, but were left with something less than desirable staring back at you from your camera screen? Photography is hard. It’s why we pay professionals so much money to capture and preserve major life...
3 Easy Tricks to Catch Typos
Have you ever had a colleague proofread your work? It’s remarkable what a fresh set of eyes can catch—all those typos you may have missed, despite having read it over and over again. But what if you don’t have a colleague available to proofread your work? Taking a...
Social Media Changes July 2018
When it comes to the social media world, things are constantly changing. It can be hard to keep up with all of the latest features and policy changes, so we’ve made it easy for you to stay up to date by creating a monthly roundup of what’s new on Facebook, LinkedIn,...
The Cost of Doing Business
There are some hard facts to face when running your own business. Over the years as a business coach, I’ve been trained to spot the flaws in an advisor’s system. Whether it’s personal to the advisor, a hiring error, or structural mistake I’ve seen it all and helped...
Marketing Using Podcasting
As an advisor, marketing may be a foreign language to you. But using the talents of your voice and a properly selected group of COI’s you can change the way you market and share your wisdom.
Fix The Right Problem
Are you relying on the right skill set to bolster your revenue? Understanding the difference between marketing and sales will help you work hard where you need to.
Leveraging COI Relationships Through Podcasting
Why and how advisors should be leveraging COI relationships by starting their own podcast.
4 Reasons Building Trust is Harder (and more important) Than Ever
People, including your clients and your prospects, are barraged with an onslaught of misinformation every day. Having a message that resonates (your Brand) and providing evidence that you are who you say you are, is essential. Here are some reasons and solutions.
5 Advisor Growth Strategies for 2018
According to the Chinese zodiac, 2018 is the year of the dog.¹ I have no idea what that means for you or if you even care. What I do know about 2018 is that growing your practice will take a big commitment. Here are five ideas that work well when done together and in sequence.
4 Ways Not To Suck At Marketing
Here’s a quick compilation of financial advisor concerns we’ve seen time and time again. We’ll start with some obvious answers to the questions and later, provide some solutions.
10 Financial Podcast Sites To Learn From
Typically, you will see blog post or article titles that read something like “Top 10 Financial Podcasts” or the like. This is a bit of a different approach in that, we thought you could learn from not only the great stuff others are doing but also from the not so great stuff they are doing.
How DMOs Are Going To Kill IMOs
Our industry is so behind. You know this. We were ten years late getting to social media. Advisors just now are looking at shooting video (5 years late) and we wonder why we have trouble getting eyes on our material and driving traffic to our websites? For many years IMOs and FMOs (Independent Marketing Organizations and Field Marketing Organizations) were always on the cutting edge of financial services marketing. They are about to be taken over. DMO’s like us are going to change the whole game. DMO is Digital Marketing Organizations.
A Letter from a Marketer to an Advisor
Dear Frank Maselli, Re: “A Letter from an Advisor to a Wholesaler” I loved it. (To other financial advisors… Please read Frank’s post here before you go any further. This won’t make sense otherwise.) To your comment: “What I need…and I’m being totally honest here…are...
7 Expenses a Good Brand Negates
First: Some Background People refer for two reasons; 1) to be helpful, and 2) to look good. A good brand makes your clients and COIs look great. A compelling advisor brand positions you as different, better and relevant. With simple marketing your brand will inspire...
12 Website Mistakes: Don’t Make These
This article is for financial advisors who want to be better at marketing. If you can relate to any of these WEBSITE DON’Ts, I’m hoping they inspire you to reflect on why you have a website and what you hope it will accomplish for your practice. 1 – Use Others Peoples...
5 Simple Boosts to Attract Ideal Prospects
It’s easy to get lost in the service, administrative, and compliance side your business while pushing aside the work needed to attract more ideal prospects. There are simple strategies and tactics that often get started and stopped over and over. It’s a cycle of...
9 Best Practices for Your Advisor Blog
Content rules marketing. I’ve written on ways to create content, how important is to generate leads and how content transcends marketing. Essentially, content is marketing. And if you find it difficult to produce content, you’re behind the eight ball. You risk...
10 TIPS: Financial Podcast Etiquette
If you don’t already know, financial podcasting is on an upwards trend. As an experienced financial marketer, I think this one makes perfect sense for financial advisors. Financial Podcast Etiquette Here are TEN tips to help you nail your financial podcast. Stand,...
Should Advisors Blog, Email or Mail
Let’s say you want to write a timely article and you’re wondering how to distribute it to your readers. You might also be wondering how to write it. And you might also wonder how to make sure it gets read as much as possible. You and thousands of advisors are in the...
How to Produce a Shareable Corporate Video
Your Corporate Advisor Video I’m working with an advisor in Australia. He has a brilliant mind and he’s on the cusp of changing the way investors see investment risk. His views are non-mainstream so that complicates the communication challenge. Last year, he produced...
10 Benefits of Starting A Financial Podcast
10 Reasons You Should Start Your Own Advisor Podcast: For many years now media publicity was the pie-in-the-sky for advisors aspiring to “influencer” status. The goal was to attract attention and ultimately fill their prospect pipeline. Often times, being a media...
5 Steps to Creating Great Financial Content
How to Fill Your Advisor Blog with Great Financial Content 5 steps to simplify the content creation process for advisors. Are you a Financial Advisor seeking to conquer online marketing? Do you have a burning desire to crack the online marketing code? Are you...
3 Reasons Financial Advisors Should Podcast
Is content creation keeping you from achieving more success? 3 Reasons Financial Advisors Should Podcast… Count how many times over the past 90 days you could have leveraged having more, and better content at your disposal? It could be to email or share with clients,...
7 Keys to an Ultra-Effective Advisor Website
Effective Advisor Website Design No doubt, you’re well aware that your financial advisor website is an opportunity to make a first and lasting impression with your audience. What eludes most advisors regarding their website design is the winning formula to make it...
9 Best Practices for Building Marketing Team
Building Your Financial Marketing Team Just like running a successful business, your marketing requires a variety of different talents with deep skill sets. In business you hire: A bookkeeper or accountant to manage your financial reporting. A lawn maintenance company...
7 Reasons Advisors Struggle Attracting Leads
Everyone in financial services understands that advisors generate 75-90% of all their new business from referrals. That doesn’t mean they’re generating enough revenue however, as most advisors will tell you they want more referrals, more leads, more clients. Advisors...
The 7 Faces of Financial Advisor Marketing
Advisors are marketers – if not by choice, by necessity. To be successful in this business, professional advisors need to create opportunities to: Advance their careers Earn a great income Enjoy the privileges of being self-employed Over the years there have been many...
Financial Advisor Marketing on a Budget
Most advisors I’ve met struggle with marketing. We’re at a particularly tumultuous time on the financial services industry. There are incredible demands being placed on advisors including compliance, fee transparency, more solutions than ever, constantly changing tax...
Your Financial Brand Style Guide:
What it is, Why it’s needed and How to do it. WHAT IS A FINANCIAL BRAND STYLE GUIDE? Your brand style guide is set of prescribed rules to follow whenever anything about you or your firm is created to ensure your audience sees and hears about you and your firm in a...
The Seven Evolutionary Stages of Marketing
Marketing Stages As we loop back in history, we can see that the way we “market” our products and services has changed drastically. We’ve gone from very limited supply of goods to a point where just about everything is a commodity. Progress is impossible with our...
4 Ways Your Advisor Brand Impacts ROI
Advisor Brand ROI Most financial advisory firms understand the potential value of a powerful brand. One challenge I often see though is the problem they face in understanding and positioning Brand ROI within their firms. Unfortunately, most advisory firms are...
The 4-Step Advisor Marketing Blueprint
Financial Advisory firms can use a formula to move prospects along the sales path: from suspect to lead to client. This isn’t a magic bullet but it is straightforward and simple. It takes discipline and dedication but once the formula is engrained, the rewards can...
Advisor Marketing Plan Template
Your Advisor Marketing Plan Template If this year is all about focus and results, then a marketing plan is a must. Having worked with financial advisors for over 16 years now, I know just how compelling a written advisor marketing plan can be. Sure, everyone has an...
Professional Advisor Websites: It’s now or….
ADVISOR WEBSITE MARKETING: Good News for RIAs & IARs Independent financial firms are quickly gaining momentum on large financial firms in their ability to leverage the advisor website marketing. Back in 2008, the Securities Industry Association published research...
Advisor Marketing Ideas – Build Brand Depth
Advisor Marketing Ideas: Separating the winners from the, well, not-winners. I just wanted to share what several people told me was an Aha-Moment while attending the RIA Summit, sponsored by Business Development Partners. My role at the summit was to meet with...
Trust, the #1 Advisor Marketing Strategy
Trust, the Best Financial Advisor Marketing Strategy “Trust”, there’s no word I’ve heard offered more when I ask advisors and RIAs what separates them from their competition. It’s such a predictable response I’ve been thinking of changing my business model to, “If I...
The Difference Between Branding and Marketing
Over the last 16 years working with financial advisory firms, one question I find myself answering often is the difference between Branding and Marketing. It’s an important education process towards having the right marketing mindset, the right strategy and an...
Website Security for Financial Advisors
There’s nothing sexy about website security. It isn’t fun, nothing about it makes you more interesting to your clients, and you aren’t likely to be published in any trade journals for doing it right. However, if you don’t follow some basic steps, the likelihood of...