18 Marketing Hacks for Independent Financial Advisors

Want to market your financial planning firm like a pro? You're in luck! I leaned on the "marketeers" of XY Planning Network, who have over 40 years of combined experience, to share some of our favorite pro tips.

Four of us marketeers on the team are tasked with marketing the Network to prospective members, plus one marketing guru assists XYPN advisors directly with marketing their firms. From Boston to LA, we're a dispersed team with no two in the same city and with very different paths to XYPN. 

Many of our favorite marketing tricks and tips are things we picked up along the way, from coast to coast. 

So, in no particular order, here are 18 marketing hacks we love, and think you'll love too.

1. Create Urgency with a Countdown Timer 

If you need prospective clients or current clients to take action of some kind, consider using a countdown timer as a visual reminder of the deadline. 

Count down to an upcoming webinar, expiration of a special offer, or the launch of an eBook. The possibilities are endless and it will cost you nothing. I use a free site called MotionMail, but there are many similar options. It takes just a minute to create and customize your timer to your brand colors, then simply copy and paste the embed code on your website or in an email.   - Jen Mastrud, Director of Marketing 

Every page of your website should have a valuable message to help the visitor make a buying decision. An unexpected example is a return policy page. While you might think this page exists to communicate information to dissatisfied customers about how to return products, this page also conveys a sense of security to active buyers. That’s the underlying value. It communicates to the prospective customer that if something isn’t right with an order, it won’t be a pain in the a$$ to correct it. Take time to craft messages that speak to what potential customers want.   - Kelly Moorman, Content Manager 

I've gotten so much mileage out of this hack, it actually pains me a little to share it! Flip books are easy and free, but that's not the best part: they're also relatively uncommon. That means you're sure to make an impression when you present your ideal clients with a link to a flip book. 

What's a flip book and how do you make one? Simply turn any PDF into a file that's viewed online like a magazine. Take a look at my example, a recent Quarterly Investment Commentary from our sister company, XY Investment Solutions. Sure, we could simply distribute a PDF version, but isn't this more polished? 

Think about where you could add some wow factor. That PowerPoint deck you present to new clients. Your printed brochure. How about putting several blogs together and releasing an eBook? 

I often use a free version of Publitas, but there are others. Some even add the sound of pages flipping! If you want to remove platform branding or get a custom domain, expect to pay $30-$100/month.   - Jen Mastrud, Director of Marketing 

You already know you need to measure your marketing, but that may seem easier said than done. Your Google Analytics source/medium report can answer a lot of questions for you. Use Google's URL builder to create a unique URL each time you unleash an inbound link into the wild. For example, if you're promoting a new service through a guest blog post but also through an email campaign, create campaign URLs for each so Google Analytics can identify how many web visitors came to your landing page from each effort.   

- Carolyn Dalle-Molle, Marketing Coach 

Another way to measure a campaign, paid or otherwise, is by creating specific landing pages. Simply clone the page you'd normally drive visitors to and customize it for the campaign. Not only will you get a clear picture of the traffic your effort is generating, but you'll be able to finesse the content to speak more directly to the target audience. For example, if you target local physicians with a Facebook ad offering a student loan repayment guide, your landing page can emphasize med school debt. This is aptly called “message match” and it's known to lead to higher conversion rates.   - Kelly Moorman, Content Manager

Yes, there are a lot of interesting fonts available; no, you shouldn't use all of them! In fact, it's best to make a decision about the fonts you'll use for headings, subheadings, and body copy, then stick with them. If you've been reinventing the typography wheel in your marketing pieces, stop by CreativeBloq to see a listing of 25 perfectly paired fonts. As long as you're consistent, there is no wrong choice. 

On a related note, take time to set your brand colors once and for all in your marketing platforms, such as your website's back end, your email platform, design tools like Canva, PowerPoint, etc. Your work will be on brand and you'll save time in the long run. Most platforms allow you to set a custom color palette for hyperlinks, calls-to-action buttons, and headings based on hex codes. Once you set it, you can forget it and routinely churn out work consistent with your brand identity. 

Speaking of hex codes, have you ever wanted to match the perfect color but couldn't crack the hex code? Simply upload an image to ImageColorPicker.com, click anywhere on the image, and immediately get the code!   - Whitney Mitchell, Email Marketing Specialist 

As times change, it’s natural that content that was once relevant will become irrelevant or in need of an update. Don't throw the baby out with the bath water! It takes time to create content, so before tossing something out the window, see if it can be salvaged. Revisit blogs and other content offerings to make sure the information is still relevant. If it needs a refresh, give it one. It takes much less time to edit than to create from scratch, not to mention the benefits of the SEO you've already built. 

If you find yourself short on ideas, dig back into your archives and find old topics for which you can provide a new take or fresh spin. After all, great blog content can quickly get buried by newer content. An older blog might be a goldmine of information for new visitors. (Case in point: our most-viewed blog of 2018 was published in January 2016!). Be sure to link to old content (as long as it’s relevant, of course) in new posts too. The SEO gods will smile on you.

On that note, be mindful about creating evergreen content. A good piece of evergreen content that withstands the test of time can generate traffic—and leads—for years.   - Kelly Moorman, Content Manager 

Set yourself up for long-term success by approaching marketing with an inbound strategy. That means less beating down doors and more prospects actually coming to you. This is a long-term play, but unlike beating down doors, the effort you put in today will compound. 

If you haven't put together an inbound funnel or if you question whether the one you have is effective, not to worry—we have a free template for you.   - Jen Mastrud, Director of Marketing