Most financial advisers intuitively grasp the power of an email list for their financial marketing.
But how do you build one efficiently and ethically, especially in our post-GDPR world?
Let us say from the outset, that buying email lists is off the table.
We know there are firms out there selling “GDPR compliant” lists of pension leads for instance. Trust us when we say that you shouldn’t touch these with a barge pole.
It might seem like an easy way to get new clients. But these people don’t know you, and haven’t given their personal details specifically to you. Given that you are potentially going to be working with your clients for decades, do you really want to initiate a relationship with them on these dubious grounds?
Besides, there is a better way to build an email list for your financial marketing. One that is opted-in by your clients and potential clients. It’s a slower burn than buying a list, but you’ve get more out of it.
So, let’s look in more detail at how to build this kind of email list:
#1 Use Calls To Action On Your Pages
A call to action is usually a button or link somewhere on your blog or landing page. IFAs frequently neglect these in their web content, which is a mistake.
Others do use them, but they use them too sparingly or too often. Or in the wrong part of the page. Or, the call to action itself is inappropriate, or poorly worded. Or just plain boring:
“Join Our Newsletter!”
Yawn.
Who really wants to join another email newsletter, filling up our inbox with yet more clutter? Rather, offer something exciting and valuable. For instance, on a blog page about Brexit and investments, you could use something like this instead as a call to action:
“Worried about Brexit and your money? Receive regular financial updates and insights, to keep you in the know.” – Stay Informed
#2 Think About a Slide / Pop Up
Be careful with these. No one wants an annoying pop up appearing just as they’re landing on your page to read your content.
That said, pop ups can be useful if they’re not intrusive. Possibly they can appear on the bottom right of the page, as the user scrolls down to a certain point in your article.
At that point, they are more likely to be ready to receive the additional value you are offering.
#3 Consider Surveys In Your Financial Marketing
You don’t just have to ask people to join your newsletter in order to start communicating with them via email. You can also ask them to participate in a survey as well.
You’ll need to be creative here, as people need a good reason to take the time to not just fill out a survey for you, but be willing to part with their email address as well.
The survey doesn’t have to be long. It could be something as short and simple as:
“You seem interested in pension topics. Would you like to stay in touch with the latest thoughts and insights from our financial adviser team?”
- Yes [Enter Email]
- No
#4 Use Value-Charged Language In Your CTAs
Sometimes, financial marketing could do with a bit of humour, or wit, to get clicks.
It’s so easy to be boring and people expect that in financial services. Bring them something fresh!
If that’s not really your style or brand, however, then at the very least try and avoid boring words in your CTAs such as “sign up”, or “subscribe”. Use words which immediately convey excitement an value:
- Access
- Featured
- Exclusive
- Download
For instance, you could say: “Download our free, exclusive eBook on how Brext affects pensions.”
#5 Exploit Your Social Accounts
Remember, you might be growing your email subscribers for your financial marketing. But you also more than likely have a social network, however small or insignificant that might seem.
If your business has a Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook account, for instance, why not use those channels to grow your email list?
If people already follow you on these platforms, then they probably like at least some of what you have to say. Why not offer your financial content marketing to them, to convert them into subscribers?
You could even try running a small Facebook Ads or Twitter Ads campaign, to increase your reach.
#6 Don’t Forget Offline Marketing
Many financial advisers still use seminars, conferences and local events as part of their efforts to grow their business network, and gain new clients.
If you attend events like these, or set up stalls there, are there creative ways you could use these events as opportunities to grow your email list?
For instance, could you run a competition at your stall? It’s currently the FIFA World Cup Season, for instance, so perhaps you could do something run like: “Who will score the winning goal in the final?”
Not only would this spark some fun discussion at your stall with potential clients who also enjoy the World Cup. You can require their email as part of entering the competition.
