How to Successfully Establish Your Brand as an Independent Advisor

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How to Successfully Establish Your Brand as an Independent Advisor

January 19, 2021

CATEGORY

How to Successfully Establish Your Brand as an Independent Advisor

January 19, 2021

If you’re making the move to be an independent advisor, there are steps that you should consider in order to maximize your chances of success. There will be some uncertainty as you step out of the brokerage world, but this will give you plenty of opportunities to thrive on your own. Your main goals when you are establishing your brand as an independent advisor should be to retain your existing clients and find new clients in your target demographic.

Identify your niche and target audience

When you decide to make the jump to become an independent advisor, it’s crucial that you both identify your specialty and define your target audience. What specific skills do you bring to the table?

Determining your niche

Throughout the history of financial advisement, many planners have done a little bit of everything in the financial world. However, in the last decade or so, it’s become increasingly clear that just being an experienced advisor who gives comprehensive planning advice is not enough. Most clients are looking for someone who has a specialty with the situation that they are in.

It’s true that many planners are apprehensive about focusing on a niche, as that may narrow their client base. However, if you can identify a niche that you can succeed at, you’ll not only become more of an expert, your leads are more likely to be qualified and become a continued client with you. If you advertise to everyone, you are likely to find more potential clients, but not as many actual clients.

Knowing your target audience

Refining your target audience is a must once you have determined your focus or niche. It’s important that you have a target clientele that you are able to serve, the knowledge of how to serve them, and a business model that will work with the relationship between you, the advisor, and your client.

Generally, your chosen niche does most of the work for you when it comes to finding your audience. If you specialize in creating retirement income portfolios, your target audience will most likely be retirees with high AUM. Once you determine this, you can look into ways of reaching these potential clients.

Invest in marketing

Online marketing can be a four-letter word to many, as there can be a steep learning curve. It’s also intimidating because you don’t want to waste your money on advertising that isn’t bringing in the right clients. Many independent advisors fall into the trap of advertising to anyone seeking out financial services, with the hopes of finding qualified leads. This is often a waste of money and more trouble than it’s worth.

What does a successful advertising campaign look like?

As noted previously, identifying your niche and target audience will help to guide you as to whom you will be advertising to. Below are items to take care of before you start an online ad campaign.

• Set goals - What are your goals for your advertising campaign? Of course, finding more business is the ultimate goal, but this is the time to get specific. Do you want to find four or more qualified leads in a month? Set up at least 15 free consultations? Understand what you want your goals to be before you spend any money on online advertising.
• Understand your ideal client’s wishes, goals, and motivation - It’s imperative to understand the “why” of a client’s needs. What are their motivations? Do they want to pay for their children’s college or wedding? Do they dream of traveling throughout retirement? Understanding their motivation behind their goals will help you understand who you should be reaching out to.
• Educate yourself on online advertising - There’s a reason why many seek out marketing agencies to take care of their campaigns, and that’s because it’s hard. While you can gather enough knowledge yourself to set up your own online ads, reach out to a local agency near you and see what they can do for your business. Instead of wasting dollars on something that you aren’t an expert in, trust an agency to help you reach your goals.

Stay active on social media and keep your website updated

Establishing your brand as an independent advisor necessitates a healthy use of social media and a well-optimized website. Staying active on these platforms builds authority in your niche.

Use social media as a tool to reach out to potential clients

Social media can be a wonderful tool to find new audiences without spending much money. If done correctly, the ROI on a social media platform like Facebook can be more beneficial than any kind of physical advertising. You can use social media to host webinars, share relevant content, and talk and answer questions from your followers. It’s a free way of getting yourself out there.

Make sure your website is up-to-date and optimized

Because so many seek out financial services online, it’s critical that your website is optimized and updated on a frequent basis. Make sure that you are focused on SEO and that you are adding keyword-focused relevant content on a consistent basis. Hiring a contract writer who specializes in financial writing may be key here—you can guide them on what to write and they can bring it to fruition. After all, you may be an expert in financial advice, but web writing is a skill set you may not have.

Establishing your brand

There’s a lot to focus on when you decide to jump into being an independent advisor, but the crux of it comes down to knowing your niche, identifying your audience, and using the internet as a tool to find leads. You may find yourself reaching out to contractors or agencies focused on online advertising or SEO, which will only help your business.

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We'll easily connect you to the people you're searching for.

Contact Our Team

• Get qualified leads from potential clients.
• Claim your profile.

Contact Our Team

How to Successfully Establish Your Brand as an Independent Advisor

If you’re making the move to be an independent advisor, there are steps that you should consider in order to maximize your chances of success. There will be some uncertainty as you step out of the brokerage world, but this will give you plenty of opportunities to thrive on your own. Your main goals when you are establishing your brand as an independent advisor should be to retain your existing clients and find new clients in your target demographic.

Identify your niche and target audience

When you decide to make the jump to become an independent advisor, it’s crucial that you both identify your specialty and define your target audience. What specific skills do you bring to the table?

Determining your niche

Throughout the history of financial advisement, many planners have done a little bit of everything in the financial world. However, in the last decade or so, it’s become increasingly clear that just being an experienced advisor who gives comprehensive planning advice is not enough. Most clients are looking for someone who has a specialty with the situation that they are in.

It’s true that many planners are apprehensive about focusing on a niche, as that may narrow their client base. However, if you can identify a niche that you can succeed at, you’ll not only become more of an expert, your leads are more likely to be qualified and become a continued client with you. If you advertise to everyone, you are likely to find more potential clients, but not as many actual clients.

Knowing your target audience

Refining your target audience is a must once you have determined your focus or niche. It’s important that you have a target clientele that you are able to serve, the knowledge of how to serve them, and a business model that will work with the relationship between you, the advisor, and your client.

Generally, your chosen niche does most of the work for you when it comes to finding your audience. If you specialize in creating retirement income portfolios, your target audience will most likely be retirees with high AUM. Once you determine this, you can look into ways of reaching these potential clients.

Invest in marketing

Online marketing can be a four-letter word to many, as there can be a steep learning curve. It’s also intimidating because you don’t want to waste your money on advertising that isn’t bringing in the right clients. Many independent advisors fall into the trap of advertising to anyone seeking out financial services, with the hopes of finding qualified leads. This is often a waste of money and more trouble than it’s worth.

What does a successful advertising campaign look like?

As noted previously, identifying your niche and target audience will help to guide you as to whom you will be advertising to. Below are items to take care of before you start an online ad campaign.

• Set goals - What are your goals for your advertising campaign? Of course, finding more business is the ultimate goal, but this is the time to get specific. Do you want to find four or more qualified leads in a month? Set up at least 15 free consultations? Understand what you want your goals to be before you spend any money on online advertising.
• Understand your ideal client’s wishes, goals, and motivation - It’s imperative to understand the “why” of a client’s needs. What are their motivations? Do they want to pay for their children’s college or wedding? Do they dream of traveling throughout retirement? Understanding their motivation behind their goals will help you understand who you should be reaching out to.
• Educate yourself on online advertising - There’s a reason why many seek out marketing agencies to take care of their campaigns, and that’s because it’s hard. While you can gather enough knowledge yourself to set up your own online ads, reach out to a local agency near you and see what they can do for your business. Instead of wasting dollars on something that you aren’t an expert in, trust an agency to help you reach your goals.

Stay active on social media and keep your website updated

Establishing your brand as an independent advisor necessitates a healthy use of social media and a well-optimized website. Staying active on these platforms builds authority in your niche.

Use social media as a tool to reach out to potential clients

Social media can be a wonderful tool to find new audiences without spending much money. If done correctly, the ROI on a social media platform like Facebook can be more beneficial than any kind of physical advertising. You can use social media to host webinars, share relevant content, and talk and answer questions from your followers. It’s a free way of getting yourself out there.

Make sure your website is up-to-date and optimized

Because so many seek out financial services online, it’s critical that your website is optimized and updated on a frequent basis. Make sure that you are focused on SEO and that you are adding keyword-focused relevant content on a consistent basis. Hiring a contract writer who specializes in financial writing may be key here—you can guide them on what to write and they can bring it to fruition. After all, you may be an expert in financial advice, but web writing is a skill set you may not have.

Establishing your brand

There’s a lot to focus on when you decide to jump into being an independent advisor, but the crux of it comes down to knowing your niche, identifying your audience, and using the internet as a tool to find leads. You may find yourself reaching out to contractors or agencies focused on online advertising or SEO, which will only help your business.

If you’re making the move to be an independent advisor, there are steps that you should consider in order to maximize your chances of success. There will be some uncertainty as you step out of the brokerage world, but this will give you plenty of opportunities to thrive on your own. Your main goals when you are establishing your brand as an independent advisor should be to retain your existing clients and find new clients in your target demographic.

Identify your niche and target audience

When you decide to make the jump to become an independent advisor, it’s crucial that you both identify your specialty and define your target audience. What specific skills do you bring to the table?

Determining your niche

Throughout the history of financial advisement, many planners have done a little bit of everything in the financial world. However, in the last decade or so, it’s become increasingly clear that just being an experienced advisor who gives comprehensive planning advice is not enough. Most clients are looking for someone who has a specialty with the situation that they are in.

It’s true that many planners are apprehensive about focusing on a niche, as that may narrow their client base. However, if you can identify a niche that you can succeed at, you’ll not only become more of an expert, your leads are more likely to be qualified and become a continued client with you. If you advertise to everyone, you are likely to find more potential clients, but not as many actual clients.

Knowing your target audience

Refining your target audience is a must once you have determined your focus or niche. It’s important that you have a target clientele that you are able to serve, the knowledge of how to serve them, and a business model that will work with the relationship between you, the advisor, and your client.

Generally, your chosen niche does most of the work for you when it comes to finding your audience. If you specialize in creating retirement income portfolios, your target audience will most likely be retirees with high AUM. Once you determine this, you can look into ways of reaching these potential clients.

Invest in marketing

Online marketing can be a four-letter word to many, as there can be a steep learning curve. It’s also intimidating because you don’t want to waste your money on advertising that isn’t bringing in the right clients. Many independent advisors fall into the trap of advertising to anyone seeking out financial services, with the hopes of finding qualified leads. This is often a waste of money and more trouble than it’s worth.

What does a successful advertising campaign look like?

As noted previously, identifying your niche and target audience will help to guide you as to whom you will be advertising to. Below are items to take care of before you start an online ad campaign.

• Set goals - What are your goals for your advertising campaign? Of course, finding more business is the ultimate goal, but this is the time to get specific. Do you want to find four or more qualified leads in a month? Set up at least 15 free consultations? Understand what you want your goals to be before you spend any money on online advertising.
• Understand your ideal client’s wishes, goals, and motivation - It’s imperative to understand the “why” of a client’s needs. What are their motivations? Do they want to pay for their children’s college or wedding? Do they dream of traveling throughout retirement? Understanding their motivation behind their goals will help you understand who you should be reaching out to.
• Educate yourself on online advertising - There’s a reason why many seek out marketing agencies to take care of their campaigns, and that’s because it’s hard. While you can gather enough knowledge yourself to set up your own online ads, reach out to a local agency near you and see what they can do for your business. Instead of wasting dollars on something that you aren’t an expert in, trust an agency to help you reach your goals.

Stay active on social media and keep your website updated

Establishing your brand as an independent advisor necessitates a healthy use of social media and a well-optimized website. Staying active on these platforms builds authority in your niche.

Use social media as a tool to reach out to potential clients

Social media can be a wonderful tool to find new audiences without spending much money. If done correctly, the ROI on a social media platform like Facebook can be more beneficial than any kind of physical advertising. You can use social media to host webinars, share relevant content, and talk and answer questions from your followers. It’s a free way of getting yourself out there.

Make sure your website is up-to-date and optimized

Because so many seek out financial services online, it’s critical that your website is optimized and updated on a frequent basis. Make sure that you are focused on SEO and that you are adding keyword-focused relevant content on a consistent basis. Hiring a contract writer who specializes in financial writing may be key here—you can guide them on what to write and they can bring it to fruition. After all, you may be an expert in financial advice, but web writing is a skill set you may not have.

Establishing your brand

There’s a lot to focus on when you decide to jump into being an independent advisor, but the crux of it comes down to knowing your niche, identifying your audience, and using the internet as a tool to find leads. You may find yourself reaching out to contractors or agencies focused on online advertising or SEO, which will only help your business.