Financial advising is all about money matters, right? Yes…but it’s also about communication. Establishing and maintaining communication with clients should be a top priority for your business. Especially in this day and age where technology has sped up and pointed us all toward digital connections, good communication is more critical than ever.
There is no excuse for advisors to lose contact with clients. Communications should be consistent, timely, personable, and varied. Let’s go over some different ways to build trust through communication with clients.
Why is Good Communication so Important?
Communication is the foundation of any relationship, and relationships won’t grow without consistent, meaningful communication. Want to develop strong advisor-client relationships? Step up your communication.
Remember that if a client trust you with their assets and financial future, then they probably want to hear from you. If you only send clients a generic message once every quarter, you’re not exactly cultivating trust. You need to let your clients often know that you are invested in them and their futures.
Be Personable
Remember that your clients are savvy customers, and they can tell if they receive a newsletter or message that is generically copied and pasted and repackaged with your logo.
While there are types of communication where it is appropriate to use uniform messages, make sure that others contain original content. If a client has chosen to trust you and your financial knowledge, chances are that they prefer to hear your unique thoughts and ideas.
Send a Newsletter
Email continues to be the best way to contact people. Posting to a blog or on social media is a great way for people to discover you, but an email list is ideal because it reaches a group of clients and other contacts who have opted into your communications.
While they may not choose to open every email, just seeing your messages in their inbox cultivates a connection. Take advantage of this great method to regularly reach out to your clients and subscribers.
Maintain a Regular Blog
Blog topics can be about whatever you like, but they should cover concerns and questions that resonate with your clients. Steer away from time-sensitive topics so that your blogs remain “evergreen” or relevant as time passes.
Remember that blogs should educate–not promote. People turn to blogs to get answers to their questions–not to hear you toot your own horn.
How often should you post blogs? That’s up to you. Depending on the engagement, you may choose to blog once a week or once a month. At whatever interval you choose, make sure to maintain a consistent schedule.
Consider Other Kinds of Digital Communication
Think beyond the printed page for communicating in relaxed, informal formats. Blogs and videos are great mediums for sharing your personality and philosophies.
These digital formats can make a special impact that written communication doesn’t, as clients and prospects get to hear your voice or see you talk about things that are important to you and your clients. They help endear people to you.
Have an Active Social Media Presence
For better or for worse, people spend a lot of time on social media. So why not meet people where they are? You can decide what social media platforms are best for you and your clients, but it’s a great opportunity to get some of your immediate thoughts out there.
Remember to keep it relatively professional and avoid getting too personal. The point of being on social media is to be present where clients are so that they think of you when they think about financial issues.
If you decide to open up social media accounts, make sure to update them regularly. It’s better to have no page than to have an abandoned one. Make sure you engage with clients on your social media pages, too. This takes some time, but it’s a great way to make strong connections.
Set Up Automated Communications
I know….we talked earlier about making communications personal, but there is a place for automated messages. For instance, you might automate specific portfolio milestones to clients to supplement the original content that you create.
No matter what kind of communication you focus on, what they should all have in common is a focus on the client. They should key in on what your clients value and be informative and useful. Your clients should feel better informed for having read, listened, or watched what you created.
Want to learn how you can communicate better as a financial advisor? As a life coach for financial advisors, I can help you learn how to network as a financial advisor, make every communication count, and build the life and business you want.