9 weird financial advisor marketing strategies for 2022

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December 13, 2021

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Around this time is when people start to think about next year so I’m sending you nine financial advisor marketing strategies for 2022 (plus one bonus). These are a little bit unusual so I hope they don’t freak you out too much!

For those of you who are new to my blog/podcast, my name is Sara. I am a CFA® charterholder and I used to be a financial advisor. I have a weekly newsletter in which I talk about financial advisor lead generation topics which is best described as “fun and irreverent.” So please subscribe!

Sara Grillo, CFA is a highly fun and slightly crazy marketing consultant based in NYC. — I am an irreverent and fun marketing consultant for financial advisors.

#1 Put a basic crisis marketing plan together

As of the time of the writing of this blog, the Fed has announced its intention to taper in 2022. This may potentially cause some market volatility.

So here’s a 2022 marketing idea for you financial advisors.

Be prepared with a crisis marketing strategy. You may even want to prepare some materials in advance because as you know clients get very emotional in market turbulence and time may be constricted.

I wrote this blog about crisis marketing for COVID but the fundamentals apply to any market crisis.

#2 Get better headlines

With anything you are writing online, the headline is the whole thing. Nobody is going to read it if the headline is boring. That’s why they put sprinkles on cupcakes.

By headline, I mean:

A blog title
If on Youtube, the title/thumbnail
If on LinkedIn, the first line of the post
If on a newsletter, the subject line

I don’t care if you have to spend 50% of your time on this. The headline is what makes them click. And for that reason it is the most important part of any financial advisor marketing strategies you may be using. Make it a point in 2022 to get 30% higher click through rate on everything you write online.

Here’s a super duper weird financial advisor marketing strategy tip.

Include at least one crazy word in the headline. I’m not saying make weird headlines like, “Here’s why you should sell 100% of your portfolio and go buy xyz.” I mean, use one unusual word to liven it up.

Look at these two examples.

Charitable gifting strategies for end of year

Charitable gifting strategies that make you look as generous as Bill Gates

Emotion brought forth: envy.

How to retire in 2022

How to retire without the Gobbledygook they all try to sell you

See what I mean? It’s like adding a dash of curry to the soup.

#3 Make a decision about Google Search and your website

Getting found on Google Search isn’t the newest financial advisor marketing idea in the world. Being committed as #4%* to it, however, is.

I say all of this at the risk of sounding like one of those people who are out there pushing financial advisor marketing strategies sounding like, “Hey everyone, Google is the next hot way for advisors to get high net worth clients, go spend $20k and get a new website and let’s optimize it so you can be #1 on page one and get all the rich people.”

Not saying that. Google search is for everyone. Not everyone is a writer or has the willingness to be able to handle cold, hard leads coming in from the internet (some of these prospects can be highly distrustful and tough with a capital T).

But I have it work well for some financial advisors. And I myself have done well on Google. It’s nice. It’s almost as if Google is a referral source.

What I do think, however, is that you should make a decision about whether or not you want to be in this game at all. And if you don’t, spend the money to pay the hosting and management fee for your website every month, and leave it as is.

To be successful on Google, you have to be able to produce high quality content on a consistent basis that people will read, share, and backlink to. You have to know how to optimize the content on your site so that Google knows what you’re about and believes you are real.

If you are not a writer (or not down with paying someone at least $300 a blog to do it for you and even then I’m not sure that’s the highest quality writing), then it might not be that easy. You may have to pay for ads, and given these are financial keywords you’re trying to rank for, they don’t go for cheap.

If you commit, go all in. Make a content schedule, follow it, and get somebody smart to advise you about what keywords to use. But don’t just stay in the middle with this where is the place I see alot of you, writing blogs that get 20 views a year which isn’t really helping anybody.

#4 Think about testimonials

The SEC marketing rule may be coming into effect and with it comes new standards for the use of testimonials. You may want to start think about how you go about collecting them and how you will present them.

All of this however is subject to the rule becoming in effect which is specific to whatever your compliance says. Because of course before moving forward with any such communications, you should always consult with your compliance or legal officer for approval.

See my interview with Richard Chen about the 2022 SEC testimonial rule.

#5 Get a crypto blog up

I’ll be real…crypto isn’t my favorite topic. But even if you aren’t advising on it, you need to know about it, and you need to have an opinion.

The more I see crypto being discussed by financial advisors, the more scared I become about the lack of caution with which the subject is handled. This is why the industry gets a bad reputation and furthermore it really bugs me to think about the people who will lose money due to reckless investing as the urging of financial advisor influencers who speak carelessly on this topic. In some cases, it is ridiculous.

You may need to learn some new vocab, but I urge you to get some talking points or even a blog discussing crypto from a position of advocacy. It could just be the most basic thing such as talking about the risks.

Don’t get me wrong; I’m not saying you should advise clients on how to invest in crypto or become a crypto financial advisor. Not at all. I’m encourage you to move forward as an advocate and empower those you influence through education.

Here’s a specific 2022 financial advisor marketing idea related to crypto.

Crypto getting started guide – the list of “don’ts”. I just had a horrific experience with Coinbase. I eventually got my money back but it was very eye opening about how the retail consumer is very vulnerable. Might be a good idea to take a position of advocacy here.

Who’s the best custodian?
How do you file crypto in your taxes?
Should you even be investing in crypto in the first place?
Is it really a hedge?

I’ve had the most enjoyable year on social media in 2021. I did things really differently from before.

In the past, I used to look at social media as a bullhorn, as a way for me to broadcast my ideas and show off my talent, in a sense.

But the more I got into it, I started trying some weird things that started working out much better. And it was the strategy of using social media more like a chat room or a dinner party, a forum for discussion. I found the algorithms seemed to really like my content the more long comments people gave on my posting. This is because it draws people in and gets them active on the platform which in my case LinkedIn loved.

Here are some examples:

I asked people their opinions using various survey such as one about if the market is rigged
I asked financial advisors how much in AUM was needed to strike out as your own RIA
I asked financial advisors to tell me their funniest client story

All of these things people loved.

My message here is to build a community that talks. You’ll learn, your followers will learn, and it’ll be productive for your visibility as well.

#7 CPA emergency relief kit

The 2021 tax season is a brutal one for accountants, with all the Childcare Credits and crypto tax rules.

Approach CPAs as a resource. Done intelligently, you can be of great value to them at a time when they are stressed.
Please read the 47 financial advisor LinkedIn messages ebook for how to message CPAs.

Here are the specific messages.
#7

#40

#47

Also the section starting on page 31 called “Influencer Messages.” You might want to offer them creative ideas that can help them.

Examples:

What the best way to organize client files is
Secure links such as Sharefile or Lastpass that their clients can use to send them documents securely
Tips for researching cost basis

Do not pitch or ask them for coffee. Come with valuable resources and ideas that can solve specific problems they might be having, or do not approach them at all.

#8 Local inflation comparison

Inflation is here and looks like it’s here to stay.

Make a graph showing local average salary/household income in the community you serve, vs. average inflation rates in the area. You can find this data on St. Louis Fred or the Census Bureau.

#9 A guide to second hand shopping

People always cringe when I mention this idea and then say that their clients are too rich to second hand shop. However for many it is a matter of principle and personal belief rather than need.

But with inflation sky high and looking like it’s not going to stop rising anytime soon, we can all use a bit of price relief…

Agree?

Even the millionnaires!

Bonus idea

For my bonus tip I’ll offer up a financial advisor digital marketing strategy idea.

Use LinkedIn to help your business owner prospects/clients/COI friends find employees. It’s a talent shortage, remember? If you can help them fill positions they’ll see you as a valuable resource.

Want more financial advisor marketing ideas?

If that wasn’t enough, check out my blog on 55 financial advisor marketing ideas. I hope you take a moment to like and subscribe to my podcast as well, as there are more creative and fun financial advisor marketing tips on schedule.

Sara’s upshot on financial advisor marketing strategies

What’d ya think? Was this helpful?

If yes…

Learn what to say to prospects on social media messenger apps without sounding like a washing machine salesperson. This e-book contains 47 financial advisor LinkedIn messages, sequences, and scripts, and they are all two sentences or less.