A study was done in the UK on the nature of trust in brand relationships and found that before trust or confidence can begin to be developed, consumers need repeated experiences with the brand so as to build beliefs about its predictability and dependability. Meaning, consistency in communicating with your new referrals and prospects is integral to building trust and credibility.

So, if you want to build a highly reputable brand - you need to start communicating with your leads on a consistent basis. Building a dependable brand will allow you to start building new relationships.

Now you may be thinking — that's great. I’d love to have repeated, valuable touch points with my clients and prospects, but where am I supposed to find the time to create these communications and post across my digital channels? I'm running a business you know...  

I know. What you need is an extremely effective, yet easy way to repeatedly communicate with your clients and leads and build a consistent brand online.

You need an automated content marketing platform, built for financial advisors.

What’s an automated marketing platform? It’s a platform that does the majority of your communications for you — from newsletters to building a strong digital presence — without you having to do the work.

Sounds too good to be true? It actually exists. I promise.

When looking for an automated content marketing platform, there are a few key areas you need to consider to ensure you’re going to invest in the right one and be successful.

1. Content

This is the most important factor when looking for any kind of content marketing platform. High-quality, credible, and relevant content is the only way to capture the attention of a new lead, deepen a relationship, and provide valuable touch points.

You can have the most beautifully-designed website or newsletter template, but without the right content; no one will read your newsletters and no one will be directed to visit your website or want to return to it.

If you’re a financial advisor and we sent you a professional newsletter with the 10 cutest pictures of Pomeranians on Instagram this week (granted - Pomeranians are pretty cute), you're not being engaging on the challenges you face as an advisor and you won't want to build a relationship with us (in fact, it will likely damage the relationship). You’re looking for pertinent content on ways to grow your business in today's complex industry and digital environment, so this is the type of content that we need to send you to begin to build trust and credibility.

Your clients and prospects are no different. You need to deliver current content that is relevant and targeted to their needs and interests. 

Like this newsletter here where an advisor immediately sent out a newsletter on Brexit and what this would mean for his investors. Clients are actively looking into this type of news content and what this means for their finances. By immediately delivering these types of communications, you're staying top of mind and you're providing an invaluable touch point with educational, credible, and relevant content. Not only is this news informative for your clients. But due to its timeliness - clients will share this type of content with their friends and family members.

2. Automated Delivery Tools: Email and Web-Based

You need to have a consistent presence across all your digital channels because new leads need repeated experiences with you in order to see you as dependable and predictable. Inconsistency in your communication will exude inconsistency in your brand. 

That being said, it’s nearly impossible nowadays for financial advisors to find the time, money, and resources to have a consistent communications plan.

So, the content platform you are looking to should have all the delivery tools you need. Don’t go and buy 5 different accounts because one is a newsletter tool, the other is a compliance workflow, the other is for social media posts — there is no way you are going to be able to effectively manage all of them and keep up with your communications plan.

Set yourself up for success and invest in a platform that is a one-stop-shop.

It has the premium, quality content you need. Yet, it also has built-in mechanisms to disseminate this content across your digital channels in minutes. 

Some platforms even have fully automated newsletters and social media posts with curated, premium, and credible content so all you have to do is — well, nothing. You literally have nothing to do.

But to your clients and prospects - it looks like you're doing everything. Not a bad set-up, right?

3. Reporting & Lead Generation

Lastly, you’re going to want subscribe to a platform that has everything — and that includes reporting and lead generation.

There are platforms that even have lead algorithms that can tell you all the people who are engaging with your content  who aren't clients of yours and not only tell you who they are, but also information on them.

Here's an example of a new lead that was automatically produced for an advisor due one of their clients sharing an article with their friend. And since Chris Carder is a CASL-compliant lead, the advisor can add Chris to his newsletter distribution list or reach out to him. He can even see which client generated the lead, in this case, Kevin Mulhern, and ask Kevin to introduce him to his friend, Chris. 

Pretty incredible, right? So, remember to find a platform that can help you grow your business by easily allowing you to repeatedly create valuable experiences with your prospects, which will demonstrate your trust and credibility.

Schedule a demo with AdvisorStream and learn how we're helping advisors build reputable and powerful brands online and generate new leads. 

References:

1. Globe and Mail, "Lack of trust in financial services industry deters investors"
   
2. University of Bath