Written by: Justine Young
As we enter the final quarter of 2023, it’s a great time to take stock of your firm’s marketing: what’s working, what’s not and and what goals you’d like to work toward as we wrap up the year.
If that goal list includes building brand awareness, attracting new leads and amplifying your firm’s message, then you’re in the right place! Today, we’re taking a look at lead generation, including six simple (but effective) lead gen strategies that help put financial professionals on the map.
What is Lead Generation?
At the simplest level, lead generation simply means to identify and attract prospects. It’s any action you take to figure out who might be interested in your services and to entice them to learn more. Lead gen can include newsletters, webinars, social media marketing, influencer partnerships and more – it’s all about attracting individuals who could be a good fit for your firm (and hopefully getting their information, like an email address).
After lead generation, you move into the lead nurturing part of the process, which involves relationship building and guiding that prospect through the “buying” process. This part of the process often includes meetings, phone calls or more personalized emails.
Note that “leads” aren’t the same thing as prospects, although they’re similar. Leads are individuals who have shown any level of interest in your firm. Prospects meet specific criteria that make them more likely to become a client down the road.
Let’s explore how you can optimize your website specifically for lead generation using six true and tested methods.
6 Most Effective Lead Generation Strategies for Advisors
1. Create a Newsletter
A well-crafted newsletter can be a powerful tool for engaging your audience, and has the added benefit of growing your email list!
Although it might seem counterintuitive, the best newsletters “give away the milk for free.” In other words, you’ll want to craft your newsletter to have the highest possible value for readers.
The average open rate for marketing emails in business and finance sits at just 21.56%, and recent research suggests that number is likely inflated. To grab readers’ attention and keep them coming back for more, you’ll need catchy subject lines, interesting hooks and – most importantly – content of substance.
So think of what questions your current clients ask the most, or grab that retirement checklist you created last spring, and consider giving it away for free in your newsletter – it might be just the thing that attracts a new lead or two (or three, or more – you get the picture!).
And, of course, put that newsletter sign-up form on your website, whether that be a bar across the top of each page, a pop-up form or on a specifically designated page of its own. You may even wish to include a preview of a past newsletter to give your site visitors a sneak peak of what they can expect should they sign up.
2. Upgrade Your CTAs
If you’ve spent time on the Three Crowns blog recently, you know I love a great, well-placed CTA (call to action). They guide visitors towards taking desired actions, whether it’s signing up for your newsletter, scheduling a consultation or exploring your services further.
Each piece of lead gen content you create should include at least one CTA. Consider the newsletter we discussed above – if you were to give away a free checklist, the CTA in the email would be the actual button readers press to download it. On your website, you’d have a CTA or two promoting the newsletter itself. CTAs exist all over the place, and can be a great attention-grabber for leads.
When crafting your website CTAs, keep them short, clear, direct and easy to see.
3. Make a Landing Page
Landing pages are standalone web pages designed to capture leads’ attention and direct them toward a specific action, like signing up for your upcoming webinar or downloading your firm’s brochure.
These pages are usually much shorter than a permanent page on your firm’s site, as they exist to promote one specific action from leads. Leading pages are often “gated,” meaning the site visitor must give you a piece of information (like their name or email address) to access the full content.
If you’re publishing ads or other marketing materials to attract leads, they might be a great place to start linking to landing pages built within your website.
4. Use Analytics
One of the best ways to increase your lead generation is to have a solid understanding of how, where and why people are finding your website. That’s right – it’s time to finally embrace the power of Google Analytics.
Google Analytics is a free tool that can give you a wealth (heh) of data about your website’s performance, including:
- How many people visit your website and at what time of day
- Which pages they spend the most time on
- What type of device they’re on
- Where they’re located geographically
- And more
By knowing and understanding user behavior, you can craft a website better geared toward lead generation. For example, if a landing page you’ve published has a high bounce rate and little user activity, you can investigate why it’s not resonating with visitors – and try new methods to make a difference.
Even though Google Analytics (also known as GA4) can seem overwhelming, there are a plethora of tools out there that can help you get started, including a free in-depth class from Google.
Plus, our CMO and in-house analytics expert Zach McDonald wrote a quick, easy to understand guide to GA4 earlier this year just for financial advisors like you!
5. Publish Lead Magnets
Often, lead generation is synonymous with list-building. After all, your email list is a great way to measure lead engagement and growth. Gate lead gen content can also give you opportunities to collect other key pieces of information about site visitors, like demographics and goals.
You can check out our guide to the 11 best lead gen tools for advisors here, but here’s a quick refresh:
Gated content gives you more information from leads, but can also turn off potential leads and hurt your organic SEO. Trial and error will be your best friend in deciding which route is best for your firm’s content. For example, if you’re offering a gated budgeting template and it’s not seeing much traction, try offering it as ungated to see if it boosts your engagement.
Some of the best tools you can use include ebooks and whitepapers, checklists, free consultations, case studies, online classes, webinars, quizzes, newsletters, podcasts, events and templates.
6. Invest in Good Old-fashioned Blogs
By consistently creating high-quality, relevant blog posts, you can establish your authority, engage your audience and drive organic traffic to your website. It’s a great way to boost your SEO and allow everyday Googlers to find your firm’s site, while offering valuable, educational content to visitors.
As you build your blog, be sure to create a mix of timely topics and evergreen content. For example, a piece on the risks of real estate investing in 2023 might be particularly appropriate given the current housing market, while a guide to retirement planning will likely be relevant even years from now.
If you’re looking to generate interest in your firm, keep site visitors engaged and grow your email list, these five strategies are a great place to invest your time and energy.
Related: Advisor Websites: 5 Things You Need To Make Your Site Pop