Email can be a busy financial advisor’s best friend: it’s an efficient and immediate way of sending information to clients and it can underscore your value.
However, email can be your worst enemy if not handled properly. If your email messages come across as being gimmicky, impersonal or dull, that can reflect badly on you.
For example, you should avoid using email as a mass-marketing tool. Instead, be authentic, says Randy Milanovic, principal with Kayak Online Marketing in Calgary. Emails should be part of a tailored marketing plan, he says, directing readers somewhere else – such as a blog – that highlights more of what you are offering.
“Authentic” means hard-sale tactics are never used, says Milanovic: “The firm that stops pitching is the one that wins the business.”
It’s also important to catch the reader’s interest in the subject line. George Torok, a marketing expert based in Burlington, Ont., says the first two words in a subject line can determine whether your email gets read. It must look like information the reader can use: the promise of helpful tips, lists or actions that readers might be able to take, for example.
Avoid using gimmicks, says Milanovic: “Every time somebody tries to be cute, it lowers credibility.”
And never use all caps or flag the email as “high importance.” Marketing now is all about interaction, not interruption. Since emails, by their nature, interrupt, it’s up to you to make sure the content is an invitation to learn more.
Keep it personal by ensuring the email is addressed to a specific person. When it’s sent to “undisclosed recipients” or seems generic, says Milanovic, it may be treated as spam.
Aim for a friendly and engaging style in your emails, he adds: “It’s a conversation.”
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