Lead Generation For Financial Advisors: A 2024 Digital Marketing Guide

Lead generation for financial advisors can be like navigating a maze blindly. 

Even with all the marketing resources you’ve found while scouring the internet, it can oftentimes leave you feeling more confused than when you started. 

In fact, many financial advisors (just like you) use the wrong channels when starting their marketing journey.  

And, if you don’t know the correct financial service marketing trends BEFORE launching a campaign — you may end up wasting a lot of money. 

For instance, paid social only has a conversion rate of 1% while paid search has a conversion rate of 6%. (Source)

Not knowing this information ahead of time can cause you a headache in lost time and money. 

2023 is ending, and we're getting closer to 2024.

Financial advisors need to reset their sights. 

Financial Advisors are Focusing Time, Effort, and Money on the Wrong Marketing Strategies…

You've been pulling every marketing lever you can find, but it feels like you're trying to push a boulder uphill.

You've been lighting up social media with consistent posts, even throwing some money behind a few to give them a boost.

You didn't stop there. You went big, investing in a billboard on the busiest highway around.

But all you're hearing is the echo of silence. What's the deal?

Here's the lowdown on some strategies that might not be worth your time and money in this day and age.

Billboards, Radio, TV Ads, & Mailers

While billboards, radio, TV ads, and mailers used to be the “thing” — lead generation for financial advisors has changed. 

Sure, those old-school methods had their moment in the spotlight, but let's be brutally honest — they can be pretty pricey.

Thankfully, digital marketing strategies have swooped in to save the day. Not only are they more cost-effective, but they also offer incredible targeting capabilities.

With digital strategies, you can precisely track and measure the performance of your campaigns. 

No more wondering if your message is hitting the mark. 

You can put your brand right in front of your ideal audience, at a fraction of the cost compared to traditional methods.

Social Media (Organic)

When you are looking to hire a financial advisor, where do you turn to? 

Probably not social media. 

While social media can be a great place to showcase your financial brand, it isn’t the place that your clients are generally going to for answers. 

Focusing solely on social media takes months and even years to build — and you won’t see much return for the amount of time you are putting into it. 

Also, it is incredibly difficult nowadays to get your posts in front of your audience because of the constant algorithm changes. 

If you don’t understand the algorithm fully, you may end up posting posts for no one to see them. 

So, what should you do?

Instead, Financial Advisors Need to Start Here

You need to start with…. wait for it… search engines AND seminar marketing.

Search engines are the place people turn to research and ask questions like “financial advisor near me” or “How to start a retirement account”. 

And, seminars are those educational in-person events where potential clients can ask their questions in real-time and you get to build rapport with local prospects.

So, why would you not try these methods?

These people are high-quality leads that are actively searching for services just like the ones you offer. 

This means that you need to have search elements like:

• Local service ads

• Pay Per Clicks (PPC) ads

• Local organic listings

• Content organic

• Traditional organic

This also means that you may want to host financial seminars throughout the year at times that make the most sense for your audience.

“Blended Search” & Seminar Marketing: The Ticket to Winning Over Financial Services Clients

To greatly increase your visibility AND reach, you have to focus on “blended search” elements and seminar marketing. 

Here’s how we do it. 

1. Paid Search (PPC)

PPC ads are a game-changer for financial advisors in 2024, and our marketing agency knows exactly how to make them shine.

To publish successful PPC ads, our marketing agency uses highly-targeted keywords with low competition to keep the cost per click low and clicks high. 

To make your PPC ads a wild success, we also hone in on: 

• Ad Copy - Keeping copy engaging and under 2 sentences is tough. But, we just so happen to know the best verbiage to use for financial advisors and their PPC campaigns. 

• A/B Testing - What’s an ad campaign without testing the copy? At our agency, we always test ads to make sure they are optimized for success.

• Tracking - We don’t believe in guessing. That’s why we track every decision we make with your PPC ads. From cost per click to conversions, we analyze it all. 

• Landing Page Optimization - Your landing page is the place your searcher will be sent to after clicking on your ad. We make sure that your landing page is easy-to-understand and “conversion-worthy”. Because without a GREAT landing page, what’s the point?

2. Local Service Ads

Another search ad that we like to run for our financial advisors is an ad called “local services ads”.

These ads go the extra mile by displaying crucial information that searchers love to see, such as:

• Your name

• A friendly picture

• Star rating

• Customer reviews

• Operating hours

• Easy contact details

These ads do wonders in humanizing your services, putting a "face to the name" that instantly creates a sense of trust and connection with potential clients. 

It's all about making that lasting impression and giving searchers every reason to reach out to you as a financial advisor. 

3. Local SEO

At KeyWave Digital, we totally get it — location matters when it comes to choosing financial services. 

We specialize in optimizing Google Business Profiles (GBP) listings so that your services get the attention they deserve and rank high in local searches.

With our expertise, we'll make sure that potential customers searching in your area easily find your business. We'll fine-tune your GMB listing, so it stands out from the crowd and attracts more clicks, calls, and visits.

Not only that, we don’t believe in setting up your GMB profile and forgetting it. We are constantly checking and optimizing it to ensure that Google sees your business as relevant and up-to-date. 

4. Traditional SEO

When it comes to traditional SEO, we have a little nickname for it: "free advertising." 

Why? 

Because it taps into the incredible power of keywords to boost your brand's visibility, without relying on an advertising budget.

Using highly-relevant and specific keywords, we ensure that your site appears in front of your ideal audience when they need your services the most. We perform all keyword research in-house to bring you the outcomes you expect out of your digital presence. 

5. Content Marketing

You've probably heard the phrase "content is king," and guess what? In 2024, it's still reigning supreme!

Content marketing isn't just about churning out blog posts. It's about creating a variety of engaging, relevant content that resonates with your audience and positions you as an authority in the financial advisory space.

If you're not a wordsmith, don't sweat it. Our team of copywriting and marketing mavens are masters in the art of content strategy. We know the ins and outs of getting your website the attention it deserves.

We don't just create content; we craft a strategy. From developing relevant H2s and H3s for SEO, to gaining backlinks, and strategically using internal links, we've got it covered. We're all about helping your site rank higher and even snagging that coveted Google snippet!

But it doesn't stop there. We understand the importance of consistency in content marketing. Regularly publishing fresh, high-quality content is key to staying on Google's radar and keeping your audience engaged.

So, let's start creating content that not only informs but also converts. After all, in the digital world, content is more than just king; it's the whole kingdom!

6. Seminar Marketing for Financial Advisors

When it comes to generating leads from paid social, seminars are the ultimate stage for showing off your expertise and gaining the trust of your audience. 

Your crowd can raise their hand and ask questions as they think of them AND they can chat with you after the event if they want to learn more. 

These events can also give you insights into some of the most common questions your ideal audience has about your services so that you can continue to create digital content centered around those topics. 

You Know Financial Advising. We Know Digital Marketing.

With our proven strategies and tactics, you can expect a steady stream of high-quality leads coming your way. 

We'll help you navigate the ever-changing landscape of "blended search" marketing, combining the power of SEO, PPC, content marketing, and more. 

We will also serve as your guide through the process of marketing your financial seminar! 

We focus on the digital strategies that have the highest return on your marketing dollars and the highest impact on building your brand.

Let's make your marketing efforts an absolute triumph! Connect with our team at KeyWave Digital to get started with a free traffic projection analysis.