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When most people hear buttoned up, their mind jumps to an image of a sharp dressed business man in a well-tailored suit buttoning a cuff link. While this image may have been recently revived by binge watching Mad Men in quarantine, it is definitely a picture of style and sophistication.
However, in our new work-from-home environment, the majority of American’s no longer wear a formal suit and tie; rather some of us rotate seamlessly between our daytime sweat pants to our nighttime sweats.
So what does it mean to button up in a digital world and why does it matter?
For starters, business has not stopped. It’s changed. And the more professional you look online, the easier it will be for you to retain and earn more retirement plan clients. Let us show you how.
The Digital Glow-up
If a 2016 statistic said that 86% of prospects will Google you before they meet with you, what percentage do you think it is today? It’s probably closer to 99.99%. To help you immediately enhance your digital presence, follow these helpful tips:
Match your brand
To create a strong brand, your marketing content needs to look and sound consistent. When all of your marketing matches, it makes it easier for your clients, prospects, and centers of influence to easily identify your brand. They will recognize your logo, see your signature colors, read your fonts, and if done well, they will instantaneously recognize that it is you - their professional retirement plan advisor! When building your consistent brand, standardize these 4 assets:
Logo
Colors
Fonts
Imagery Style
When advisory firms implement a consistent brand, they experience a 23% increase in revenue.[1]
Adopt visual consistency
A seemingly small yet often overlooked detail are profile pictures. When were your profile pictures taken and are they consistent? When conducting online research, a quick and easy way to help prospects feel confident that they are communicating with the same person is to confirm your biography headshot and LinkedIn profile picture are the same. This helps to quell any nervousness about who they are researching and who they need to contact.
Review your website
When evaluating your website, be honest. If it needs a refresh, contact your website team and ask them spruce it up. If it’s beautiful, great work. Professional websites instill confidence. They demonstrate that you are in touch with the times and understand how business-to-business gets done.
When evaluating your website, lookout for these 3 red flags:
Copyright on your website is the wrong year
Website has “under construction” or “coming soon” webpages
Last blog post is from over a year ago
While these don’t sound like much, they produce little pings of prospect pain. They look sloppy. If all we have right now is our digital presence to carry the day, these small wrinkles could be the reason why prospects are clicking the other way.
Host a great virtual meeting
In our new work-from-home environment, the mode of communication has changed. Here a few simple tips to help you host the best virtual meeting.
Always send a calendar invitation and include dial-in information.
Login in a few minutes before the scheduled meeting and be the last to leave.
If over video, dress as if you were meeting them face-to-face (because you are).
Have an agenda.
And last but not least, be courteous of other people’s time. While some professionals have endless time at the moment, others are in back-to-back meetings. If the meeting is scheduled for 30-minutes, use that given time wisely because especially right now, not all calendars are the same.
Communicate regularly
Now is the time to increase digital communication. Take this physical distance as an opportunity to become digitally close. Make them feel like you are on top of the news, changes, and updates. More and more people are in front of their computers, phones, and devices. They want information on what is going on. Be their source of information and take charge - be their retirement plan leader. This may include these digital communications:
Newsletters
Emails
Social media
Webinars / Live broadcasts
Videos
Podcasts
And other forms of conversations.
Just because you can’t meet physically face-to-face with your clients doesn’t mean you should stop communicating with them. Rather, communication is the best medicine.
Adapt, normalize, and rise
You got this! While much has changed, much has remained the same. As a top-notch professional advisor, this is your opportunity to shine.
When plan sponsors are scared, need help, and awaken from this chaos, they are going to ask hard questions to their current advisor. They are going to look back and evaluate their client experience.
If you are their current advisor, show them how amazing you are with your great website, timely blogs articles, consistent communication, current social media posts, and all of the fantastic ways that you are here, supporting, demonstrating unprecedented value, and are their trusted source for fiduciary plan excellence.
On the other hand, if you are not their advisor and are prospecting for new business - show you’re buttoned up. From your business, team, organization, fiduciary process, communication, client support, relevant updates, and show them why they should fire their current advisor and exactly why they need to hire you.
Overall, this is your time to be their plan hero. Be the office that comes out of these ashes as a Phoenix. Set new marketing and communication standards and emerge as the ONLY true retirement plan advisor in your community.
Thanks for reading and Happy Marketing!
About Us
401(k) Marketing is the modern marketing agency for the retirement plan industry. We are proud to support our clients through custom engagements, content marketing campaigns, sales material innovations, thought-leadership consulting, interactive workshops and speaking events. Our mission is to empower the retirement plan industry with high-quality marketing, ultimately inspiring Americans to become financially prepared for their future.
Retirement Plan Marketing is the solution for retirement plan advisors looking for an ongoing and scalable marketing process to generate awareness, streamline sales opportunities and earn more 401(k) business. This comprehensive, strategy driven marketing program includes digital content and sales material specifically designed to help retirement plan professionals attract the right decision makers.
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