Lead generating in the digital channel can feel like it’s all about the last click, but that’s not the case. Customers come to financial services marketing from all channels and from offline opportunities, even when the first touch was elsewhere. So in our new omnichannel reality, here are four digital marketing tips to get leads to convert to financial services customers.
Whether you’re operating as a bank, credit union, financial advisor, RIA firm CFP, wealth manager — or any other financial service — mastering your online presence and generating leads through creating relationships and targeting your efforts on the people and businesses who really matter will help you to generate and convert more leads for your financial organization.
Not only does local search and other geotargeted digital marketing provide financial services marketers with a greater advantage to a targeted audience vs. a global effort to gain remote customers in a commercial services economy that’s 7.5% financial services, but it means marketers can offer more community-based customer experience and engagement. Digital financial services marketing can draw consumers to events so those leads can become customers, or vice versa — event attendees who get consultations can later convert to bank customers.
“Outreach programs, like hosting one-on-one free consultations at your local bank, offering mortgage calculations and assistance at an event, or just talking to people at a networking event, will help you to meet people who are generally interested in and who need your services.”
Marketers know that LinkedIn is a B2B marketer’s dream. But for financial services marketers who target consumer leads, the professional social network is a dream come true, too. It’s where business and consumer leads are looking for financial services information, he says. In addition to making careful choices about personal connections with leads, financial services marketers may want to consider:
“It’s also important to ensure your profile is offering a pitch, that you stay active on the platform and in relevant groups, and to individually connect with new people so that you understand what they’re looking for and why.”
Why are you different? Why should financial services leads care about your business? If the answers aren’t immediately clear to you, they won’t be to your target audience.
“If you’re running an accounting and payrolling service, you could make yourself stand out by including QuickBooks (or similar software) integration free as part of your initial setup services with a year-long contract.”
Most financial services brand mass market. The better marketers use segmentation and personas. The even better ones use individual-level personalization in digital marketing.
The best ones not only personalize marketing, but have personal relationships with customers, Look at a lead’s LinkedIn profile before grabbing coffee together and discussing wants and needs, for example.
"Whether you’re reaching out to potential consumers through direct mail, journal advertising, social media, through email, or with SEO and web content, it’s also important that you take time to connect on an individual level".
