Marketing Trends Financial Advisors Should Watch in 2022
In normal times, we refer to the market in terms of a roller coaster, but over the past couple of years, the marketing industry has mimicked the markets, suddenly jerking off course as soon as riders get comfortable. The pandemic has forced us all to adapt, re-adapt, and then adapt some more as it has demolished even the best laid marketing plans in its course. However, with each upside-down-loop comes more resilience, more innovation, and an emergence of new marketing trends to fill the gaps.
Today, we’re breaking down some of the top marketing trends financial advisors should note in 2022 but remember, just like in investing, it’s all about goals, purpose, and time horizon.
Short video content
In the age of TikTok and Instagram reels, we can say with confidence that video content will continue to play an important role in the world of digital marketing. However, one of the main reasons that apps such as these have gained such quick growth is because of the type of video content they promote — short, sweet, to the point, and catered to short attention spans. While there is still a time and a place for longform videos, short and engaging video content will dominate in 2022.
Financial advisors can incorporate short form video content into their digital strategies by repurposing existing videos they have created and breaking them down into bite-sized pieces. If you’re a DIY-marketer, there are plenty of tools out there to help create infographic videos, as well.
Mobile optimization
Cell phones and handheld devices are not going anywhere anytime soon. In fact, according to Hubspot, more than half of annual online website traffic comes from mobile devices. This is why it’s important to ensure that you are optimizing both your websites and your content for handheld devices. Look at things like the length of your content and how your images are displaying on mobile.
Social responsibility
Over the past couple of years in particular, marketers have seen an uptick of interest in buying products and services from socially responsible companies and brands, a trend that we believe will continue to grow. If you are a financial advisor that is socially and community focused, don’t hide it. Showcase your causes, volunteer work, and any other contributions on all of your digital channels and don’t forget to digitally connect to those organizations, too.
Search engine optimization
Optimization is key in digital marketing, and SEO is certainly no exception. Ensuring that your financial advisory firm is discoverable by search algorithms is of critical importance. That said, as algorithms have grown increasingly intelligent, SEO has become much more integrated with providing a meaningful experience to users. That means that SEO initiatives should not be done in a silo and should be top of mind in all of your digital strategies.
Branded audio content
Here’s one that might surprise you; Branded audio content is expected to be a standout digital marketing trend this year. While short form videos are a safe bet, audio content is a great option for presenting longer material, in part because it’s content that people typically consume while multitasking — think driving or exercising. While it’s true that many audio platforms don’t have features to monetize content at this point, audio content has been shown to grow brand awareness and create engagement.
Financial advisors should take advantage of the popularity of audio content by guest-starring on podcasts, or even creating their own podcasts! Don’t have time to take on such a major project? There are DIY services that takes the heavy lifting out of podcast production!
Permanent social media posts > ephemeral content
Just like ephemeral content itself (which typically stays published for only 24 hours before disappearing) is fleeting, so too has been our fascination with it. Sure, temporary content has its pros, but ultimately, something with such a short lifespan is not as valuable as something permanent. Standard blog posts, social media posts, videos, and the likes are much more likely to be effective and have more effective ROI.
Funnel to Flywheel
The marketing funnel has been replaced. Meet the flywheel. Funnels are great and all, but they have a major flaw. They move in one direction and, even worse, they place your clients at the bottom of the funnel where they remain an afterthought. As a financial advisor, you know that your clients are the heart and soul of your business and understand the power of word-of-mouth marketing. The flywheel, a more comprehensive representation of the forces that affect your advisory firm’s growth, solves this problem by placing clients at its center.
Build your marketing plan with Beyond AUM
At Beyond AUM, we understand the importance of not only following marketing trends, but staying ahead of them. Ready to start planning? Please do not hesitate to contact us!