The onset of the Novel Coronavirus and sharp market volatility could not have coincided at a more inconvenient. As measures to engage in social distancing appeared to create a barrier between financial professionals and their clients, many of which were highly concerned about the recent market downturn.  But that was March, and the market has somewhat stabilized and in some segment it’s more than rebounded. 

You may have clients that have been severely impacted by the current state of our economy. Note this isn’t exclusive to the U.S. as the Coronavirus has affected economics on a global scale. So how do you calm your clients’ fears and help them with fine tuning their financial goals – now and in the future? How do you get facetime with prospects and engage with referrals? And how can you take advantage of this time to diversify your marketing strategies in an efficient manner?

Embracing technology and adjusting your service model to include virtual options will allow you give your clients the attention they need and creates the opportunity for more business activity. Today’s financial professional has or is in the process of building a virtual arsenal that includes virtual meetings, webinars, automated promotional tactics (newsletters, emails, website work flows, etc.) and more. 

So where does this leave you and your client relationships? Gauge your clients and gauge your resources and invest in systems that will allow you to better aligned with your clients’ needs.  

At The Leaders Group, we are committed to helping you by creating partnerships with firms that can assist you with business efficiency and strategies to improve your effectiveness. Learn more by visiting our Resources for Financial Professionals page.

Take a Deeper Dive

Cracking the Code to Virtual Seminars During Social Isolation
Bill Hortz, NASDAQ.com, April 22, 2020

Technology is Your Friend … and Your Client’s 
ThomsonReuters.com

Your website’s content strategy serves three purposes: 1. Position your site (and you by extension) as a resource; 2. Provide an opportunity to attract prospects; and 3. Easily identify ways to connect with you. As such, the content selected on your site should always be strategic and meet your overall goals. And don’t forget, the content should represent your target market. In other words, it should be written with target market in mind.  

So how exactly do you go about evaluating the content on your website? Remember, you need to be objective through this exercise. The goal is refining your content strategy so it better positions you with your clients and prospects, if needed.  

As an initial content audit, I suggest answering the following: 

First Impression 

• Do you have a landing page, sometimes referred to a lead capture page, destination page, or opt-in page? 
• Is your positioning statement clearly identified? 

Audience Representation 

• Do the words used on your site resonate with your target market? 
• Does the content address the key concerns your clients have communicated to you? 

• Do the images on your site reflect your target market?  

Quality 

• Are the images on your site grainy?  
• Are their typos or grammatical mistakes on your site? 
• Does your site have too much text? 

• Does your site have too many images? 

Your website is part of your branding investment, and should provide a value to you, your clients and your prospects. However, the amount of time you spend on refining your site should be weighed against your expected return, so be realistic with the amount of time you commit to this marketing activity. To get started, review our complete Website Audit Checklist. 

For more information about any of the topics addressed in this article, please visit the following links: 

14 Tips that Take Your Content from Flat to Fabulous | The Daily Egg 

What is a Landing Page? | unbounce.com 

Brand Positioning Statements Examples | MerlinOne 

A Beginner’s Guide to Content Strategy for the Web: 10 Things You Need to Know | The WordStream Blog 

At this point, many financial professionals create a website because it’s expected. On the list of startup activities, creating a website is a line item next to business cards and letterhead. In the mid-90s when websites and their use were first introduced, I remember the excitement of creating our firm’s online brochure – which was basically the gist of websites created for financial firms. In all honestly, we had no idea what we were doing but understood it was a new communication vehicle and embraced it accordingly. 

Now, nearly 25 years later, the purpose and usefulness of websites have evolved. Most importantly the process of identifying and improving the user experience is the focal point when considering design, features, content, and so on. When you think about it, that attraction of visitors, users, prospects are the reasons to create a site, and as such, their experience is key to the success of this online tactic. 

The user experience is a topic that can be discussed in great length. Commonly referred to as “UX” – it’s a topic of countless online seminars, education courses, marketing conferences, and more. There are experts specializing in the creation and evolution of the user experience. I simply want to encourage you to evaluate your website from the viewpoint of your clients, prospects, referrals, etc. I can’t emphasize enough that your website is an extension of your brand, service offering, and one of the first impressions a prospect will have of you and/or your firm. Even if you’re working in a market that is thought to be less than tech-savvy, they most likely still have online access or are in close proximity to someone willing to look you up online. 

So consider your site, the landing page(s), graphics, automations, and overall tone. Do they align with your target market(s), does it extend a favorable experience? How is your site received by users, what do they see?   

The following User Experience checklist provides you with an entry examination of your site by suggesting you focus on four key areas: page load time, navigation functionality, attempts to keep user attention and engagement, and the ease of use of videos.

The following links provide additional resources to improve your site’s user experience. 

• How to Evaluate Your User Experience (UX) to Grow Your Business | forbes.com 
• 10 Simple Ways to Improve Website User Experience | wpeka.com 
• 10 Tips to Improving Website User Experience | thinkwealthmagazine.com 
• What is User Experience and Why Should You Care? | FMG Suite (Partner) 
• The Do’s and Don’ts of User Experience | ReminderMedia (Partner) 

As a small business owner, sourcing a print shop can be a daunting task. Printers use all sorts of lingo you may not be familiar with, the pricing can be confusing, and timing is difficult to coordinate. Online print services streamline processes and offer ready-made solutions at your fingertips. However, I would argue that you are missing huge potential opportunities by using services outside of your local area.

What should I be looking for?

In short, a “full-service” printer will have everything you need to get your job(s) done. When you visit a printer’s website look for examples of commercial documents; business cards, brochures, envelopes, catalogs, presentation folders, flyers, manuals, etc. While you may not need some of these pieces now, it is a good idea to develop a relationship with a shop that has capabilities beyond what you need at this moment in time.

What is offset printing?

Offset printing is a printing process in which an “inked” image is transferred from a plate, to a rubber material and then onto the printing surface. This is the technique used for large print runs; think newspaper, flyers, brochures, stationary and books. Offset printing is the least expensive option for commercial printing. Offset printing uses a “4 color process” to layer black, yellow, cyan and magenta to create full color images.

What is digital printing?

You are most likely very familiar with digital printing. Your office inkjet or laser printer are both small examples of digital printers. Commercial inkjet printers are commonly used for posters and signage, or on materials not suitable for offset printing machines. Inkjet printing is not ideal for large runs, as it takes longer than offset printing. 

Laser printers are highly efficient and economical for small runs of documents, brochures, and booklets. Printing in full color generally looks best off of a laser printer, because laser printers use toner that is sitting on top of the paper, instead of ink that soaks into the paper. Black appears much more dense in toner, making text-heavy documents easier to read.

What is a proof?

A proof is a “printing test” provided by the printer for you to review. This gives you a chance to see what the final product will look like. It is very important to find a printer who is glad to offer printed proofs. Imagine getting a whole order of brochures or business cards, and the paper is too thin or the color of your logo is completely wrong. While these may seem like minor inconveniences, a quality printer will gladly work with you to adjust things until you’re happy with the product. You may have to pay an additional fee for revisions, but you only have to get the specifications worked out one time. A good printer will keep the exact parameters on file for the next run.

Online vendors are cheaper, and more convenient.

That may be. However, when you go into a local shop to pick up an order, or review a proof, that is potentially a new conversation about your business that you can be having. No marketing scheme beats face-to-face conversations with individuals. 

In my experience, if you are mindful of deadlines, and willing to pick up your order, local printers get your job done much sooner than online services. Rather than having to wait for your proof to arrive in the mail, you can visit the shop and give your ok to go ahead the same day. Keep in mind that printers always have a queue, so your order may not print immediately. But chances are the queue at your local shop is shorter than the queue of the large online printing services. 

Locally operated printers also have the added benefit of knowledgeable staff working hands-on with your project. They may have suggestions for your design or content, and many will have a designer on staff to assist you.

So what’s the bottom line here?

You need to use the print services that are best suited for your business, and only you can make that decision. I am suggesting that there are a number of benefits to shopping locally for your print job(s). As members of your community, your business cards, brochures, flyers or documents may be of interest to the owner or employees! Printing locally allows you another avenue to speak to individuals about your business. 

I firmly believe that the expertise found in locally operated printing businesses is a valuable resource that you can and should leverage. They will also have contact with other members of the community and may be able to suggest a caterer, designer, realtor or photographer that you need.

Ok, but how do I find a local print shop?

The easiest place to start is Google. Start searching and compiling names of businesses. Send emails, read reviews, call and ask questions. Try to narrow down options by asking them to explain printing processes. You’ll be able to pick out the very knowledgeable shops. 

Do they have design services in-house? Do you need design help? If so, that will narrow things down quickly. 

Then, are any of these choices near your home or office? Sure, you can always pay for a courier to deliver your order, but picking up in person cuts that cost out and allows you to go in and visit as well as look at the product before leaving.Of course, price is a huge factor. Make sure you are comparing prices apples to apples. The best way to do this is to get the price per unit at different quantities. Remember that the price per unit will decrease as the volume increases. Also check to see what weight the standard paper option is. Paper quality is measured in pounds (more specifically, the weight of 500 sheets) and ranges from 20lb for the paper straight out of your copy machine to 100lb cover, a heavy cardstock that is used for flat cards.