“2021 will be the year of creative connectivity. The intersection of virtual and in-person touchpoints can be a powerful new integrated branding and communications platform, allowing brands to meet people where they are and delivering a more human, timely and relevant customer experience. Rich content development in all forms will play a critical role in this changing environment, and the utilization of advanced, automated marketing technology platforms will be even more necessary to deliver, engage, inspire and better optimize for ROI.”

“People have Zoom fatigue, text neck and a widespread feeling of uncertainty. They want to be reassured by a voice they trust. After so much hard, they want easy. Smart speakers are the fastest adopted technology ever, with 35% of U.S. listeners reporting more use since COVID-19. Podcasting has record-high conversion and retention rates. As our world moves to touchless, voice marketing is key: podcasts, Alexa skills and voice search.”

“In the 2020 rush to digitize practice growth, I hope that advisors don’t lose their personal edge in 2021. As Andy Stanley says: “Do for one what you wish you could do for everyone.” Clients care far more about their own finances than they do about advisor brands, and the modern tension of marketing is making your message deeply personal while you scale. Treating people like individuals by making them the hero of the story is what it takes to win.”

“What’s next? In two words, digital differentiation. Consumers will increasingly turn to content channels (social, blogs, YouTube) for specialized information and experts. Firms with differentiated, digital brands will see highest growth rates and profit margins. Advisors delivering mere tablestakes will see growth, margins and client satisfaction erode as they struggle to deliver value and justify fees.”

“I expect that client acquisition costs will go up, possibly enough to make many advisors consider selling their practices. 2021 will bring longer sales cycles, higher marketing expenses, and a raised bar for inspiring action at a distance. On the flip side, advisors who have invested in building an influential niche brand will shine. Because they already have a deeply personal connection with their audience, these standout influencers will overcome the friction of socially distanced client acquisition—something which will prove to be an impossible hurdle for traditional advisors.”

“2021 will be the year financial advisors begin to realize the power of authenticity and vulnerability in their marketing. With the democratization of information, consumers are flocking to brands and businesses they truly connect with. They want to feel seen, heard, and understood. Consumers want to align with a financial advisor far beyond the numbers and generic headlines, and they will continue to demand greater transparency. Advisors who humanize their marketing efforts by leading with authenticity, empathy and vulnerability will win.”

I think 2021 is going to be the year of client-first marketing. When people think marketing, they traditionally think prospects and new customers, however a lot of advisors miss an opportunity to build affinity and a referral network through client marketing. The advisor community is built on referrals and that remains a very lucrative channel. I think advisors will build out marketing programs for clients-only: Video series, podcasts and closed groups where it can strengthen the relationship with clients and encourage clients to share more with their networks which will increase inbound.”

“The pandemic has been a forcing function for advisors to reason from first principles, and they keep rising to the occasion. Whether they’re considering a new tool or medium, the following questions will hold more weight: What is this for? Why does it matter? How does it fit with the rest of my activities? This first principles thinking, and acting off of a solid strategy will be crucial for growth in 2021.”

“I predict that advisors will prioritize marketing efforts that serve their firm in the short term and provide an immediate impact. These efforts include cleaning up their website, adding automated scheduling applications, and integrating data collection tools for risk and client profiling. Broker/dealers will look to adopt content marketing automation tools so that advisors won’t have to go through the process of writing their own content and then getting it approved.”

“In the crowded digital landscape of 2021, the importance of personality, differentiation and boldness will determine if the content advisors are publishing will be read, consumed or even remembered. It’s vital to utilize the power of disruption in the brain to ensure the stickiness of your content and brand. In the year ahead, words like creative, bold and different will be embraced by advisors instead of the traditional, outdated and watered down tactics of years past.”

“2020 forced advisors to begin to market digitally. 2021 will be the year they look to add marketing automation tools to make it more efficient and effective.”

“Virtual marketing in 2021 will lead the way. Virtual events, virtual prospecting, video and content marketing will need to be incorporated into practices that really want to grow. Advisors will need to get even more proficient in these digital strategies as successful alternatives to in-person marketing. The world may open back up, but virtual marketing is here to stay!”

“Smart business leaders will recognize that marketing is about distributing intimate, vulnerable, and valuable expertise to an audience that truly cares and sees value in that expertise and is open to building a relationship. Smart marketing will focus more on igniting and nurturing relationships to create fans versus marketing that’s focused on poaching leads and having to sell to skeptics. In short, smart leaders will begin to favor speaking to fans instead of skeptics. The financial industry has already begun to swing from a sales culture to a nurture culture.”

“Advisors will continue to embrace the virtual world (Zoom educational events and reviews). They will also realize they have to strike the right balance between online and more traditional strategies. You can have a killer YouTube channel and rock a podcast, but ... if you get thousands of likes and no one wants to hire you, what did you really accomplish? When I polled my clients, over 91% of new households came from referrals from clients and COIs in 2020. Remember, you want to get paid—not to be popular.”

“The pandemic hindered the heavily relied upon tactic of marketing through personal relationships and in-person interactions. Digital marketing channels have become saturated, making it difficult to get noticed without a unique message people want to hear. Universal technology adoption in 2020 removed any remaining barriers to work with clients remotely. Firms will look to capitalize on this opportunity while differentiating from the competition by developing expertise that serves clients with needs unmet by other advisors.”

“The global pandemic has turbocharged society’s move online. Effective advisor marketing in 2021 will need to rely heavily on a strong digital presence. This starts with a solid website and a strong social media presence, and is reinforced with email marketing, videos, digital courses, thought leadership and podcasting. The reality is if you don’t have an identifiable digital thumbprint by 2021, consumers will absolutely view you as antiquated and outmoded.”

“2020 accelerated a shift for the industry to fee-for-service financial planning, and consolidation of large firms into mega firms. Small firms will be just fine (note that 99% of CPA firms have less than 20 employees), but it will require specialization. You have to focus on a niche! All of your marketing efforts should be focused on that niche, and your marketing strategy will be different than other advisors who have a different ideal client profile.”

“Virtual experiences and online presence have leaped forward as we head into 2021. Get rid of your generational stereotypes and offer all ages access to you online. In the new year everything virtual seems more possible to more people. What hasn’t changed is the need to meet your clients and prospective clients where they are, both in terms of the content you provide and the platforms you choose to disseminate your content. You cannot be everywhere for everyone. Find the platforms your clients utilize and the content styles they consume, then connect and create value in those spaces.”

“The politicization of finance is coming. The use and manipulation of numbers to advance an agenda will have a tremendous impact on how we market. As the individuals and organizations we /hire/subscribe to/work with/ align themselves with specific ideologies, advisors will too by extension. This shift will require marketers to more closely listen, understand the message of both their partners and their competitors, and distinguish themselves with intention.”

“I think we will continue to see what we have always seen in our industry: advisors arriving late to the marketing party‚ with no intentional plan and achieving poor results. What good is posting videos on LinkedIn if your prospects don’t spend time on LinkedIn? A small percentage of advisors will rely on data to determine where their prospects consume information, how they make decisions—to inform how and where they market. Those advisors will rise above the pack and reap the benefits.”

“My financial advisor marketing prediction is that personal brand is finally recognized as the single most important element to winning new clients. Advisors who embrace the opportunity in revealing more about themselves in a 360 degree view will develop more meaningful conversations leading to more AUM.”

“Advisors who prioritize choosing a spokesperson for their firm and putting that person in front of a camera to create video will reap the most rewards. In 2019, we spent an average of 84 minutes/day watching video online, and it is predicted that number will increase to 100 minutes in 2021. Create a video once, then use it across multiple channels: upload the original video to Youtube, embed the video into a blogpost, then share clips for Twitter and Facebook. Video cuts through the noise, creates connection and builds relationships faster. Go all in on video for 2021!”

“2020 has catapulted us all into a virtual environment that we were slow to adopt as an industry. Many advisors knew they had to get on the digital bandwagon, but did not prioritize it in their business. In 2021, a hybrid version of digital and in person will prevail and be the new normal."

“Most people aren’t going to convert to a lead the first time they engage with your content or visit your website, so you have to figure out ways to continually show up online. A lot of advisors are offering ebooks and other resources to try and collect emails‚ and that’s good‚ but a visitor won’t necessarily be ready to give you that info on their first visit either. I’d love to see advisors fully embrace retargeting ads in 2021. Retargeting allows advisors to get hyper-specific about their message, remain visible and gain trust with repeated interactions.”

“Most financial advisor marketing is 1 to n. It’s simply repeating what everybody else is doing. For example, I typed: “When is the best time to retire?” into Google and there were 178 million results. By contrast, marketing leaders focus on 0 to 1 marketing. They differentiate by doing what others aren’t. With this strategy, the decision to work with you becomes binary—there’s you, and then there are all the other advisors lumped into the sea of sameness bucket.”

“In 2021, user experience (UX) will be the key to mastering search engine optimization (SEO) and converting web visitors to clients. The basics include fast page speed, mobile-friendliness and a secure website. But if you really want to see digital marketing results, it will be critical to have descriptive and clear calls-to-action, skimmable content, multiple media elements on each page and a seamless user journey. As Google says, ‘Focus on the user and everything else will follow.’”

“It will become clear which advisors adapted well to the pandemic and really homed in on their digital marketing to grow disproportionately. There will be a rush by those who did not focus enough on digital marketing strategies. Winners will continue to widen their lead and will continue to be ahead of the market. Advisors will begin to realize that digital marketing is not simply getting eyeballs, but nurturing them and providing the necessary human touch to build a relationship. Those who do not embrace this permanent shift created by the pandemic, will start to lag.”

“I’m hopeful we will see in-person prospecting rebound somewhat in 2021. But the shift we’re seeing to digital-first marketing and prospecting will only accelerate. Advisors who plan to expand can utilize online advertising and services like advisor matching platforms to get a toehold in new markets. Social media, video and podcasts will then be crucial in helping advisors demonstrate their expertise.”

“2021 will be the year of digital everything. In 2020, advisors learned they can operate in a virtual world. Now it’s time to go a step further by embracing digital communications and content, digital advertising, social media, podcasts, video, virtual events and more to bring new clients in the door and, also, to retain those you already have. Rely heavily on automation and hyper-personalization. Embrace the data you have on clients and how they interact with you to reach them digitally in a way that resonates with them.”

“Our industry, and the world quite frankly, has fundamentally changed since the global pandemic. What we have experienced has accelerated the need for an insightful, thought-provoking digital experience that should integrate your advice offering and marketing program into one. Thought leadership, video and other messaging will strongly ring true in a world of questions. ... My biggest prediction: We should expect to experience a large uptick in prospects seeking out advice.”

“Financial advisors who stay engaged and energetic while focusing on having more meaningful conversations with current and prospective clients will outpace battle-fatigued, foggy-brained competitors. Being an entrepreneur has always been a marathon, not a sprint, so pacing and self-care are vital. Advisors who create and deploy meaningful, authentic content that consistently plays to the heart more than the head will win in 2021. Being seen as the most caring, credible resource is essential. Grit, compassion and leadership will provide the winning edge.”

“Our remote work environment and advances in digital marketing will bring a more personalized approach to marketing automation. Most advisors treat each prospect the same, sending canned, preapproved content to everyone. Hub technologies, such as Zapier, make it easy for you to integrate your LinkedIn activity, webinar software and advertising platforms with your marketing CRM. By segmenting your prospecting groups, you will automatically deliver specific communication that speaks to each prospect’s needs. This will help you save time and follow up with only your most engaged prospects.”

“The key thing to understand about marketing today is how people who have gradually substituted social media for deeper personal relationships are beginning to crave true engagement—a person who will talk to them about the things they’re worried about, thinking about, hoping for—and who will, in the conversation, care about them and their outcomes. This has become an increasingly rare commodity, and to the extent that you can communicate your ability to care about your prospects on a human level, you will have a leg up on people who are selling expertise.”

“Future success depends on greater personalization across all brand experiences, and creating a compelling journey through owned channels, rather than pushing people anywhere that takes them away from your brand. Respect and authenticity delivered through empathetic communication will help develop lasting connections. In 2021, your marketing message should tell the real story. In short: Be personal. Be authentic. Be empathetic.”

“Our financial industry will look back at 2020 as the year of virtual adaptation. An imperative shift in the way we all communicate our message to clients, prospects and our internal teams resulted from an examination of our process and technology that could help achieve our goals in this new environment. The importance of virtual meeting platforms, internal team technology and building on the digital marketing inclusion to customer communication strategy will be essential for our message at Mobile Assistant and the voice of the entire advisor community to be effectively heard in 2021.”