How to Convert Subscribers to Clients - YFCD #6
Four actionable tips, a customizable email sequence, website design comparison, why creating content will make you a better advisor, and more
Welcome back,
I don't know about you, but it feels like August has been a little bit slower for new business. We can likely credit this to travel, back-to-school, and end-of-summer events, but slower times also remind us of the importance of continuous marketing.
If you only rely on marketing & business development when you need it, it's too late. It's something that needs to be done year-round, and one of the best ways is through email.
So this week, I wanted to share a few tips & resources to help you make money from your existing (and new) subscribers:
1) Set expectations and have an initial sequence
If you're just getting started with building your list, a welcome sequence should be your number one priority. There's no better way to introduce yourself & ask for business than when someone gave you their email to further contact them. Seth Godin calls this "permission marketing".
Some advisors consider asking for business "sales-y", but I don't know how else to grow a business. If you have morals & ethics, sales isn't a bad thing. We do it every day.
So after someone subscribes to your email list, there should be an automated set of emails that go out to every single person. Those emails should do nothing but provide context & get someone one step closer to schedule a meeting with you.
Some examples of adding context: sharing who you are, why you're sending this newsletter, how often you send it, why your firm exists, who you work with - anything to get someone more familiar with you.
This is the foundation for building trust & forming a relationship digitally. Without doing this, it can be harder to convert subscribers in the future.
2) Be consistent
Just like in real life: if you say you're going to do something, do it. If you don't, you'll lose trust.
If you have a weekly newsletter, send it on the exact same time & day every time.
Whatever cadence you decide on, stick with it for a ~year and then re-evaluate.
3) Soft-sell yourself
After someone's on your email list & you've made your first impression, now what?
Keep. Selling.
I learned a lot about sales from doing door-to-door and at the end of the day, all that selling is is 1) showing what problem you can solve to as many people as possible and then 2) asking if you can help solve their problem.
To show what problems you solve within email, you could:
- Share client success stories
- Host an Ask-Me-Anything video call over Zoom (send the invite within the email)
- Share how many spots you have left (if applicable) - client count or end-of-year limits
Depending on your level of writing, you could weave these stories into value-adding articles, or you could send separate emails dedicated to sharing success stories or inviting people to a webinar. There's no "right" way to go about it - you have to test and see what types of content work best for your subscriber-base.
4) Tell people what you want them to do
At the bottom of every email you send, there should be some form of call-to-action.
The best way I've seen this done is within Justin Welsh's newsletter:
He casually links to his products/services and clearly states what they are within two sentences.
If the next step you want someone to take is to schedule a call, ask them to schedule a call - like this:
If you'd benefit from a quick meeting with a financial advisor, here's a link to my calendar to schedule a convenient time: *insert calendar link*
Thank you,
Your Name
websiteURL.com
If you'd like to learn more or work together, below are a few different ways I can help:
1. One-time Portfolio Review (link to calendar) - a short description of your service
2. Ongoing Planning + Investments (link to calendar) - a short description of your service
3. The "Firm Name" Blog - a short description of your blog & resource library
email sequence template
Adding to the previous section, below is a 3-email template for new subscribers that you can customize and add to your marketing mix:
- Email #1 - Thank You & What to Expect
- Email #2 - About
- Email #3 - Value & Ask
→ Access the 'New Subscriber' Email Sequence
Update 9/25: How to Capture & Convert Attention with ConvertKit [Video Tutorial]
design matters
How much of a difference would a 20% increase in discovery calls scheduled from your website make in your business?
If I had to guess, your closing rate once you get someone in front of you is extremely high - but the tough part is getting them there.
Believe it or not, intentional design plays a huge role in online business development.
For example, below is a comparison of two landing pages - Design B's conversion rate was 20.22% higher than Design A:
Why does Design B convert better?
- Shows images of the end result // as an advisor, you can use sample financial plans & case studies on your website to show the end result throughout your site
- Social proof // customer & publication logos
- 3 checks // design balance & addressing common concerns
- Descriptive headline // hits on a feeling, not just a feature
To make good design more difficult, you also have to consider mobile formatting. I've seen a lot of decent websites on desktop become completely illegible and unusable on mobile.
A large portion of your traffic is likely coming from people on a phone, so every device size needs to be optimized.
For example, here are a few advisor sites I've designed that partially resemble Design B to help put into the context of your own:
being memorable
It's hard to stand out in today's world. Social media feeds are flooded, it feels like everything's already been made or done before.
But somehow, some way, people are still capturing & converting attention.
Foe example, Jesse Cole is the founder of the Savannah Bananas and if you're not familiar with what they've done with baseball over the past few years, you should be. It's incredible.
He's turned baseball games into entertainment expos and brought life to a "dying" sport. While I haven't read them yet, already knowing what he's built, I have a feeling that these two books will do an amazing job of explaining the idea of attention & how to get it:
I'll report back with my findings.
h/t Larry Sprung for the recommendation
friendly reminder
creative corner
The Only 4 Tools You Need to Successfully Create Content - the process of creating content should be nearly frictionless. If you're a victim of shiny-object syndrome or you're looking to get started with content, this is the only blog post you need. Seriously. Don't overcomplicate it.
Creating Content Will Make You a Better Financial Advisor. This is Why. - anyone else almost immune to the word "content" at this point..? Everyone talks about the obvious advantages, but nobody talks about the hidden benefits. So I wanted to share a few positive things I've noticed in my own life since I started putting myself on the internet.
🎁 member giveaway
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I appreciate your attention,
Treyton DeVore
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