2. How to choose an email platform
Using an email platform instead of sending your emails through your own email system provides a number of different benefits. Good email platforms allow you to:
- Add personalisation
- Track data on open and click-through rates
- To be compliant with data protection regulations
- Create a professional, consistent look and experience
- Integrate with other tech such as calendar scheduling
- Handle unsubscribes and list management
I’ve used lots of different email platforms, from Hubspot to Convertkit to Send in Blue. All have their pros and cons, but for most of my small business clients I recommend either Sendfox or Mailchimp. Both are easy to use, low cost and especially suitable if you’re just starting to send mass mailings.
3. How to create content that gets you noticed
The most important thing is to stay on point but without stating the obvious. This is true now and always.
Stating the obvious would be telling people you’re aware of the situation (everyone already is) or that you’re taking measures to keep employees safe – this is an obvious point too. Unless you’re particularly hard hearted normally and this is news (!) everyone assumes you’d be doing the right things for your people.
What you need to say is:
- Express empathy and show solidarity. Share your own take on how you’re handling the ‘new normal’.
- Show optimism – in the absence of facts, positivity can go a long way. We’ve seen lots of uplifting examples of generous acts; highlighting these helps to life the tone.
- Provide practical updates that are genuinely of use, such as how people can get hold of you, when you’re available, and how they can use conferencing tools etc.
- Offer to help – simply offering to chat to find out how people are shows that you care about them. Tell them you can also put the impact of recent market performance and their longer-term financial plans into context.
- Provide links to useful resources – whether that’s market updates, or something to alleviate the boredom, such as virtual gallery tours and live concerts.
Try to create an enticing subject line – avoid ‘coronavirus’, ‘COVID-19’, ‘pandemic’, as these are now over used and may well be marked as spam.
Format wise I would always recommend keeping things short, adding headers and images to break up the text and to make it more readable. Try and use conversational language rather than formal, official sounding wording, and always try and keep in mind ‘what’s in it for them’.
Without sounding opportunistic, I hope you can see how this unusual situation can provide you with an online platform to showcase your value and remind your clients why they work with you. If you do it right, and continue to show them this support, then your client will remember how you helped them at this time, and tell people about you for years to come.
About Faith Liversedge
Faith is an experienced communicator with a wealth of knowledge and understanding of the adviser profession.
She was Marketing Manager at Nucleus for 5 years, creating innovative and award-winning campaigns. Before that she worked for Standard Life, Prudential and Royal London.
In 2017 she set up her own consultancy to help forwardthinking financial advisers and planners to become more profitable through websites, communications and other laser-focused marketing techniques.
Find out more at www.faithliversedge.com.
If the idea of a Digital Marketing Report sounds useful to you, contact me on 07920 042240 to order yours now.
Your 6-page Digital Marketing Report is available to IFA Magazine readers for £150 + Vat.
