Ellis Communications, L.L.C.

Contact Information - It's Not As Easy As It Seems
Advisors Should Make It Easy to Reach Them Anywhere

            The most incredible marketing in the world won’t do financial advisors an ounce of good if it doesn’t include contact information so people can reach them. 

            “What’s so difficult about including a phone number or e-mail address in your marketing materials?” asks Martin R. Baird, president of Annapolis, Md.-based Advisor Marketing and author of The 7 Deadly Sins of Advisor Marketing.  “Nothing at all, but this is not as simple as it sounds.  The world is a complicated place and the key here is having the right contact information.”

            Baird offers the following seven tips on how advisors can be sure they are using correct, effective contact information. 

Tip Number 1 – Join cyberspace and have a Web site address and an e-mail address.  “If I can’t e-mail a person or get information about them from the Web, I often change directions and look for someone who views the world more the way I do – and there are plenty of people like me out there,” Baird says.

Tip Number 2 – Use a “real” e-mail address.  “I’m all for saving money with inexpensive e-mail services but the only way to generate the best possible image for your business is by having a domain name so that your e-mail address is yourname@yourcompany.com,” Baird says.  “Any other kind of address is generic and most people are not looking for generic financial advice.”

Tip Number 3 – Portability is crucial.  “One huge advantage of a domain name is e-mail address portability and portability makes it very easy to contact you,” Baird notes.  “You can move to different cities and clients can find you with no disruption.”

Tip Number 4 – Make sure the contact information on your marketing materials will be yours for a long time.  “I know you can’t always anticipate or control disruptions such as moving across the country, but you need to think about the longevity of your contact information,” Baird points out.  “Your Web address, e-mail address and phone numbers should be portable.”

Tip Number 5 – Limit the use of your physical address as contact information.  “Plastering your materials with your physical address is fine if you want people to come to your office and you know they will be positively predisposed to do so because of the location,” Baird says.  “I’m not saying you should never list your address, but make your Web site and e-mail addresses more visible so people can find you over time.”

Tip Number 6 – Make sure the contact information is easy to find.  “Make it easy for your existing clients to know where you are and how to reach you, as well as people they may share your materials with,” Baird says.  “Making it easy for people to contact you ‘after the sale’ is very important.  It gives you the opportunity to clarify concerns as well as share new information.”

Tip Number 7 – Be sure to include all your telephone numbers in your marketing materials.  “What else are they for?” Baird asks.  “I’ve had people I’m trying to do business with refuse to give me their toll-free number so they can save a few dollars.  That’s counterproductive.”

Advisor Marketing provides a variety of services to financial advisors to help them improve their marketing methods and increase revenues, including seminars and conference speaking engagements on such topics as referrals, marketing, client communication and transitioning to fee.  The company also provides a service that tests multiple variables of a marketing campaign simultaneously so advisors will quickly know which elements of a marketing effort offer the best opportunity for success before they launch the campaign.

The company’s Web site, www.advisormarketing.com,  is the premiere Internet-based source for marketing advice, information and tools for self-driven, success-oriented financial advisors who are demanding information that helps them market their practice, meet the needs of their clients and increase sales.  It offers such services as a free weekly electronic newsletter and reports on how to conduct different kinds of marketing. 

Advisor Marketing may be reached at 480-991-6421.