Ellis Communications, Inc.

Invitations Are An Effective Marketing Tool for Drawing
A Targeted Audience to Financial Advisors’ Seminars

Seminars are a popular marketing tool for financial advisors.  But their success will depend greatly on how they are marketed to prospects and an effective invitation can work wonders.

“Some people place ads in their local newspapers and that’s fine, but it’s not a good way to get the word out about your seminar if you want to draw a specific, targeted audience,” says Martin R. Baird, president of Annapolis, Md.-based Advisor Marketing and author of The 7 Deadly Sins of Advisor Marketing.  “One targeted method is good old-fashioned invitations that can be custom printed or purchased at a stationery store.  Just keep in mind that you need to get it right the first time because invitations are your one chance to get recipients to attend your seminar.”

      Baird offers the following tips for producing an invitation that will get a great response.

Use a real invitation envelope.  When most people receive a real invitation, their curiosity gets the better of them and they open it.  “Invitation envelopes come in different sizes, and I think bigger is better,” Baird notes.  “A large envelope has more character and looks more official.  If your invitation is a unique size, it will grab the recipient’s attention.  If it’s in a No. 10 business envelope, you might as well write on the front “boring business mail that you don’t want to read!”

Evaluate the quality and color of the envelope.  A cheap envelope looks and feels cheap.  “Use nice, quality paper,” Baird suggests.  “And if the color of the envelope stands out, you have a better chance that the recipient will look at it.”

Don’t underestimate the envelope.  It may sound silly to worry so much about the envelope but stop and think about it.  “A boring envelope probably won’t get opened and if the envelope remains sealed, your invitation goes straight into the trash,” Baird notes.

The next step is deciding what to put on the invitation.  Here are six things Baird encourages advisors to think about.

Phone number.  Your invitation must make it easy for people to contact you.  “You may even list your phone number more than once,” Baird explains.  “The easier it is to reach you, the more likely people will do it.”

E-mail address.  “Also put your e-mail address on your invitation if you don’t mind people reaching you that way,” Baird says.  “E-mail is a common means of communication these days.”

Web site.  Consider having a place on your Web site where people can register for your seminar.  “If you go this route, you obviously want your Web site address and online registration instructions on your invitation,” Baird says.  “A side benefit of this approach is that it drives prospects to your Web site and that alone might lead to new business.”

Font size and style.  “I’m amazed at the number of beautiful invitations that simply can’t be read,” Baird notes.  “The font size and style must be easy for your target market to read.”

List key benefits of attending.  Many of the recipients of your invitation will think, “So what?  Why should I attend?”  “It’s imperative that you list the benefits of attending, benefits that will excite the reader,” Baird says.

Tell them what to do next.  The invitation needs to tell the recipient exactly what you want them to do and when.  “Don’t leave anything to chance,” Baird emphasizes.  “Should they contact you or just show up?  Can they bring a guest or is this exclusive?  The more you tell them what to do, the more likely they are to do it.”

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. 

Advisor Marketing may be reached at 480-991-6420.