Time to Ramp Up Your Marketing Plan!

Here are three resolutions FAs should tackle in 2010 to improve their market share:

• Resolution #1: Work Some Media Magic
• Resolution #2: “Celebritize” Yourself
• Resolution #3: Expand Your Reach

Here's how to do it: Read my article, just published as a web exclusive by Research magazine: Time for a Transition (V): Ramp Up Your Marketing Plans in 2010

Looking Ahead

In my next installment for Research, I will provide tips on using Web 2.0 and online social networking strategies to expand your reach and generate positive search engine results.

But, if you are hungry for information on using Web 2.0 and social media to build buzz and create additional traffic to your primary Web site, you might want to sign up for the Using Web 2.0 and Social Media to Build Relationships webinar being offered by the Financial Planning Association (FPA) on January 20, 2010, at 1:00 pm CT.

I’ll be hosting the virtual learning session and will be joined by compliance expert Nancy Johnson Jones (www.compliancemaze.com), who will tell you what you can and can’t do under FINRA and/or SEC regulations, and multi-media expert Chris Hall (creator of “fast, fun and informative” Practice Management tips brought to you by the "vanguards of practice management" at Securities America, online and FREE at www.AdvisorPod.com) who will give an overview of LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, blogs, YouTube, podcasts and other tools you can use to build relationships with people online. You do not need to be a member of the FPA to attend; everyone is welcom, although there is a small fee to attend (goes to FPA to defray costs).

Of special note:

I will be at a number of industry conferences this year and would love to hear your marketing success stories. You’ll find my ever-evolving schedule of events at www.impactcommunications.org.

In the coming weeks, you can find me at:

• TD Ameritrade national conference in Orlando, February 4-5, 2010
  
• T3 Technology Tools for Today conference in San Diego, February 18-20, 2010
• The FPA Business Solutions conference in Dallas, March 1-3, 2010 (save 15% with the code you will find at top of the page here: http://www.socialmedia-bootcamp.blogspot.com

My team and I are also leading the Web 2.0 and Social Media Boot Camp being offered by FPA as a pre-conference option on February 28, 2010 in Dallas (FPA early bird incentive ends January 22, 2010).

Hope to see you at one or more of these events!

Communicating with Clients During Turbulent Times - Four Top Advisors Share What They're Doing and Why

Talk about a blizzard.

Americans are being hit by negative news 24/7. The Wall Street Crisis. Hurricane Ike. The sub-prime mortgage mess. Gasoline and household staples sky high. Home prices down. Credit tight. Big name institutions available at fire sale prices. Government bail outs. Business pressure. Layoffs. Angst. And now the final weeks of the presidential election campaign seem to be more circus than serious conversation.

Financial advisors are finding themselves right in the middle of the turmoil.

Anxious clients call for reassurance - even the most discerning investors seem to be unnerved by the constant barrage. Sure the stock market has historically bounced back over time, but could this time be different? And with tidal wave of Baby Boomers marching ever nearer to retirement age, the tension is at an all-time high as people worry about their retirement plans. What to do? What to do?

Four smart, veteran advisors shared their thoughts with me on September 16, 2008, just as the bad news about Lehman Brothers was breaking.

• What are they hearing from their clients?
• What are they seeing in the midst of these unprecedented times?
• What are they telling their clients?

Joining me for a robust conversation were:

1. Arthur Cooper, Principal of Cooper McManus in Irvine, CA
2. Bill Glubiak, Principal of Cedar Brook Financial in Cleveland, OH
3. Clyde Wyatt, Principal of Navigation Financial in Dallas, TX
4. Don Patrick, Principal of Integrated Financial in Atlanta, GA

These 4 advisors are also Branch Managers for Securities America, Inc., one of the nation's largest, independent broker/dealers (member FINRA, SIPC). This means they are charged with supervising, training and mentoring other advisors on a daily basis.

The focus of our conversation:

Communicating with Clients During Turbulent Times

If you're reading this post, you absolutely must click the link below to listen to the podcast. It's 30 minutes long but worth every minute.

What should YOU be telling YOUR clients? Listen now: