Facebook ads are sponsored advertising blocks that show up in news feeds and on other Facebook pages. The ads you see on your Facebook page are selected specifically for you based on your profile — your established interests and those of your Facebook network. So why should this information be of interest to financial advisors?
Because Facebook has almost 3 billion users and Facebook ads for financial advisors help you get your share. When you post your first Facebook ad, Facebook knows exactly who will see it. That’s because the audience is predetermined based on their interests, age, geographic location, and even their purchasing behaviors.
If this sounds like the targeted marketing you’ve been looking for, use these 5 tips to create financial advisor Facebook ads that generate leads, drive traffic, and increase conversions.
How to Generate a Steady Stream of Facebook Leads for Financial Advisors
Find Your Target Audience
In an FMG Suite webinar, Jeff Runyan, Founder of Runyan Capital Advisors summed up targeted marketing perfectly: “When you can identify with a target group, that authenticity comes in and people see that you aren’t selling, you’re advising based on their needs.”
That’s because targeted marketing starts with a select audience and then helps you build a marketing strategy, not the other way around. It doesn’t matter if you’re reaching out to retirees or millennials — targeted Facebook ads will help you speak their language.
Watch this webinar replay to see how you can set up targeting and get started with social media ads:
Keep Up with the Latest and Greatest
Keeping up with the latest social media channels and maintaining an online presence can be time-consuming. But you hear it all the time — if your advisory isn’t marketing on Facebook, Google, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter simultaneously, it can’t compete. Social media is a big part of financial advisor marketing and is important to maintaining relevance. Keeping up to date with trends and current events allows businesses to engage with their community and bring in a larger audience.
Instead of spending your precious time and marketing budget trying to do it all, master one channel at a time and really hone your skills. Unless you have a robust marketing automation platform in place, you’ll want to focus on Facebook ads and then branch out once you’ve learned the ropes.
Focus on Branding
Many companies create a sense of identity through branding. This is especially useful on social media such as Facebook. The use of logos, catchphrases, or slogans helps to stand out. It’s important for businesses, including financial advisors to brand themselves. Logos are great for establishing a connection and can link certain objects to your business. Creating a public image allows current and potential clients to know what your business stands for and what it’s there to do for them. Geico’s “15 minutes can save you 15% or more on car insurance” is a great example. That’s their slogan which lets customers know exactly what they do for you.
The best way to brand yourself is to be unique, but be sure to consider your audience. What are some of their interest or how does your brand stand up against the competition? Use these questions to help formulate a unique brand that shows off what makes you and your financial services so special.
Know When It’s Time to Level Up
While setting a budget for Facebook marketing for financial advisors is wise, don’t let it get in the way of finding a winning ad. Digital marketing for financial advisors isn’t an exact science, but every good business owner knows it’s smart to back a winner. When you know how much a client costs, analyzing Facebook ad performance is easy. If your ad spend is $1 and you’re getting a return of $1.50 on that ad, forget the budget.
Whether it’s with Facebook ads, Google ads, or any other marketing channel, when an ad is successful, it’s time to level up and fuel that performance with your marketing dollars. And don’t worry about going “all in” too quickly. Facebook’s advertising platform makes it easy to tweak, pause, or otherwise control your ads and your marketing budget.
Bring It Home
The goal with Facebook ads for financial advisors is to get those clickers off Facebook and onto your website or landing pages. When you’re successful, those prospects are on your turf, so you’re in control of the client journey, not social media.
Once you control the narrative, it’s your job to move those prospects toward conversion using valuable content, engaging video, and other proven marketing elements. Remember: Likes and other engagement numbers are important, but it’s the click-throughs that make you profitable.
Editing note: This article was originally published on August 11th, 2021 and has been updated to ensure consistency.
Use these tips to harness the power of Facebook ads and get a good handle on what works for your advisory. Then take what you’ve learned and apply it to other digital marketing channels using automation and other marketing technology. Before you know it, you’ll have the online presence and stream of leads your advisory needs to reach the next level.
Learn more about how to save time generating leads, sending out email campaigns, and scheduling social media posts. Save time and money by automating your marketing today. Find out more on the FMG site.