There are four different types of objectives every financial planner must consider when developing their on-line marketing strategy. These objectives aim to create opportunities with existing clients, prospective clients, Centres of Influence (and other referral sources), and build the brands of the practice and advisers.

Note: this information is taken from my free PDF download 'Financial Planner's Marketing Blueprint' available from this website.

Examples for each type of objective are listed below:

1. Existing client – objectives

• Strengthen client relationships with regular communication of tailored messages using on-line platforms, e.g. websites and social media networks, best suited to engaging them.
• Reinforce the Client Value Proposition and the central role of advisers in the financial decision making and well-being of clients.
• Regularly encourage client feedback to improve the client service experience and identify advice triggers for individual clients.
• Promote new areas of advice and solutions to existing clients.
• Achieve the budgets and targets for existing client revenue, uptake of advice packages, client communication, and response to calls-to-action in the marketing items.
• More referrals. Includes publishing content which is shared by clients with their networks.
• Provide insightful information and commentary on the financial issues relevant to clients.
• More active involvement in the on-line lives of clients, particularly sharing milestones and significant events in their lives.

2. Prospective client – objectives

• Achieve the practice’s budgets and targets for the number of new clients, new business fees, uptake of advice packages, etc.
• Recruit new, higher fee-paying clients matched to the target client profiles.
• Establish a powerful on-line library of educational content on the topics relevant to target clients. This content is published and shared where prospective clients are active on-line.
• Make it easy to be found through search engines and social media searches on the topics relevant to target clients.
• Launch Education Based Marketing campaigns to leverage the reach of the Internet with target client markets.

3. Centres of Influence (COI) and referral source – objectives

• Strengthen existing COI relationships by delivering greater value to referral sources and their clients. This includes providing educational content that is shared by COIs with their clients and networks.
• Build new COI relationships through a COI Referral Model and value proposition that targets the gatekeepers (influencers) of target clients.
• Develop existing clients as word-of-mouth referrers and on-line influencers.
• Grow the Internet as an effective referral source using Influencer Marketing.

4. Practice branding and adviser personal branding – objectives

• Brand the practice as a professional advice based firm across all on-line profiles. This strategy uses a Positioning Statement which details all marketing and branding messages.
• Apply the latest marketing strategies of professional fee-charging firms.
• Ensure the practice has an Advice Model Statement that fully details the features of the advice and services delivered to target clients.
• Each adviser has their own personal branding and Elevator Speech which focuses on their expertise and value contribution to clients.

In summary, promote the personal branding of advisers based on their expertise and client solutions, publish content that demonstrates the tangible value of adviser expertise and advice, and proactively protect the on-line reputation of the practice and advisers.

Use marketing objectives to focus your promotional activities. Marketing is a tool for achieving the financial objectives in the business plan. Whilst each marketing campaign is directed at achieving specific outcomes, it also contributes to building a strong brand and presence with target clients.