Updated May 18, 2022, at 4:35 PM
Is the financial dinner seminar dead?
Nope.
But with the proliferation of the Internet in everyday life, your target audience might not be so compelled to listen to your dog and pony show since they have answers at their fingertips.
Don’t sweat it.
As we gear our eyes towards the future of dinner seminars, we can reshift and refocus our efforts to bring creative marketing strategies to life. Keep these ideas in mind as you go about your business planning.
Rethink: Why Do You Do What You Do?
Admit it, it’s possible you’ve become complacent and bored with your current routine. Can you easily recall why you got into the financial sector in the first place? If you close your eyes, can you still picture your “why” and feel the excitement you had on the first day you began helping others build their dreams?
If you’re not feeling it, then now’s the time to rethink your plan. Think about what you enjoy doing the most in your job. Is it the sales pitch? The listening and planning? Do you thrive on evaluation and implementation? If you spend your time cultivating what you excel at, your enthusiasm will grow, and so will your business.
Conversely, delegate what you hate. Spend some money and delegate tasks that aren’t your strong suit—someone else is better at that role than you, and that’s okay. When you focus on your strengths, the benefits come back to you in multitudes.
Related: Do You Need a Business Coach or Business Consultant?
Refocus Your Processes & Goals
Start with your current goals. Were they realistic? Have you accomplished any of them? Are you happy with the outcomes? If not, you’ll need to go back to the drawing board and set sales figures and implement tactics that allow you to start hitting your goals.
Then, focus on your mission. Is the mission you originally wrote still on-point, or does it now seem less focused? Things change in the business world—how quickly we forget 2020! Write a new mission statement that shows value, inspires those around you, and remains plausible moving forward.
Enhance your processes. Try new initiatives that might be a little outside your comfort zone. Is your website drawing visitors? Are your social posts getting engagement? Has your video gone viral? If your target audience is online, then you need to be there actively. The most important thing to do is to make changes where you see growth opportunities.
Reconnect: Can You Teach Your Audience What They Already Know?
2020 kept us at home and online more than any other time in history. According to a recent study, 43% (almost half!) of global shoppers admitted they wanted to evaluate their needs and look for solutions themselves, and 26% are in the 55-64 age bracket.
Your audience has been “Googling” for a while, and now’s your opportunity to refocus their attention. You need your brand to be what they search for and what they share. There are many ways to reconnect, but an unconventional approach can trump tradition. Uncover what people are researching and what posts they’re responding to, then build your efforts accordingly.
Go live with video. Videos are preferred to reading, and they’re the perfect tool to connect with your clients and prospects. Engaging videos that get shared strike a balance between informational and personal. Does your database consist of hikers, or dog owners, or boaters? Shake up your content in a way that taps into their interests. The 70-30 rule can apply here: 70% business posts and 30% personal posts.
Related: 6 Tips to Help Financial Advisors Connect With Millennials
Encourage virtual everything. Does your database include artists or sports fans or travel junkies? Package up a virtual experience that goes beyond webinars. Have clients who want to visit the Mediterranean? Package and mail them some Turkish coffee and other goodies that they can enjoy while watching a video that tours the country’s best sights. Then, transition into talking about saving and investing so they can afford the trip when the time is right.
Interact with intent. Think about your refocused mission and goals. Do you plan to focus more on personalized interaction? Talk with your audience, not to them. Today’s world says you’re going to have to get creative with your brand and your marketing: host charitable events, do unusual sponsorships, collaborate with referral partners, or gamify your brand for fun rewards. The possibilities are nearly endless, but what matters is taking a look at your brand and doing something unique that still makes perfect sense.
What to Do Next
Make the Internet work for you by showcasing your brand expertise. Allow creative marketing to take the stage over more conventional practices.
Use your why and your mission to reconnect with your audience.
Keep Reading: What’s Next? Tips for After the Conference
