Email might seem old-fashioned, but it still works better than any other channel. Just why is that?<\/p>\n While there is a lot of buzz around social media, email remains the most personal medium. The inbox is home turf made even more available with smartphones. The email content needs to be personal and relevant to build trust.<\/p>\n The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) found that email marketing delivers a return of 4,300%<\/a>. The combination of low time investment and good results is very compelling. The increased availability of low-cost email automation makes the email opportunity, even more, compelling.<\/p>\n Effective email content builds a relationship with your audience through intriguing subject lines (getting your messages opened), a distinctive voice ( a personality that encourage reading and action), and quality, relevant content. The right content encourages sharing and referrals.<\/p>\n a. 12 touches a year isn\u2019t going to cut it<\/strong> Blueleaf\u2019s own behavioral data shows that over 60% of clients will open and read a relevant weekly email about their situation and almost 90% will open that same email once per month.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n[Tweet “90% of clients open their weekly Blueleaf email at least once per month”]\n In fact, we\u2019ve found that advisors who are the most successful in growing their business will email their clients even MORE than once per week<\/strong>.<\/p>\n We spoke with Jason Wenk, Founder and President of Retirement Wealth Advisors<\/a>. His firm is growing 50% per year. Jason reported reaching out to each client\u00a0at least 150-200 times per year<\/a><\/strong>. This translates into a minimum of 12.5 touches per month, 4 of which are handled automatically with his weekly Blueleaf email.<\/p>\n b. Deliver value with every communication<\/strong> The more clients feel you\u2019re delivering value to them, the more likely they will want to share that value. Continually delivering value also means more loyalty. Once you\u2019ve invested in a client relationship, you have to protect your investment if you want to prosper in the long run.<\/p>\n Click on this link<\/a>\u00a0and then copy the file to get your own version of our Content Calendar in Google Docs.<\/p>\n Your content should address the top issues that your clients and prospects have. Their biggest concerns are usually around maintaining their lifestyle in retirement and supporting their family. Developing your content should be based on client priorities not your own.<\/p>\n The free Persona App<\/a> tool can help you with the questions to ask.<\/p>\n You can validate your research by checking keyword search volume in Google\u2019s free keyword planner. You have to sign up for an Adwords account to access it<\/a>. Here\u2019s a video to show you how to use the Keyword Planner tool<\/a>.<\/p>\n You can also check how the topic is trending using Google Trends<\/a>.<\/p>\n a. Personalized<\/strong> Personalization is most effective when you are used in a meaningful way. Blueleaf\u2019s weekly emails are powerful in this regard since they provide a real-time summary of the client\u2019s current financial picture. This is a big factor in the remarkably high engagement that these emails get.<\/p>\n Using research to make sure that your content addresses your client\u2019s big issues can generate high engagement levels also.<\/p>\n b. Segmented<\/strong> c. Subject line<\/strong> d. When to send<\/strong> The late afternoon has been shown to have a higher click through rate, which means this is a good time to send out a survey or teaser for a new blog post.<\/p>\n The idea is to think about your client\u2019 s day and tailor what you send and when you send it to achieve optimal open and click through rates. Your persona research will help with this.<\/p>\n e. Straight forward copy<\/strong> Try running your copy through Hemingway Editor<\/a> to help you simplify. Just copy your text into the web editor and the application will highlight issues.<\/p>\n f. Ask a question<\/strong> g. Use other people\u2019s content<\/strong> h. Measure the results<\/strong> a. From line: John at Blueleaf (john@blueleaf.com)<\/strong><\/p>\n Try to avoid sending emails from a generic company email address (ex: info@advisor.com). The person or company an email comes from should be relevant to the person receiving it. When they recognize your name and company, they\u2019ll be much more likely to open the email.<\/p>\n b. Subject line: A Step by Step Guide to …<\/strong><\/p>\n For example, a standard subject line may be: \u201cQuarterly Newsletter\u201d. A better subject line is\u00a0\u201cAdvisor X\u2019s Q3 Insights for the Aggressive Investor\u201d. Word to the wise: There is such a thing as being too compelling, though, so be careful.<\/p>\n c. Sample email<\/strong><\/p>\n Subject Line: Top 5 Money Mistakes College Kids Make<\/p>\n ************************ \u201cTop 5 Money Mistakes College Students Make\u201d<\/p>\n QJ Think that this could be helpful people that you know?<\/p>\n Forward to a friend<\/p>\n ************************<\/p>\n Unsubscribe issues<\/strong> Reporting<\/strong> Step 1: Add a refer a friend form for your list<\/strong> Step 2: Add the link to your email<\/strong> Here\u2019s a link to a refer a friend form that we created.<\/p>\n You can customize with your own design and copy.<\/p>\n Step 3: The client\u2019s friend receives an email<\/strong> b. Personalized email Here\u2019s an example of the email that the client receives. You can edit the copy.<\/p>\n Step 4: Promote the refer a friend program<\/strong><\/p>\n The refer a friend link option as a\u00a0socially acceptable way for clients to introduce you to friends that may need help with their finances.<\/p>\n You can see whether your clients are forwarding your emails as well as whether they are being opened.<\/p>\n Blueleaf users have email automation included as part of the platform.<\/strong> The weekly emails deliver highly relevant content without any effort. Engagement rates of over 90% with the email demonstrate how much clients’ value it.<\/p>\n You can also create your own automated email flows using tools like MailChimp<\/a> or Autopilot<\/a>. Most email platforms now offer automation.<\/p>\n Here’s an example of an automation flow.<\/p>\n Step 1: Prospect fills out a form to download a financial planning checklist<\/p>\n Step 2: 5 days after the download an email is automatically sent promoting a blog post that explain the checklist<\/p>\n Step 3: 5 days after the blog post email, the prospect receives an email offering access to the advisor’s client system (Blueleaf)<\/p>\n The automation set up is pretty easy to do. You can start small and add additional emails over time.<\/p>\n![\"Email](\"https:\/\/www.blueleaf.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Email-for-Financial-Advisor-Marketing1.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nEmail is personal<\/h2>\n
Email gets the best return on your time<\/h2>\n
Email is the most natural fit with the traditional financial advisor marketing model built around referrals.<\/h2>\n
Here’s how to get the most from email marketing.<\/h2>\n
1. Build relationships faster with a better email strategy<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\nA recent Morningstar study asked how their clients prefer to be emailed. The survey found that 30.4% of clients prefer weekly emails from their advisor with 36.6% preferring to receive them monthly. Only 19.9% prefer emails quarterly and a mere 9.4% prefer them annually. The research is clear. Clients want to be emailed, and often.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n
\nRemember that a touch can be delivered in various ways: in person, via email, phone, social media, or traditional mail. By mixing push and pull methods like email and blogging consume what they like and happily skip the rest. This kind of frequent contact powerfully reminds clients of your value even if some of the content is \u201cignored\u201d by some clients.<\/p>\n2. Create a Communication Calendar<\/strong><\/h2>\n
A Communication Calendar lets you plan out the types of content you want to send each month, so when a new month arrives, you\u2019re ready with a plan.<\/h3>\n
3. Optimize your emails<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Effective email has the following attributes.<\/h3>\n
\nWe don\u2019t mean \u201cHi [INSERT NAME HERE]\u201d. Forced familiarity can be counterproductive. Even with clients, personalization with their name will not get you far.<\/p>\n
\nRelated to personalization, most email programs allow you to segment your lists based on specific criteria. At a minimum, segment your lists between clients and prospects. This gives you an opportunity to focus on generating referrals from your clients while seeking different engagement options like social follows with prospects.<\/p>\n
\nResearch shows short subject lines (70 characters) get the highest open rate. Driving Opens means that you are trying to increase awareness of your content. In other words, you want them to read the email. Focusing on clicks is about generating a response or action such as visiting your blog. The success of the Obama campaign\u2019s legendary \u201cHey\u201d subject line makes super short subject lines worth a test.<\/p>\n[Tweet “Keep subject lines below 70 characters for the best open rates”]\n
\nResearch shows that emails sent in the morning will have slightly higher open rates. So mornings are a good time to send out something short, like an invitation to an event that people can scan as they prepare for their day.<\/p>\n
\nA simple, attention-grabbing and likable message increases response and click through. An eye-catching call-to-action with a \u201cwhat\u2019s in it for me\u201d message is a key element. The recipient should know exactly what they are going to get when they click.<\/p>\n
\nWhen you read a question in a marketing message, do you always think of an answer? Probably not. But a question still registers on a subconscious level and creates engagement. For example, you could start an email by saying, \u201cWondering if you\u2019ll ever be able to retire?\u201d or \u201cWorried about the rising cost of education?\u201d or \u201cShould you buy or rent?\u201d<\/p>\n
\nNo one expects you to write like a Pulitzer Prize Winner. You\u2019re an advisor who advises; let the writers write. As long as you give an author credit, feel free to summarize an article and link to it rather than write everything from scratch. Your clients will appreciate you sending them a helpful article and be happy that you spend most of your time managing their money.<\/p>\n
\nYou\u2019ve spent time and energy planning and running this nurturing campaign, so be sure to measure the responses you get! Watch how many clients open the email (effect of subject line or time you send it) and how many of them click on links (effect of your messaging or the content\u2019s relevance to their individual situation). Again, a lot of this results tracking and reporting is built into the email tools mentioned above.<\/p>\n4. Check out this email example<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\nHi Bob and Ann,
\nHow are you enjoying this beautiful summer weather? I recently got back September approaching and students preparing to head back to college, I thought it\u2019d be a great time to share this helpful article:<\/p>\n
\nBest,
\nYour Advisor<\/p>\n5. Use MailChimp\u2019s forward to a friend feature<\/strong><\/h2>\n
There are a number of email programs available. One of the biggest is MailChimp. MailChimp includes a \u201crefer a friend\u201d feature. Using this feature as two advantages.<\/h3>\n
\nThe Forward to a Friend link does not forward the email that your client received. This prevents the new recipient from accidentally unsubscribing your client.<\/p>\n
\nForward to a Friend will show in your campaign report so you can see how often your email was forwarded and how often those forwarded emails were opened. You won\u2019t see this if a client simply forwards their email.<\/p>\nHere\u2019s how it works.<\/h3>\n
\nFollow these instructions<\/a>.<\/p>\n
\nThe MailChimp forward a friend guide explains the options. The easiest is to use the link tool by highlighting the text (e.g. \u201cForward to a Friend\u201d, click on the icon, select the web link and paste *|FORWARD|* in the field.<\/p>\n
\na. Personalized subject
\nThe subject line is personalized to increase open rates.<\/p>\n[Client\u2019s name] is forwarding an email to you<\/p>\n
\nThe client personalized the email via the form.<\/p>\n6. Use email automation<\/strong><\/h2>\n