We all know that we shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, and, yet, a picture is also worth a thousand words. So which is right?
As a financial advisor, you have a lot of content to share, so it can be easy to get stuck on just the messaging side. Other times, you have so many charts you want to share, you aren’t sure how to balance that with content.
Trying to figure out if messaging or visuals are more important to your clients is one of the most sought after questions when it comes to financial advisor marketing.
You may be surprised to learn the answer is both!
The best messaging in the world can’t shine through a shoddy or outdated website. But the sharpest-looking website also won’t convert visitors into clients if the messaging isn’t on target for your ideal client profile.
You have to strike the right balance between presenting long- and short-form content alongside engaging visuals. So how do you do that? Here are three tips for balancing messaging and visuals in your advisor marketing in order to keep your current clients engaged and attract prospects:
1. Know Your Audience
Sure, you could design all of your marketing materials based on what you like, but if that doesn’t match up with your ideal client profile then you’ll just be wasting your time. So, first, take some time to think about what your audience would want to see. Here are some questions to ask:
What age are they? If they skew a little older, you will want to consider making sure the font size is bigger, a more conservative color palette and probably slightly less visuals. But Millennials and Gen Zers, who grew up with the Internet and social media at their fingertips, will be expecting a lot more visuals and exciting ones at that.
How do they like to digest information? If you know your audience likes more long-form content in paragraphs, that’s totally fine. But if they prefer bullet points or lists, make sure you present the content that way.
In what format do they want the information? Are your clients wanting emails from you? What about videos? Or, are they more comfortable with snail mail? The format will help determine how much room you have for both messaging and visuals, and how those two things need to be laid out.
2. White Space is Your Friend
Now, just because you have a wealth of content doesn’t mean you have to cover every single inch of your website, brochure, email, etc. with both words and visuals. Just as visuals are there to help break up the text, so does white space or any other blank space.
In your home or office, you don’t cover every single inch of the floor or walls. No one likes clutter after all. White space allows our eyes a break AND then puts more emphasis on the content that is there.
3. Visuals Should Have a Purpose
How many times have you seen either that exact same stock photo of a person working at a desk or one so similar you aren’t sure if it’s different? Don’t fall into that trap. Your visuals serve a purpose of breaking up the text, because often people think lots of text equals boring. But don’t make your visuals boring!
A visual doesn’t have to be a photo either. It could simply be a splash of color on the section header, a quotation pulled out of the text, or a chart of numbers to explain a complex idea from the text.
Do you have questions about this article or about our marketing consulting services? Either leave a reply in the comment box below or contact us privately and directly, here.
Maribeth Kuzmeski, PhD, President of Red Zone Marketing, is a marketing strategist, advisor to financial services companies, bestselling author of seven books, and a professional speaker rated as a Top 25 C-Suite Speaker as seen in Meetings & Conventions Magazine. She speaks on topics including marketing, branding, sales, and customer service.
