I've looked at thousands of websites over the past 7 years.
The number 1 mistake advisors make?
Not quickly articulating:
1. Who you are
2. What you do
3. Who you do it for
RIGHT on the homepage
Here are 10 examples of advisory firms getting it right๐
#SamSwipeFile
Hiking with kids in the ๐จ๐ญ Alps has been a great chance to practice my favorite mantras (for them and me!)
โWe can do hard thingsโ
โI am capableโ
โIf a goal is easy, its not rewarding to complete itโ
โIts not what happens to you- its how you respond to itโ
โGratitudeโ
Today was my first day in London EVER ๐
Kicked off with an amazing walking tour with
@neilbage
- AKA the best tour guide ever!
What a great city โค๏ธ
Last late morning coffee date before school starts! ๐
I know so many people are ready for school to be back in session, but not meโฆ I love being a summertime mom!
I have a love-hate relationship w/work travel.
โค๏ธLove
- seeing industry friends
- hearing latest trends
- making new connections
- sleeping w/out being woken by kids
๐Hate
- flying all day
- missing my kids
- eating & workouts off schedule
- stuck inside
How about you?
In my 9 years of parenting, Iโve quickly learned that more than anything, kids just want our undivided attention.
Started a new tradition for Hudsonโs 9th bday: the 1:1 trip!
Took him 2.5 hours away to Pittsburgh for his first MLB game!
Best 20 hours ever with my big kid๐
This is my younger (by 17 months) brother Anthony.
We have been through so much together and he has ALWAYS been there for me- so excited to have him on this trip with us๐
We had a spiritual moment watching the sunrise over Lauterbrunnen today- never felt so close to heaven ๐
Tomorrow is my first birthday without my husband Ryan (who passed on Oct 23rd).
It's been a strange week ..a week that, most years, is usually filled with celebrations (Valentine's day & my Birthday)
My husband was always so wonderful about making the week feel special...
Coming for you
@FutureProof_HQ
!๐
And wearing my fun fringe jacket on the flight because FutureProof is the one conference where you can really wear what you want and be yourself! ๐
#futureprooffestival
Headed to Pittsburgh to give a Keynote to First Commonwealth Bank on Client Communication and Prospect Marketing โค๏ธ
Feeling so grateful that this is my job ๐
Weโve got sooooo many great charts ready to go for you to use on social media, and emails, on your websiteโฆ All you have to do is sign up and whether you attend or not, youโll get all of them!
That โJust dropped all 3 kids off at grandmas for the night for a sleepoverโ feeling ๐ฅฐ๐
But then my brain is racingโฆ
What do I do 1st?
Workout?
Catch up on work?
Meet friends for a drink?
Organize the disaster of a pantry?
Finally deal with taxes (๐ฌ)
โฆ.Single parent ๐ง
What a beautiful way to start the day! Hiking High up into the clouds in the Swiss Alps
The kids found a ๐ladybug at the highest point!!! โฆcant make this stuff up.
Ladybugs to us represent Ryan๐ฅน
We know he is with us ๐ชฝ๐
Looking to make date nights, girls nights, family reunions or any other occasion more fun?
Get this book (or one like it)!
You pick a number between 1 and 3000. Whatever number you pick, you have to answer that question.
Some are funny, some are serious-but all are SO MUCH FUN
My late husband would have been 42 years old today. It is the first birthday of his we are celebrating without him
And yes, we are celebratingโฆBecause the world was a better place for all the years he livef
This was the last thing he posted before he passed away in October
If you give LIVE presentations - try this to increase conversions by 100%+
Instead of giving your contact info at end of talk HOPING people reach out,
Say "You can text this number and the slides (report etc) will automatically be sent to you"
(Textiful is what I use)
Stop the "We", the "I" and the "Me"
FLIP IT
It should be all "You" "You" "You"!
No one cares what you can do. They care what you can do for THEM.
๐Still laughing that the only headphones I had were my daughters' blue ones from school
But NO EXCUSES. You just have to own it
Full Episode ๐
Episode 16:
Marketing Expert Samantha Russell on Why Specialization is Powerful for Start-ups
+ What Digital Marketing Strategies Work Well in Financial Services
+ How to Ramp Sales with Stories
Find as much meaning in life as you can, every single day.
Life doesnโt promise to be easy or even happy
But a meaningful life is fulfillingโฆ. Even when itโs hard.
- Marie Goudreau
One of the benefits of going RIA is more marketing freedom.
I spoke with
@investmentnews
and shared ways RIAs can market their firm now that they have more flexibility.
I would love to know, if youโve gone RIA- how has your marketing changed?
โฝ๏ธReady to cheer on Italy IN Italy for the big Spain vs. Italy game tonight!
The kids are obsessed with their matching jerseys ๐ฎ๐น
Watched Switzerland vs Scotland last night with 500 other ๐จ๐ญSwiss fans โฆ.. SO MUCH FUN!!!
1. Can you visualize it? People are much more likely to remember what they see
2. Is it true or false? You have to be able to defend it.
3. Can no one else say it? This works because it forces you to look deeper at what you're selling- what REALLY sets you apart?
๐๐
A highlight of the trip so far- surprising my Dad with a cooking class in a localโs hone for his 70th birthday! ๐๐ท๐ฉโ๐ณ
His mom is from Italy and its his 1st time here - It was truly magical
Came as strangers, left as friends
Every since my husband died at 41 yrs old leaving me &3 little kids behind, I just don't have it in me to make small talk
I end up mentioning his death in most conversations, which leads to some awkward moments
..but also the most meaningful
Lets normalize talking about death
๐Global Top 100 Companies by Market Cap
๐บ๐ธUnited States of America 61
๐จ๐ณChina 8
๐ฌ๐งUnited Kingdom 5
๐ซ๐ท France 4
๐จ๐ญSwitzerland 4
๐ณ๐ฑ Netherlands 2
๐ฏ๐ต Japan 2
๐ฎ๐ช Ireland 2
๐ฎ๐ณ India 2
๐ฉ๐ช Germany 2
๐ธ๐ฆ Saudi Arabia 1
๐น๐ผ Taiwan 1
๐ฉ๐ฐ Denmark 1
๐ฐ๐ท Korea 1
๐ฆ๐บ Australia 1
๐จ๐ฆ Canada 1โฆ.
Just finished 3 hours of back- to-back presentations ๐
This calls for a popsicle party on the front porch to celebrate !
We all are obsessed with
@outshinesnacks
Coconut Cream popsicles! Taste like a pina colada ๐๐น
Love letting the kids see me workโฆ And see me celebrate!
My 8 yr old son and I saw a bumper sticker that said
โI hope something good happens to you todayโ
And he said โMom- shouldn't it be โI hope you NOTICE all the good that DOES happen to you today?โ
๐ฅน My heart
I guess he does listen when I talk (some of the time at least!)
Even if your audience is CEOs - the messaging in your marketing should still be direct & easy to digest
(CEOS are busy - keep it straightforward!)
๐ฅWrite so a 9th grader could get it
Great example on this site from
@TeamFWL
@FMGSuite
"When stocks go down, communication from your financial advisor should go up"
However, many financial advisors don't know what exactly to say to clients during times of extreme market volatility.
4 Communication Strategies I've seen advisors use that work really well ๐
However, my amazing
@FMGSuite
fam sent me a gorgeous bday cake (so that I wouldn't have to make my own ๐ฅน), and tomorrow, the kids and I will light the candles and sing
I want to model for them what it means to honor the gift of life -To celebrate the wonder that is BEING ALIVE.
3 questions to ask yourself whenever you write marketing copy:
1) Is it visual?
2) Is it falsifiable?
3) Can nobody else write this?
Ex: This New Balance ad ๐
"Worn by supermodels in London and dads in Ohio."
Source:
@david_perell
interview with master copywriter
@harrydry
9 months into the grief of loosing my husband and something that hits me SO hard....
Wanting to tell him the little things
"Teddy popped in the potty!"
"I saw they are making your favorite protein bar in a cinnamon roll flavor!"
"Hudson hit a homer!"
"You would love this book"
"When is the best time to take social security?"... instead of answering with a long winded article, I love this decision-tree style visual from
@jpmorgan
Anyone else remember these from Seventeen mag back in the day?๐
Source: 2024 JP Morgan Guide to Retirement
#SamSwipeFile
Great Marketing Example:
The Migration Museum
@MigrationUK
ran this in the lead up to
#EURO2024
ย
People don't care about stats. Tell a story instead.
And remember that our brains process imagery 60,000x faster than text.
#SamSwipeFile
Iโve been in business for over 20 years, so apparently am now considered a veteran! ๐
I often receive emails and DMs from young entrepreneurs and financial planners asking to โpick my brainโ.
So I made a list of things to think about.
Hope it helpsโฆ ๐งต๐๐ป
Happy Fatherโs Day to all the Dadโs out there ๐
And if you are missing a Dad this Fatherโs Day, or you are Dad missing a childโฆ Sending you all the love โค๏ธ
Parents: Iโve shampooโd 3 heads of hair and read 10 bedtime stories, helped you practice your reading and sang 2 songs, given 5 kisses, & walked back downstairs to get cups of water and special stuffies
Goodnight! ๐
Kids: look me make a silly face while I stand on my head!
My 8yr old sonโs baseball team (The Moonshots) won the league championship this weekend - With Hudson scoring a homer!
Finished the season undefeated 13-0๐
So proud of these kiddos and their grit, hard work, teamwork and most importantly- for being coachable!
One of these videos has 18 Million Views.
Take a guess -which one do you think it is?
I'll send everyone who gets it WRONG --->
"7 Steps To Create YouTube Thumbnails That Increase Click-Through Rate"
source:
@GoodMarketingHQ
3. Become a go-to resource for the people you help:
๐ Give away guides
๐ Create Checklists
๐ Put out videos
๐ Answer questions in Facebook Groups
--> help the people you serve solve specific problems and answer specific questions
At the beginning of bedtime with 3 kids Im the fairy godmother
2 hours later when these little oompa loompas are still coming out of their bedsโฆ
I turn into the wicked witch of the east
Anyone else?
If you work with a lot of clients who LOVE to travel - you should share this tip with them to snag insanely great deals on flights
Tell them about
@goingtweets
You:
1. Choose US departure airports
2. Pick up to 10 locations to monitor
3. Going sends them price drop alerts!
Phew... Just went live and reviewed 10 advisor sites in front of hundreds of viewers in under 50 minutes.
and now.... I'm EXHAUSTED.
If you joined - I hope you found it helpful!
If you want to follow along: Iโm sharing our daily itinerary, places we stay, eat and visit over on my Instagram travel page.
Day 1 posted just now ๐โ๏ธโ๏ธ
โฆ
If you want to be good at marketing, just constantly repeat
โitโs about THEM, not about MEโ
- Use โyouโ not โweโ in your messages
- Tell stories that illustrate you get their problems
- Write how THEY talk
- Focus on what customers will experience after buying your service
The answer is...
"How to Start a Speech!"๐
THATS what people search for!
A bit tricky bc I mentioned the thumbnails - which DO matter - but in this case, the TITLE is most important
Need to NAIL your title to get your video in the results - then thumbnail is what gets clicks
6. "I have a whole life policy on myself and wife for $1m each; $2m on my 3 year old. I feel like I fell victim to a sales pitch and have to decide if I continue or cancel at least the juvenile policy." (this one is very interesting )
"Conversations about money can be awkward... but not as awkward as our childhood photos."
If we can show you these, you can show us your finances"
โก Great example of how to show your personality and have FUN with your marketing as an advisor.
This is so good
#SamSwipeFile
My college girlfriends try to do a trip once a year.
This one in NYC this weekend was SO good for my soul
I haven't laughed like that in a year.
Old friends are the biggest blessing ๐
(as are babysitters who watch my kids so I can make it happen! ๐)
When a prospect sits in front of you ..
โ focus on what YOU do - you miss the target
โ focus on the ONE Biggest pain point the prospect sitting in front of you has- and how you can solve it - youโll hit the bullseye almost everytime
#Shiftevent
#shift
In the 10 years I have been presenting, I have NEVER seen an audience chat like this one ๐
Last week, we hosted the FMG NEW ERA tour - and IT. WAS. INCREDIBLE ๐
You'll are the best! ๐ Can't believe this is my JOBโค๏ธ
If you want to see a replay just let me know - we got you!
๐จCan you think of a business/person you are familiar with, simply bc you have seen their videos in your feed?
It's the mere exposure effect.
Tomorrow:
๐ดVideo 101: The Proven, Step-by-Step Playbook you need to start making videos to market your biz
โฆ
I can FEEL Ryan's hug just from looking at this photo.
He gave the very best hugs.
And our son Hudson just ADORED his Dad
Tonight he said to me at bedtime "Mom, I need a DAD hug".
I tried. He started crying saying "It's not the same Mom. I need Dad".
๐ฅน
Ugh. Grief
Parents: Iโve shampooโd 3 heads of hair and read 10 bedtime stories, helped you practice your reading and sang 2 songs, given 5 kisses, & walked back downstairs to get cups of water and special stuffies
Goodnight! ๐
Kids: look me make a silly face while I stand on my head!
There is nothing like facing death to make you realize whether or not you are truly LIVING your life.
Grief is a gift if you let it be.
Schedule the date.
Take the trip.
Make the phone call.
Take the risk.
Be vulnerable.
Do the scary thing.
Life doesn't wait. LIVE it.
How to write your website homepage to convert more prospects ๐
EXACT FORMULA to use:
"I help ____ (WHO),
to do _____ (WHAT)
so they can _____ (BENEFIT) _____ (BENEFIT)____ (BENEFIT)"
The full strategy: send me a DM
First time back on an in-person stage tomorrow in over a year
If you are at
@wealth_mgmt
#WMEdge
- come join over lunch and learn what the 7 Biggest Social Media Mistakes people make
I have 30+ examples to show
+ How to spend your time to see real growth & ROI
@Wealth__Edge
I've looked at thousands of websites over the past 7 years.
The number 1 mistake advisors make?
Not quickly articulating:
1. Who you are
2. What you do
3. Who you do it for
RIGHT ON THE HOMEPAGE
Here are 10 examples of advisory firms getting it right๐
#SamSwipeFile
Nothing lime being on vacation and so ready to stay up with everyone and hang out/get adult time
Then you lay in a dark room with the baby to help them fall asleepโฆ and you fall asleep instead.
EVERY
SINGLE
NIGHT ๐
LOVE the copy on this website from
@FMGSuite
customer
@TeamFWL
They help CEOs of family businesses - a more sophisticated audience.
Yet the copy on their site is super direct and easy to digest (written so a 9th grader could get it!)
Such a great site:
4. Help them remember why they hired you.
You help prevent emotional-based, irrational decisions.
Chart: Lo, Remorov and Chaouch, authors of the January 2019 study Measuring Risk Preferences and Asset-Allocation Decisions: A Global Survey Analysis
Life can be hard.
But then you have moments like this and goshโฆ. It just takes your breath away and you cant stop smiling โจ
Something about the mountains just connects with the human soul.
And my kids are so happy ๐
โGrief, Iโve learned, is really just love. Itโs all the love you want to give, but can't. All that unspent love gathers up in the corners of your eyes, the lump in your throat..the hollow part of your chest.
Grief is just love with no place to go.โ
3 Months without you
Not going to lie, I was nervous to go to
#SHIFT
I havenโt been to a conference in almost a year, & it felt scary to โget back out thereโ
But oh my goodness.. it was SO GOOD for my soul
Thank you to every single person who came up & gave me a hug โค๏ธ
Your support means the ๐
Never in a million years did I think I'd have my headshot in the same round up as Nick Murray
Truly, I'm so looking forward to presenting and attending
@CISI
conference in Manchester this October.
UK friends, I hope to see you there! Please let me know if you'll be attending
2 highly qualified prospects watching your video is 1000x more impactful than 1,000 random "impressions"
The more specific you are in who your content is for - the less "impressions" you might get --- but the more actual prospects you will reach
In one month, an advisor had 37 qualified leads find/visit his website from doing searches around terms like "capital gains" & "taxes"
Of those 37 people - 15 booked a meeting via his online scheduler ๐คฏ
๐ฅThat's a 40% conversion rate!
Yet 37 people doesn't seem like a lot
Are you making one or more of the most common website mistakes?
Come found out today at 2 PM
It's going to be super interactive and dare I say - FUN!
I'll teach you how to look at your website through the eyes of the consumer - and get booked meetings!
Their 1st Daddy-Daughter dance should have been Saturday
It KILLS me that he wasn't alive to take her.
It is excruciating thinking of all the moments my kids will miss having their Dad here for.
But Gracie is so tough. She still wanted to go with her Pop โค๏ธ
And she loved it
How long does it take to drip on a prospect before they convert?
In this case... 167 weeks.
email costs very little to execute yet allows you to stay top of mind - week after week.
This is what inbound marketing looks like in practice.
No shortcuts. Long game approach.
๐ด Would you like someone to look at your site and give feedback on what's working and what to change?
We're launching a "Website Fixer Upper" series in February
I'll be reviewing advisor sites LIVE and giving feedback in real time
Sign up here:
If AI starts really pulling in user-generated content (images and videos).. to allow users to SEE what they are looking for... it will be a MASTERFUL combo of both strategies
H/T to
@ENVDani
where I saw the article originally