1) Did you consider what your office says about you and your success?
2) Did you re-model or re-decorate?
3) Is it important that clients feel comfortable?
4) Is a nice, professional office important to building and maintaining professional relationships or will any type office do?
5) And if your office is professional and inviting, would it make sense for you to greet your cleints wearing a track suit?

While branding is not easy to measure, if even possible – it it easy to see that it is absolutely critical. Branding is you, your image, your value, your uniqueness and most importantly, what people remember about you.

A well articulated and nurtured brand will help people quantify who you are, what you do best and the difference working with you made it their life and business. How can you build a business without this level of identification and communication? You can, you’re just making it much more diffuclt fgor yourself and your company.

Success in today’s online market absolutely depends on your entire Web presence, not just your website. Spreading your online presence as wide as possible helps you reach millions of potential clients you may not be able to reach otherwise. Below are four simple ways beginners can increase their web presence without breaking the bank or their back.

1. Create a Website

Websites don’t have to be expensive and elaborate, they just have to be visible to consumers, provide useful information and generate leads by allowing visitors to contact you for free offers or more information.

There are several option available when creating a website. For the more tech savvy agents, you can build your own (Top 10 Do-It-Yourself Website Builders) and for those who’d rather leave it to the experts, you can check out the below links to get started:

• Insurance Web Designs
• Insurance Broker Webmasters
• Free Insurance Agent Websites

Some companies even offer supplemental marketing material to help draw prospects to a website such as Insurance Help Centers, a company that specializes in lead generating website customization.

2. Use SEO to Increase your Website Ranking

SEO, or Search Engine Optimization,  is the process of adding keywords or phrases throughout your website to help search engine spiders properly rank your webpage in a Google search result. In other words, when someone searches for “Financial Advisors” the webpage results will be ordered by relevance of how well the title, description and keywords of the website match the users web search query.

Still confused? Google offers an extremely helpful and easy to follow Search Engine Optimization Starter Guide as well as basic information about a Google Search and how to increase your webpage rankings.

When using the Google AdWords Keyword Tool, agents are able to insert their webpage URL and Google will create a list of keyword ideas for you to use when adding or modifying content to your web pages.

Once you’ve created and optimized your website you want as many people to visit it as possible!

3. Start a Blog

Blogging is a great way to establish yourself as an expert while increasing your online presence at the same time. Also, by commenting on blogs written by others, it’s a great way to gain practice as well as increase your visibility by linking back to your website, blog or other social media profiles.

Setting up a blog is the easy part (Best Blogging Host Software) , it’s figuring out what to write about that can be the challenging (10 Business Blogging Best Practices).

Once you’ve started your own blog, you can drive people to it by promoting it on your website as well as social media profiles. Don’t have a social media profile? Keep reading to learn how to set one up in minutes!

4. Join Social Networking Sites

Social networking is one of the most powerful social media strategies you can implement. These sites are free and allow you to create a personal profile page to post information about you and your business, invite people to join your network, join groups with people interested in the same topic, blast messages and events, and drive people to your website or blog.

Getting Started

First, determine which social media outlet is best for you. Find out what platforms your prospects use most. Don’t be afraid to create a profile at different sites just so you can browse and check out how it works, who uses it and what other people are posting. Also, don’t underestimate your teenager or grandchild’s ability to help you set up a profile – believe me, they’ll have a full profile created with pictures posted in seconds flat!

For step-by-step instruction on how to set up a profile for various social media sites, click the links below:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• MySpace
• LinkedIn

Throughout my experience as a marketer, I’ve gathered several resources that were extremely helpful when getting started in the social media world.

Social Media Beginner Guides

• Facebook for Beginners
• Social Media Marketing Beginners Guide
• How to Effectively Use Twitter to Build Business Relationships

For additional sales and marketing tips exclusive to insurance agents, visit the new TWG Capital Agent Acceleration Center or follow the TWG Capital Blog.

Everyone in the securities industry will want to give Superior Court Justice Thomas Lederer a big hug after reading this article describing the March, 2008, decision in which he dismissed a client’s claim when he sought to have his advisor (Leach) and investment dealer (Merrill Lynch) reimburse him for losses after seeking high returns in a risky investment strategy.

pull text from http://www.casselsbrock.com/docs%5CLandmark_Verdict_on_Trading.pdf

There are no limitation periods specified in the Investment Dealers Association’s registered bylaws with respect to disciplinary actions, and to date the IDA has seemingly proceeded on the basis that it was not governed by any limitation period.

The IDA was prosecuting claims involving events that occurred years in the past, some dating back as far as the 1990s. Consequently, member firms and investment advisors could not only be prosecuted for recent events, but could be disciplined for events that occurred in the distant past. Those in the industry simply assumed the IDA had jurisdiction to do what it was doing, and never questioned or challenged the association in that regard.

pull text from http://www.casselsbrock.com/docs%5CJustice_Relies_on_Timeliness.pdf

People REFER for two reasons:

1 – They want to look good to the people they are referring. They want to feel confident you will impress the person they are sending your way.

2 – They want to look good to you. They want you to know they appreciate your service and that in return, you appreciate the referral.

Where Branding comes in:

Have you ever wondered what your clients say about you when referring you to their colleagues, friends and family? Most advisors agree that their clients would likely have many different stories to tell. Imagine one of your clients telling a potential ideal client that you are honest, easy to work with and that you offer comprehensive financial planning. You may be all those things, which are great, but they in no way differentiate you from most other financial advisors.

The question is: have you taken the steps to truly differentiate you and your business so that you maximize referrals, the life-line of your business?

Are you leveraging your brand to gain way more ideal client referrals?
TAKE BRAND NURTURING QUIZ AT FREEDOMARKETING.COM/BRANDING

If you’re not nurturing your brand in a way that engrains your message in your clients’ minds, you will have no say or control over your best sales force; happy clients telling the right story to the right people, all for you. It’s critical to making an impact in the prospects’ minds and it also helps solidify your relationship with your client. They too want to feel like they are getting something from you they can’t find around the corner.

Just think for a few minutes how powerful it would be to script you message for your clients. Imagine how comfortable they would be in sharing your story with the right people, your ideal target audience.

Do your clients…
o Know who you work best with?
o Use keywords that create intrigue and buzz about your service or approach?
o Truly understand how they benefit from working with you?
o Know how to refer people to you?
o Know how you are compensated?
o Know your professional credentials and experience?

You wouldn’t send a sales force out into the streets without having a full and complete understanding of the above. Why would you send your clients out to refer you without the same level of understanding?

There are four key branding criteria to BEING REFERABLE:

Special
How are you different or the same as everyone else? You need to be memorable first and foremost.

A compelling message is the ONLY story that gets told. If you aren’t nurturing that message and ensuring clients know exactly what to say and to whom, you’re leaving lots of quality opportunities on the table. If you rely heavily on new clients from referrals, it’s integral that you invest time, energy and money into nailing this aspect of your business.

Useful
Does your point of differentiation benefit them and how?
A flashy message that has no clear and relevant benefit will not endure further investigation. Make sure the usefulness of your offering is simple and relevant.

Reliable
Are they sure about your professionalism and expertise?
No one wants to work with a financial advisor that works out of a VW Van who also sells encyclopedias. You need to be professional, be rooted and be trustworthy. If you’re marketing doesn’t quickly answer these fundamental concerns, you won’t even need to have a phone number or office. It’s not as simple as having a cookie cutter web site like every other financial advisor. Your site needs to look say you invest in your business, you’re the expert they need and you are a true professional they can trust.

Economical
Does working with you make economical sense? Are you an affordable and profitable decision?
Lastly, you need to be an economical choice. This doesn’t mean cheap; more like appropriate for the type of people who you’ll be referred to. Do your message, marketing and perceived value reflect your fees?

Most advisors look at asking for referrals as an art, something they need to feel inspired and passionate about. They need to take their time to paint the perfect picture of what asking for and getting referrals is all about. Getting consistent great referrals is simple:
o brandish a compelling message
o establish a repeatable process that is easy to understand for you, your team and the client
o implant the idea of referrals in your clients minds
o follow through with asking and getting referrals

Be S.U.R.E. and you’ll get more referrals.

Second answer: our culture.
Third answer: we allow them to be independent and run their own practices.

If this is sounding familiar we have a solution that can truly help you rise above the sea of sameness. If you are interested in attracting and retaining more ideal advisors – read on.

As a group, Broker dealers generally struggle with the issue of trying to build their brands in a sea of sameness. They need to position themselves in a very competitive market with:

• Similar companies
• Employing similar people
• With similar educational backgrounds
• Working similar jobs
• Coming up with similar ideas
• Producing similar things
• Offering similar services
• With similar prices
• And similar quality

Broker Dealers need to position the things that are truly unique about their offerings in a way that is compelling and valuable to their advisors.

One such strategy is to develop and bring to life tangible evidence that you do indeed support and live by the idea of Partnership.

Here is how you accomplish that:

Brand it! Package your brand in an appealing way so that it breathes credibility. Create an iconic identity for your program or brand that makes your program easily identifiable to your audience.

Describe it! Demonstrate through professionally designed examples that you make it easy for your advisors to communicate with their clients.

Communicate it! Put all this together in a concise and powerful information sheet for mailing or downloading and then post this on your web site for easy access.

The investment is minimal ($2,500 – $5,000) and the return is exponential.

However you decide to be different, make sure that it has clear value to your audience and that it is credible, visible and accessible.

Your web site needs to be many things to make the impression you truly desire. Why then do so many BDs have unimpressionable sites? Below is a checklist ideas and questions you’ll want to consider.

• Is it consistent with other marketing material you market?
• Did you approach it as an expense or an investment?
• Does it offer enough information to captivate your audience but not so much that they don’t need to call with questions?
• Is there a compelling call-to-action?
• Does your message/brand resonate with your audience and does your site effectively convey this message?
• Does it have a recognizable message or brand?
• Is it visually appealing, professional looking? Or is bland and simple your style?
• Is it easy to navigate? Is it laden with content and tools that are insignificant to the sales process?
• Is the content professionally written or drafted by your in-house marketing intern?
• Does it paint a picture of what it would be like to work with your organization?
• Does it say ’success’?
• Does it leave the exact impression you’d like it to?

This is the way it should be! It can be everything you need it to be. It can be an investment in your business or it can continue to be an expense.

Recently a colleague of mine shared a story about a quality broker-dealer, ABC Financial. ABC had approached my colleague to help them recruit more financial advisors to their business. In my colleague’s due diligence process, he concluded that even though this was a smaller broker-dealer, they had a significant and compelling offer that set them apart from many other BDs – small and large. They had a quality offer and an efficient back office team. He thought this would be a good home, as would a few others BDs he knew of, for a particular advisor he had in mind.
The advisor was a seasoned professional who last year generated over $1.6 million in revenue. The advisor was fed up with BDs who, in his opinion, only looked out for themselves, who were increasingly focused on compliance and were keeping him from continuing to grow his business as an independent professional. He was looking for a new home, one he could continue to grow with, one he saw as a stable but flexible business partner.

My colleague was quite certain that ABC had a shot at landing what would be their largest fish in their BD. The potential spin-off of hiring a successful professional like this would also produce a good story to share with other advisors. My colleague referred the advisor to 3 BDs; the advisor then contacted each of these BDs.

After preliminary meetings with each of these BDs, the prospective advisor liked ABC’s story best and subsequently asked to take the next step with them. He was expecting to receive a portfolio of information that would represent the vision and mission of ABC Financial and their complete offering including their systems, approved vendors and compensation grid. What he received was a sample contract and a few unconnected info sheets. The advisor contacted my colleague and said, “How and why would I want to put my future with a company that can’t even invest in something this essential?” My colleague replied that he couldn’t agree more. He then took the time to explain why he had sent the advisor to ABC in the first place. “I’m certain that ABC’s offering is what you are looking for but there is a reason they’re not a much larger BD. I wanted to give you the opportunity to say no, to recognize this one significant difference between unsuccessful and successful BDs. I hope it helps you more clearly see the characteristics you want in finding the next home for your book of business.”

A company that can’t articulate their vision and their uniqueness, a company that doesn’t invest in their message (their marketing), doesn’t stand much of a chance of attracting quality clients or talent, in this case a successful financial professional. Marketing isn’t just about looking good or big, it says something about how you run your business. Are you professional? Are you interested in the long term success of your business? Do you have a compelling story? Will an advisor’s clients see this move to another BD as meaningful and beneficial?

Click Here: http://entrepreneurs.about.com/cs/marketing/a/uc051603a.htm