The goal of the Emerging RIA podcast is to shine a light on marketing strategy for RIA firms, helping financial advisors focus on the bigger picture of what marketing can help them accomplish. So while we don't want to get too entrenched in discussing only marketing tactics and hacks, we'd be remiss not to do an episode on local SEO. 

So why do we feel local SEO is important for financial advisors looking to grow? Dan, the host of the Emerging RIA Podcast, got his start in financial advisor marketing at an independent RIA that he helped grow to over a half-billion dollars in AUM in his time there. And local SEO was a key component in that RIA's growth (not to mention SEO, more broadly, with niche content). Instead of doing outbound work to generate prospects, local SEO helps your financial advisory firm capture people who are intending to explore or use the service you provide.

Local SEO success depends on myriad factors like the size of the city or region you're based in, how high your site ranks for those local searches, and the psychographic factors of consumers in your area, to name a few. But the bottom line is that there are people in your area searching for your services. If you haven't optimized your website for local SEO, then you're missing out on being a part of those search results for potential paying customers. Even landing one $250,000 client from local SEO in a year would be several thousand dollars in revenue.

In this episode, a local SEO special, Dan dives into the basics of local SEO, tools you can use to help with local SEO, what to think about before implementing SEO tactics, and more. 

For more on the SEO tools Dan discusses in the episode, check out the link section below. 

If you have any questions about this episode, or if you have topics you'd like us to cover in future episodes, send us an email at [email protected].

LINKS

Watch on Youtube — https://youtu.be/K_sVjblL6D0
YouTube Channel - Marketing Strategy for Financial Advisors: https://youtube.com/@emergingria
Facebook Group - Advisor Marketing Forum: http://bit.ly/3XwHL7q
Financial Advisor Marketing Assessment: https://bit.ly/3YF63MD
Contact Us: http://bit.ly/3GJ5M5h

Chances are you've heard countless times – from a variety of sources – about why you should develop a niche as a financial advisor. Niches aren't a novel marketing idea, and by no means are they exclusive to financial advising, though they have gained quite a bit of steam in recent years in the industry. And while the term is used ad nauseam in many financial advisor marketing circles, it's often a substitute for the broader marketing principle of a target market or target audience. 

So why are we covering a topic that's already been covered plenty of times before? A target audience – your niche – is a critical part of a strategic marketing plan, a point that's hammered home in any marketing course or undergraduate marketing class. Financial advisors have often escaped the need to define their niche because referrals have represented a bulk of their new business. But as the digital lead generation push becomes greater, there's a greater need to solidify strategy and, in turn, your niche. 

In this episode, Dan dives into the pitch to define your niche (officially pronounced 'neesh' for those keeping score at home). He explores the background of what a niche is, what's led to a greater need for financial advisors to have a niche, some examples of niches, and a couple of key points to keep in mind as you work on one. 

Questions about developing a niche? Other topics you'd like us to cover in future episodes? Send an email to [email protected].

LINKS

How marketing is executed, and who it's executed by, is often a key debate for many financial advisors. Should you hire someone internally – either part-time or full-time? Should you look to an external agency? Should you take it on yourself in addition to your role as a financial advisor?

While this conversation is often presented as a one-or-the-other situation, we're here to dispel the thought that it has to be a choice between the two options. In this episode of the Emerging RIA Podcast, Dan dives into the dichotomy between internal vs. external marketing solutions for financial advisors. In reality, the actual implementation of marketing within most financial advisory firms is more of a continuum that melds components of both internal vs. external.

Questions about internal vs. external marketing execution for your firm? Other topics you'd like us to cover in future episodes? Send an email to [email protected]. 

LINKS

In our first episode of the Emerging RIA Podcast, host Dan Corcoran sits down and covers what we hope to accomplish with this podcast, geared toward financial advisors and marketing professionals at RIA firms. Dan dives into his background in financial advisor marketing, including several years of experience working as the go-to (and only) marketing employee for an independent RIA in Madison, WI. 

As the leadoff episode in the podcast, we also begin to explore the huge need for educational content, discussion, and resources specifically around marketing strategy in the financial advisory space, and where we hope to go in future episodes of the show.  

Questions about the podcast or marketing topics for financial advisors you'd like us to cover in future episodes? Send us an email at [email protected] or check out the link section below. 

LINKS

Are you a financial advisor tasked with your RIA firm’s marketing? Or maybe you’re a support staff member with marketing duties? Marketing may not be your passion, but someone has to do it. And for smaller RIAs, there often isn’t a staff member dedicated to marketing, so it falls to you, the advisor or support staff member, to fit it into your already busy job. 

So, that’s what this podcast is here for. We’re here to help you make more sense of marketing as a financial advisor, dispel some of the misconceptions in the industry, provide marketing resources, and ultimately, save you time and wasted energy spinning your wheels on marketing your firm. Yes, there will be quick fixes along the way, but we’re here to tell you upfront that marketing is a long-term commitment. So put on your marketing cap, come prepared to learn and ask questions, and let’s get you on the road to becoming an emerging RIA.