What do prospects consider when they evaluate your financial planning service?

First you have to make them notice you!

Until they notice you they can not consider anything about you. You must get
their attention before they will think about what you can do for them and they can
become prospects for you!

Media exposures in your marketing area are all people have to go on before meeting you. Without positive media exposures, they have no awareness of you.
Thus they have no reason to consider how you can help them, or why they should
meet with you, or how you can help solve their problems, or believe you can help
them reach their financial objectives, etc.

Define Your Desired Prospects. Where do they live and work? What do they
read, see or listen to? What are their educational, social and occupational characteristics? This will help you decide which are your best media sources.

Influence Your Desired Prospects. Your media exposures are the only clues about what is unique or special about you. The financial advisor they decide to seek out, or even talk with, will be the recognized (in their local media) professional who has a track record of successful exposure.

Establish Yourself As the Expert. Daily you compete with planners who have been more skilled at marketing their service - those who have the media working for them! If you are doing little to create, establish, and maintain your desired image within your target markets, then you can expect to not be the most sought after for new business relationships.

Knowing prospects will all gravitate to the perceived winner and leader. Even "unknowing" prospects prefer the better known planner. The only sources of information for these people, other than personal referrals, are your media exposures. Media exposures are proven to stimulate personal referrals from your existing clients.

Proven Tools to Gain Media Exposure.
The following list is meant to stimulate your thinking from the point-of-view of a media advocate who is promoting your service. As you consider which items are appropriate (practical and affordable) for your practice and marketing efforts, you are actually formulating your media advocacy plans.

1. Press Kit (Fact File Folder)
2. Speeches You've Delivered
3. Power Point Presentations
4. Presentation Reprints
5. Articles You've Written
6. Print Mention Montages
7. Posters (from prior events)
8. Displays
9. Exhibits
10. Information Brochures
11. Manuals
12. Annual Reports
13. Newsletters
14. House Organ publications
15. News Conferences
16. Press Releases
17. Meeting Agendas and Brochures
18. Benefits Events
19. Direct Mail Pieces
20. Premiums
21. Conventions, Meetings, Gatherings
22. Community Programs
23. Public Service Projects
24. Contents of Educational Programs
25. Awards You've Received
26. Proclamations Featuring You
27. Personal Appearances
28. Hand Out Pieces You've Used
29. "Leave Behind" Information Sheets
30. Telethon Participation (PBS, etc.)
31. Parade Floats
32. Bulletin Board Notices
33. Sales Letters
34. Telephone Calls
35. Personal Media Visits

You Have to Get Started. You may not know which of these tools can help create the most impact and make more money for you. But if you don't start assembling some of them, you know that positive results will be achieved only by your competitors.

By Wally Cato

Forrest Wallace Cato, RFMA, RFC, CRR, CPC, has over 20-plus years of successful experience as a local, regional, and as a multi-national, media strategist and media advocate serving financial professionals. For financial advisors, he creates, establishes, and maintains, desired images, then promotes those advisors within target markets. This highly proven marketing communications effort leads to increased understanding (brought about by desired media exposures) and results in increased consumer acceptance!