April 2021 is Financial Literacy Month. According to a recent FINRA study, 53% of adults are financially anxious. As if that weren’t enough, a staggering 78% of adults were living paycheck to paycheck before the pandemic. One can imagine what those numbers look like now.
If you’re in financial services, April is your time to shine! Not only is this your opportunity to help educate on and promote financial literacy, but also to engage prospects, clients, and their communities. If you’ve been looking for natural ways to engage clients and add value in a time of widespread Zoom fatigue and less-than-stellar virtual events, this is about as on-the-mark as you can get. We’re here to make it easy on you.
Check out these five ways to fill your funnel during Financial Literacy Month!
1. Raise Awareness on Social
This one is easy-peasy and requires minimal effort. Here are three ideas for a Financial Literacy Month social series:
Quote Series: highlight individuals on your team sharing thoughts on what it means to create financial literacy.
Literacy Numbers Series: Bring awareness to the widespread lack of financial literacy by sharing insightful stats. Cite your source! Hint: there are two at the beginning of this blog post.
Parents & Kids Series: Post 1-2 ideas per week for parents to talk to their kids about finances. This handy guide provides ideas for all age groups! Better yet, offer to facilitate these discussions with clients’ families or adult children – especially if you’re in the multi-generational planning space.
Need more inspiration? Our Social Media Content Calendar is here to help with fresh and creative ideas!
2. Promote the Designations On Your Team
You’ve worked hard for your designations and in many cases, they can be key differentiators for you and your firm. However, to the vast majority of your clients, they’re alphabet soup. Use April as an opportunity to not only promote your team’s education, but to educate clients on why your designations matter to them.
Promote certifications in a social media series; explain what they are, what they mean (in jargon-free terms) and why that matters to your clients. Check out this Forbes article for inspiration! Not into social media? Promote on your website or through a celebratory email to clients, using Financial Literacy Month as an excuse to educate and engage!
Prospecting Language Tip #1: “When selecting a financial advisor, make sure they have the best credentials to serve your needs. If you’re unsure, let’s talk.”
Prospecting Language Tip #2: “Because our team is expanding their professional knowledge and capacity, we as a firm now have additional capacity to help more [target market] [achieve objective / solve a problem] and are accepting new clients.”
3. Start a Conversation on Finances
This can be done in several different ways – the important thing is that you have the conversation. Incorporate the conversation starters below into your LinkedIn prospecting language and/or pose them as questions through LinkedIn and Facebook posts, tagging specific clients to weigh in. Ask each client to tag someone else as well!
Give a piece of financial advice to your 20-year-old self?
What are you currently saving for? What are your kids saving for?
Name the biggest financial concerns facing [young adults / women / small business owners] today.
Prospecting Pro Tip: Use these topics to build content for a short webinar – or a more casual coffee circle – and ask contributors to join you and share their story. Ask them to invite others from their social circles. This doesn’t have to be overly-complicated – there’s huge value in simply facilitating these conversations!
4. Make Finances Fun for Clients’ Kids
Here’s three ways to give meaningful gifts to your clients’ kids during Financial Literacy Month:
Game-ify Finances: Give top clients’ kids the gift of fun money management games promoting financial literacy. They won’t even realize they’re learning! Need ideas? Here are a few to get you started.
Buy a Book: The Everything Kids’ Money Book, How to Turn $100 into $1,000,000, and A Smart Girl’s Guide: Money are great choices!
Save/Spend/Share Piggy Banks: These make thoughtful gifts for younger and older children alike: MoonJar, Beast Piggy Bank Trio, and The Piggy Box.
Prospecting Pro Tip: When they reach out to thank you (and they will), say this: “We’ve gotten such amazing feedback from clients and their kids…who else would appreciate [insert gift]? We’ll send them one as well.”
5. Host an SAT (Summer Adulting Time) Prep Session
Host an “SAT” (aka Summer Adulting Time) prep session for parents and their graduating seniors. Whether you have clients getting ready to send their kids off to college or preparing their recent college graduate for their first “adult” job, you can provide education and add value.
Session topics could include: understanding your pay stub, setting up different bank accounts, monthly budgeting, financial goal setting, renting vs. buying, understanding your 401k and benefits package, and investment vehicles for 20-somethings. Trust us, the parents will thank you. While they’re feeling gratuitous, ask them to refer you to anyone else in their circle who would like a session.
Prospecting Pro Tip: Collaborate with an A+/A client to host the webinar and fill the “seats.” As a thank you to the host, make a charitable donation in their name to a school of their choice. Use matching gifts.
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