Turn leads into clients with this irresistible marketing strategy

The previous articles I’ve written have paved the way and taught you how to stand out among competitors and attract the audience you want.

From being bold to creating curiosity to evoking emotions, it’s all led here, to the ultimate marketing tactic: making them an offer they can’t refuse.

What will get potential clients in the metaphorical and literal door? Up until now they’ve been window shopping. They see your content as they scan a local journal or scroll through Facebook.

You want them to cross the threshold, though, and become an actual client. You could keep showing up on social media and billboards, and wait for their call when they reach retirement age, or inherit a large sum of money, or are privy to some life-and-therefore-financial-altering event. Marketing, after all, is a long game.

You know as well as I do that financial planning is a service beneficial to anyone, anytime. Being wealthy and hitting retirement age aren’t prerequisites to working with an adviser.

We understand the inherent value we offer. It’s obvious! Potential clients don’t, though. Otherwise, they’d be knocking on your door, right?

For many people, the first step — recognizing that they need help — is the hardest one to get past. To break down this value-blindness barrier, we have to make that first step irresistible for them.

We have to make them an offer they can’t refuse. But what does such an offer look like? For starters, it needs to encompass all five of these factors:

1. IT'S SPECIFIC

It’s common for advisers to offer to help individuals “save money on taxes” with calls-to-action like “learn more.” But nothing about such an offer is irresistible — or certain.

The offer is too vague. What exactly will you provide someone who contacts you or clicks the “learn more” button?

The timing of the offer is vague, too. An offer like this makes it appear as though someone can return to sign up in two months and the same offer would still stand. Taxes happen every year, so why not wait until next year, or the year after that? 

“Find out more” or “learn more” don’t encourage action.

Your call to action should entice potential clients to act now. Be specific about the benefit they’ll immediately receive if they act now. Saving money on taxes sounds nice, but there is no urgency to the offer. Specificity helps create a sense of urgency.

Here are a few examples of specific headline call to actions that have been performing well in our campaigns:

• Access 5 “Hidden” Tax Opportunities to Take Advantage of Now (Before They Expire)
• The Ugly Truth About Managing Your Company’s 401(k) — 3 Costly Threats and 2 Untapped Opportunities Revealed In This Guide
• Feeling Burdened By Divorce? Make These Three Time-Sensitive Moves to Protect Your Financial Fresh Start

2. THERE'S A BIG PROMISE

Your specific offer will depend on your intended audience. If you work with ultra-high-net-worth individuals who have complex planning needs, potential clients will only bite on an offer that solves for their complex needs.

Everyone wants more, better, bigger and faster. They want to retire sooner, save more, spend less. Your offer needs to check these boxes for your audience. And certain audiences have unique needs.

Be honest and upfront with yourself about who you serve. If you try to appeal to everyone, your brand won’t be irresistible to anyone.

Maybe you only work with local business owners or some other type of client who fits a specific profile. Add a self-qualification component to your offer that fulfills a specific need or interest of your target audience. If you look at the three example headlines above, you’ll notice that two of them are very clearly calling out a specific audience and addressing their unique challenges: Retirement plan administrators and individuals going through divorce.

3. IT SPEAKS TO TRANSFORMATION

People don’t buy a product or service — they buy the transformative outcome that product or service provides. They want to know what you will do for them.

A potential client isn’t eyeing that free tax guide you’re offering just because it’s free or a handy resource. They want to download it because it’ll help them save on taxes, which means more money in their pocket, which means more space in their budget, and so on.

They’re looking past the process and ahead to the transformation. They won’t respond to your offers if you just push your services.

You need to advertise the benefits they’ll receive because of your service. Hence, a call to action like “Three Pillars of Successful Retirement Plans — Kickstart Your New Work-Free Life,” speaks to what they want the security of never being forced to work again.

4. IT HAS HIGH PERCEIVED (AND ACTUAL) VALUE

Your offer needs both substance and sizzle to attract leads.

This is where perceived value factors in. You often see free samples of food handed out at grocery stores. Financial advisers can hand out “free samples” of their own by making the first impression enticing.

This is why high-quality landing page and lead magnet design come in. If your offer doesn’t look high quality, it won’t likely be perceived as valuable and people will be less inclined to take action on it.

Then, of course, you have to deliver actual value in whatever it is that you’re giving away. Following up a big promise with a weak delivery will only undermine confidence. So, make sure that whatever your offer is, it delivers a great first “taste.”

5. IT'S A DOOR OPENER

These offerings might cost you some time and money to create but remember: marketing is an investment.

There’s no need to offer too much up front — or give away the “firm” per se. You just need to give potential clients something they want that will showcase the transformation they’re yearning for. Many firms accomplish this by showcasing enticing lead magnets and following them up with brief, low-risk consultations of as little as 15 minutes to help qualify potential clients.

If you deliver on your big promise, you’ll establish a new relationship with a potential client. You’ll gain their trust. They’re almost there!

Irresistible offers are about showing the value you can provide your potential clients. How you will make their life easier, simpler, better — you fill in the blank.

Just make sure it’s irresistible.   

[MORE: The subconscious power of brand familiarity]

Robert Sofia is CEO of the digital marketing firm Snappy Kraken.