6 Video Marketing Tips for Financial Advisors: Why Video Marketing Is So Powerful
NOTE: If you're a financial advisor interested in video marketing, make sure you register for this webinar, conducted by world-class video marketing expert, Jill Addison: Video Marketing for Financial Advisors | Webinar
On a scale of 1 to 10, how satisfied are you with your current marketing campaign ROI? According to Hubspot’s State of Inbound 2018 report, 39% of businesses list proving the ROI of marketing activities as their top challenge, second only to generating traffic and leads at 61%. What if there were a way to solve both of these challenges with a proven marketing method that generates more traffic and a higher ROI than any other? I’m talking about video marketing. What Is Video Marketing?
It’s pretty simple - video marketing involves using video content to promote your business. Videos can be used to market your product or service, increase brand awareness, increase visit lengths on your website, and so much more.
Video is a powerful medium providing a new channel for all your marketing endeavors. Businesses usually incorporate the following in their video content:
YouTube is the most obvious platform that comes to mind when thinking of video marketing. Going the YouTube route is certainly one way to market your business and gain a new audience. But generally speaking, the YouTube channel itself isn’t the end goal of video marketing for business. Videos can be incorporated in an email, added to landing pages, embedded in blog posts, used in paid social media promotions, and even shared in help forums. I've even found video marketing to be more powerful than podcasting, which is a shame because I've been putting so much effort into my Financial Advisor Marketing podcast. But what’s so special about video content that has so many business owners rushing to this medium? 
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Statistics That Prove The Power Of Video MarketingPeople love video, which we can establish because YouTube has more than 1 billion users. And it’s not about to slow down.
Written content alone is not enough for visually oriented consumers and clients. What’s truly amazing about video is it can combine visuals, audio and text in the same piece of content. It’s the most comprehensive way to deliver information, especially if the information is complex. However, for those of you who are all about numbers, I’ve got some mind-blowing statistics that will make the power of video pretty clear. According to RenderForest.com:
Last but not least, 70% of marketers say video is their highest converting medium. So, what does it all mean? Simply put, video helps businesses retain their prospects’ attention much better than other mediums. For instance, people who end up on a landing page might click away when overwhelmed with the amount of text there is to read but may stay to watch a video if it’s available. Video not only attracts more consumers for long periods of time, but also helps them retain information better. 80% of users report recalling a video ad they had seen online in the past month — can you say the same about photo- and text-only marketing pieces? Probably not. 
3 Ways Video Marketing Can Help Financial AdvisorsLet’s dive into some more concrete ways video content can take your business to the next level.
I've found video to be one of the most effective marketing tools financial advisors can use. The rare financial advisors who take advantage of it now will reap the rewards in the future. 1️⃣ Improve Your SEOIf you want people to find your business online organically, you need to work on your search engine optimization (SEO). One way to do this is through video marketing.
Because visitors will stay longer on your web pages to watch video content, Google will notice that your site brings something of value to the table. Soon, it’ll prioritize your page and make you rank higher in search results compared to web pages with no video content. Plus, Google often shows clips of relevant videos at the very top of search results. ALSO READ: 3 SEO Tips for Financial Advisors 2️⃣ Guide Viewers to ConversionWhen you’re trying to sell something to a prospect, chances are they’re automatically filled with doubt and ready to oppose you.
A high-converting landing page erases these doubts; however, traditional landing pages with text-only content require the prospect to guide themselves through your explanations. On the other hand, video takes a hand-holding approach with your prospect. You can hold their hand as you ease their doubts, one by one. 3️⃣ Stand Out On MobileYou can’t expect your prospects to always be on their computer. For the majority who use mobile phones at some point during their day, you can stand out by providing video content, which is much easier to digest on mobile than text-based marketing content.
6 Ways Financial Advisors Can Create Great VideosConvinced yet?
Of course, I should mention these benefits are only true for quality video marketing. You can’t smash together a sub-par video, throw it on the internet and expect the sales to roll in magically — like any other marketing medium, there’s a process to creating great marketing videos that get shared on social media like crazy and drive up your conversion rates. 1. Write a Compelling HeadlineAs with any marketing content, crafting click-worthy headlines is key to grabbing your viewers’ attention. This is important in determining whether the viewer actually clicks on the video.
That means if they come across your video, the visuals may intrigue them, but an uninspired title might trigger them to keep scrolling past your content. Here are three tips to keep in mind as craft your eye-catching headlines:
2. Pack a Punch In Your Intro 👊🏻So, you’ve got their attention. Now reel them in with a great introduction.
In my experience, about 20% of viewers click away within the first 10 seconds, so you’ve got no time to waste. Engage your audience right away by asking questions and teasing their curiosity. Your intro should be in line with the promise you made in your headline and should also provide some insight into what the viewer can expect, both in terms of content and tone. 3. Add Captions to Your Videos (Especially For Facebook)
Did you know people watch an overwhelming majority of Facebook videos without sound?
Yup. That’s an enormous number of potential viewers who will miss your video’s point if you leave out captions. Plus, with captions, you make your content accessible to prospects who are deaf or have hearing loss. If you use Facebook in your video marketing campaigns, invest the time necessary to create legible and accurate captions. Few viewers will take the time to enable their sound, especially for a marketing video, and especially if you can’t get your intro point across due to — you guessed it — lack of sound. Make sure your captions look good on mobile, too! This step is all about reducing friction for your prospects. If they have to strain their eyes to read your captions, why should they attempt to listen to what you have to say? 4. Tell a Story
Don’t make a video focused on the product or service your business offers — that won’t create a connection with your viewers.
Instead, approach your content from the point of view of a storyteller. What conflicts can your business resolve, and how can this be told compellingly? What needs and desires can you elicit from viewers? Most people don’t like being sold outright. They don’t care about your product or service; they just want to know how you can help them. At the same time, people love stories, because it helps them empathize with the content and compels them to stick around to hear the ending. 5. Close With a Call-To-Action (Or At Least Include Your Contact Information)
You’ve pulled in your prospect with an irresistible headline and engaging introduction. By weaving a compelling story, you’ve captured their interest until the very end.
What now? No matter what, you don’t want to leave your prospect without a next step to take. If you end your video without adding a clear call-to-action (CTA), it’s a waste of a perfectly good video — even if your viewers get to the very end, that video won’t convert without a CTA. Remember, video marketing should be as frictionless as possible. Your goal is to make it easy for them, so don’t be ambiguous or confusing. There are plenty of ways to include a CTA, and it doesn’t always have to ask for a sale. You can:
It all depends on the primary goal of your campaign — are you aiming to get more brand recognition, grow your list, make viral content or book a free consultation call? Pro-tip: Stick to one CTA. More than that will overwhelm and confuse your prospect, and will most likely reduce your video’s conversion rate. 6. Don't Forget SEO
To make the most of your video marketing efforts, don’t forget to optimize your content for SEO - especially if this is a public video available on Youtube (or another hosting website).
For this to work, you need to know what keyword you want your video to rank for. Once you have your keyword, be sure to include it in:
This process won’t take you much time, but will go a long way to helping your video rank higher on Google search results. It’s definitely worth the extra step. Now, let me tell you about my favorite type of video marketing for financial advisors: whiteboard videos. They're one of the best-kept "secrets" among high-level marketers.... My Resource For Financial Advisor Video Marketing Is...Jill Addison.
In case you've never heard of her, she helps financial advisors with video marketing. (And she's darn good at it, too.) I rarely do guest interviews, but I had to bring Jill onto this episode of my Financial Advisor Marketing podcast, because she uses her expertise with videos to help financial advisors grow their businesses — just like I do. You can listen to the episode by using the player below, but here’s some of what we discussed: 💡 How making videos keeps prospects from forgetting you (while making your competitors invisible). [3:41] 💡 Why good clients prefer quick one-take videos over highly produced, hour-long pieces of training. [4:57] 💡 How to magnetize clients using video marketing without ever putting your face in front of the camera. [6:55] 💡 How to create video content everyone in your niche will see (and how to keep other advisors from copying it). [9:11] 💡 How to supercharge your click and open rates on your email marketing with the “one-minute” subject line. [17:37] 💡 The easiest way to multiply your video views without changing anything about the video. [18:57] 
A whiteboard, in case you didn't know...
Whiteboard Videos: The Golden Ticket of Video MarketingLet’s look at some statistics Jill shared about video marketing:
The results are in: Video is way more engaging. Jill and I also talked about my favorite type of video marketing for financial advisors and one of the best-kept secrets among high-level marketers: whiteboard videos. What are they, and how can they help your business? Whiteboard animation is a type of video that shows a static image being drawn directly on a whiteboard, either with or without the addition of a hand holding a pen. They’re most commonly associated with learning and are often used to educate viewers about topics by simplifying them with pictures that show the relationships between the themes and elements of your subject. To include whiteboard videos in your marketing strategy, use them to illustrate common pain points your product or service can solve to better position your brand as a no-brainer choice for viewers. In the past few years, whiteboard videos have exploded in popularity, and they’ve become increasingly accessible for businesses to use because of the appearance of dedicated whiteboard video services. The plus side is your business no longer needs an in-house artist to create videos in this format. But what makes whiteboard videos so enticing compared to traditional video formats? 🙌 Cost EffectiveThe drawback of video marketing for business is the often exorbitant cost associated with creating high-quality video content. However, whiteboard videos are surprisingly cost-effective compared to their traditional video counterpart.
You can expect to pay most services on a per-minute basis — and because it’s animation, it’s much easier to plan exactly what you want to include. This means you can streamline your script down to the bare essentials to reduce costs to a minimum. 🙌 Easy To Create AND OutsourceWhen you work with a business that specializes in whiteboard animation videos, your work becomes incredibly simple.
Many of these companies offer script-writing services as well, so all you need to do is provide your goals and essential points the video should cover. From there, you can expect to receive drafts for the script and storyboards you’ll approve before the animator brings your video to life. And that’s it! You can sit back while a professional team handles your marketing video. You could also create your own engaging and entertaining videos with whiteboard animation software (some are free!), and you don’t need a fancy camera or to even be in the video. In fact, I use a Logitech C920 computer webcam that I bought off Amazon for $50. I should get a better one soon, but it doesn’t make my whiteboard videos any less successful when I use them for Facebook ads. 🙌 Promote Viewer RetentionAccording to neuroscientist Dr. Carla Clark, our brains are wired to enjoy whiteboard animations. This means it’s tempting for people to stay and watch videos longer, plus remember the information better than if they were watching a talking-head style video.
As Dr. Clark explains in this episode of Roger Dooley's Brainfluence podcast, “The simpler the object is, the less effort the brain needs to process and relate to the image. Applying this neuropsychology to whiteboard videos vs. talking heads, we’re wired to pay more attention to the simplicity of whiteboard videos. This frees up processing power to digest the narrative.” Additionally, the built-in suspense of whiteboard videos keeps viewers engaged and prevents wandering attention. They’ll try to guess where the image will go next; and no matter whether they’re right or wrong, they’ll be hit with a rush of dopamine — either as a reward for correctly anticipating the animation or as a result of surprise. Simply put, whiteboard videos just feel good to watch. 🙌 You Can Make Any Topic More InterestingIf you’re debating between using traditional video content or going with the whiteboard approach, consider the following questions.
💭 “Is my video educational?” Whiteboard videos naturally work in an educational setting. Think back to your days in grade school — there’s a reason your teachers used boards to break down complex information. 💭 “Is my subject matter boring?” Let’s face it; not every business has inherently fascinating products or services. I know financial advisors may love talking about retirement planning, insurance, annuities and more, but these are often boring topics for prospects. Video is a way to make them more interesting. But don’t let these questions put you in a box — using whiteboard videos is an efficient way to keep the fun and human aspect of businesses while getting any idea across. If you’re wondering what you should talk about in your videos, that means the best topics for you are the ones most relevant to your audience. If you don’t know, ask yourself three questions:
When you learn those answers, create videos around those topics so you can attract your ideal clients. One of Jill’s clients, for example, specialized in working with teachers, so he worked with Jill to create a series of custom videos about the most frequently asked questions teachers have about their retirement. Pretty soon, teachers were calling him from across the country, because they’d found his content through Google and wanted to work with him. Is it really that simple? Yes! With just a few videos added to his marketing strategy, this client positioned himself as an expert, which led his ideal clients directly to him — the same can be true for you. 
An example of a whiteboard video.
🙌 It Only Takes One Minute To Get Months Of GainsEmail marketing is the G.O.A.T. — a.k.a. greatest of all time. Still one of the best and easiest ways to market your services and products, email marketing can reach tons of people, including baby boomers and older people.
When you incorporate whiteboard videos in your emails, Jill’s trick to capture your audience’s interest quickly is this: Put “one-minute video” in the subject line. Who doesn’t have one minute to spare? Especially because people love to watch videos, you want to advertise the high-value asset awaiting subscribers. Then, in the email's body, keep your video introduction brief. Rather than bog down readers with tons of text, just write one or two sentences about the video, then add a CTA that takes them back to your website. In no time, you’ll have more traffic driven to your website — and when Google notices the increased traffic from your email links to your website, it’ll rank your website higher in search. Neat, right? 🙌 It's An Asset That Benefits You ForeverVideo content is an investment you make once, but you can enhance and repurpose it in a number of ways, so the list of ways it benefits your business goals are endless.
You can take your whiteboard videos and put them on your website, social media, in your email marketing and other digital marketing — just know when you do, your online presence will soar across the board, after only one affordable investment. 
Jill's webinar - you can register by clicking this image, too...
Turnkey Video Marketing & How It Works For Financial AdvisorsJill shared another finding on the podcast: 95% of consumers believe a video should be less than two minutes long — that’s why she oriented her entire turnkey video marketing system around short videos that match the attention span of people who watch videos online.
This is just part of what makes the process so easy. When financial advisors hire Jill to create whiteboard videos for you, she has an entire library of pre-created videos for you to choose from, and getting started with one of her turnkey videos is as easy as 1-2-3. Here are the steps: 1. Select Videos From Her Library That Are Perfect For YouJill offers topics ranging from how to protect yourself from identity theft, required minimum distributions, estate planning, insurance, social security benefits and more. Because the videos are 90 seconds long, max, each one covers one frequently asked question advisors get in your practice.
There's something in there for every financial advisor to choose from — but if you don’t find any videos that align with your ideal client or specialization, you can always create a custom video, which will hyper-target your exact ideal client. Plus, if you want to do a combination of the custom and turnkey approaches, you can do that, too. 2. Add A Branding Personal TouchAfter you make your selections, Jill custom brands your video and adds your company name, phone number, website logo and brand colors — this makes the videos unique to you. Every time you share them online, your prospects will see your information at the bottom.
3. Spread Your Content (And Own It!)Last, Jill uploads your videos to your personalized YouTube channel — which she can create for you — and optimizes them for search engines.
As I mentioned previously, optimizing your content for search is one of the most important components of video marketing that most businesses completely miss, not just financial advisors. I almost never partner with or become affiliated with other people. In fact, I reject nearly everyone who reaches out to me. However, I've proudly partnered with Jill, and I’m glad to be affiliated with her services. Besides the fact that I respect her business practices, we both agree on this pivotal point: Ownership over your content is 🔑. One of the best things about Jill’s turnkey video system is it's not a subscription program where clients can lose access to their videos if they stop paying, so the content truly is theirs and it’s a timeless investment. Why’s this such a big deal? For starters, it’d be a horrible look if you had video content all over the web that led to dead links because you stopped using a subscription... Because you own that video content when you work with Jill to create them, she provides all clients MP4 video files, which means you can upload those directly to your social media or website or send them out through email. And to increase your time-on-site numbers, you definitely want to put your videos on your website. The Bottom Line About Video MarketingVideo marketing is one of my favorite ways to boost a financial advisor’s marketing ROI.
Next time you surf the web or scroll through your favorite social media feed, take some time to notice the paid video promotions sent your way. Which ones stand out and which ones don’t? What’s so special about the ones that captivate your attention? After reading this article, you’ll be in a better position to understand what these video marketers do to reel you into their content successfully, and how to reproduce the same effect for your own business. Make sure you register for Jill's webinar here: Video Marketing for Financial Advisors | Webinar |