Financial advisors have it tough. Most financial advisors aren’t like the guys you hear about on the news that earn 7 or 8 figure bonuses every year. They aren’t millionaires or billionaires. Many of them are living paycheck to paycheck, doing their best to support their families and pay their mortgage. Money is tight and that’s why guerrilla marketing is such a key component to the success of the modern financial advisor.
The key to good marketing today is innovation and creativity. With hundreds of advertisements seen every day by the average consumer, the regular advertising campaign has grown stale. Unappetizing. They’re easy to ignore! With these ideas, you’ll be able to stand out from the crowd and keep your business levels where they need to be.
Great Guerrilla Marketing Ideas for Financial Advisors
1. Spell It Out In Style
You could spend a ton to paint a billboard or you could spend a small amount and create eco-graffiti that spells out your name in style. There are a number of good materials that can be used to make a good, but temporary billboard to promote yourself. One of the best is to use chia seeds in a mixture of buttermilk and water. Over time, the chia seeds will sprout on whatever you applied them to and it will spell out your name or logo.
2. Plant a Garden
The key to a good guerrilla marketing campaign is to surprise people. You can take wildflower seeds, and empty field, and then plant the flowers in the form of your logo or name. Once the flowers grow, you’ll have improved the beauty of an empty field and have an aerial advertising message that you can photograph to use use year after year.
3. Plan an Experience
If you’re having trouble booking appointments, then it’s time to get out of the office for awhile. Put a sign around your neck that offers financial advice for $1 or for free if you prefer. Wander around a park, take a walk to grab some lunch, or just stand on a pedestrian busy street corner and see if people will begin to engage with you. Even if you don’t get a lot of questions, you will get your business and your face a lot of exposure.
4. Give Back
There is something that your community needs right now that you could give them in the form of guerrilla marketing. From public gardens to park cleaning, just make sure that people can see that it’s your business that is responsible for the good work that is being done. Anything positive is something good for you, even if it doesn’t immediately translate into an uptick of business.
5. Work With the Food Bank
One of the biggest obstacles financial advisors face is a misconception of who they are and what they do. If you get involved with your local food bank, people will see that you’re more than willing to give back to the people who need it most. You’d also be surprised how many people go to the food bank and are just one good idea away from needing the help of a financial advisor. A lot of people have fallen on hard times, but that hasn’t stopped their innovation!
6. Promote a Good Cause
Unusual products in public places will always garner attention. Now first of all, don’t leave suitcases with your branding around a public square because you’ll get into some serious trouble! Something simple however, like a pillow, a coffee mug, or even blank coloring sheets will grab someone’s attention and make them take notice of what it is that you’re doing.
7. Be a Walking Billboard Every Day
When you’re wearing a polo shirt that has your name on it or your business logo, you’ve already become a walking billboard. Now it’s time to kick that idea up a notch so you can have an effective guerrilla marketing experience! You can do virtually anything with the design of your clothing to catch the attention of someone. Bright colors, shocking phrases, QR codes, or just something funny will work. Have websites, phone numbers, or other contact info on there so that people can look you up later on.
8. Stickers Are Awesome
Stickers are a low-cost way for you to be able to promote yourself more places than you might imagine. Most guerrilla marketing plans don’t do stickers right. Don’t put them into books or onto the sides of a bus station. Give your stickers to preschoolers and tell them to go crazy with them. You’ll get exposure with the parents because 6 out of every 10 stickers goes onto a preschooler’s clothing – that’s a scientific fact! You’ll also get unique placement opportunities, like on the side of a stroller, that will help you target people around your region.
9. Find a Long Line
You know how a certain store that rhymes with hall and ends in mart doesn’t like solicitors on their premises? No matter which one you go into, there are long, long lines of people waiting to check-out. Here’s how you beat the rules and make a big impression: hand out small value gift cards to people with your logo plastered on them. You’re not soliciting because you’re spending money with the company. You’re helping people out with their purchase. You’re also making a good impression on those who claim they don’t shop at this unnamed store online, but do anyway.
10. Start Flashing!
When a flash mob is done correctly, it will always gain the attention of those who are around to witness it. It will also have a good chance of going viral if it is recorded and done right. Here’s the problem: it can be done wrong and absolutely destroy you. You’ll need some help to pull it off and plan several rehearsals. Don’t have enough help? There are local websites that could help you recruit some talent for free out there. Just remember: the stranger it is, the better it is.
Although millions of people visit Brandon's blog each month, his path to success was not easy. Go here to read his incredible story, "From Disabled and $500k in Debt to a Pro Blogger with 5 Million Monthly Visitors." If you want to send Brandon a quick message, then visit his contact page here.