Which night of the week is your “TV night”? If you’re like most people, you have at least one can’t-miss television show that you watch every week without fail. As busy as you are, the rest of the world ceases to matter on that night. Your friends and family know better than to bother you, and you avoid spoilers on social media until the show is over.
What is it about our favorite TV shows that inspires an almost religious fervor in us? The acting, writing, and directing are part of the package… but it’s the clever marketing strategies that keep us coming back for more. For the financial advisor who wants to attract attention and increase his loyal client base, television tricks can work online too! Analyze those strategies, seek to understand them, and then utilize them in your own digital marketing campaign.
Trick Number One: Mimicking stories from recent events. When a story, either tragic or triumphant, is splashed all over the news for several days, we form an emotional attachment to it. We remember it, and we analyze it from different angles. It’s already a familiar story in our brains. Television writers understand this, and know that mimicking stories from the news is guaranteed to hook their audience.
You can do it, too: What types of news stories interest your target audience? Most likely, they are interested in changes to Social Security, IRS rules, retirement quandaries, and so forth. You could use those news stories as a jumping-off point to write informative blogs that answer their questions.
Trick Number Two: The two-part episode. You lose yourself in your favorite TV show, and forget all about the time. Just as the action starts to get excited, or when you think your questions will finally be answered, you see those three annoying words on your screen: “To be continued”. It’s a two-part episode, and it’s also a production gimmick. The writers know that their audience will be even more excited to tune in next week, and they will boost their ratings.
You can do it, too: Some blog or video topics will be too complicated to fully explain in one episode. Blogs longer than about 400 words, or videos longer than a few minutes, can easily bore your audience. This is especially true for complicated financial topics. But when you split up the information into two or three parts, you can hold their attention and ensure that they return for the rest of the information.
Trick Number Three: Previews for next week’s episode. TV night isn’t over until you’ve watched the previews for next week. You know you won’t glean any important plot points from the previews, but they get you excited to watch the next installment of your favorite story.
You can do it, too: You post links to your blog on social media sites, hoping to grab the attention of your audience. You want them to click through to your website and read the blog, right? So give them a preview! Include a snippet of information to entice their interest, and include a picture. You will be surprised at the increase in your click-through rates.
Trick Number Four: They know where their audience is. When you watch your favorite TV show, you’re basically a sitting duck for previews of other programs. Their marketing teams know that the chances are good that they can interest you in a similar TV show. That’s why you will often see advertisements for one crime drama during the commercial breaks of another crime drama show.
You can do it, too: LinkedIn and Facebook provide you with similar opportunities for successfully reaching your audience. The entire reason people join LinkedIn groups is because they’re already interested in the topic. Use that to your advantage, and post links in groups that are relevant to financial planning. On Facebook, you can boost posts to reach a certain target group – with parameters of your choosing. It’s simple to locate the people who want to hear your messages!
Trick Number Five: TV is consistent. Your favorite show comes on at the same time of day, on the same day of the week, every week.
You can do it, too: Don’t make your audience wonder when they’ll hear from you again. Publish blogs, post on social media, and send out your emails consistently. This sends the message that you’re trustworthy, and it keeps you fresh on your prospects’ minds. They say that the key to becoming an expert at anything is practice… so practice your social media strategy regularly, and develop your own loyal following.