9 Lead-Generating Postcard Marketing Ideas for Financial Advisors

By Gabrielle C. King

Because you’ve found this blog, I’m assuming that you’ve at least thought about including postcards as part of your marketing plan. Since ReminderMedia sells postcards for financial advisors, I think that’s terrific, and I’m including below plenty of the postcard ideas you were hoping to find. However, there are 3 points you might want to consider before deciding if postcards—whether they’re ours or someone else’s—are right for you.

Are postcards right for you?

First, I’m sure you advise your clients that it takes time for investments to mature and show a return, and, for this reason, patience is a virtue. The same is true for postcards.

While it certainly doesn’t hurt, your goal with postcards isn’t to create brand awareness—one or two postcards could do that. Your goal is to find new clients, and it takes a while to create the kind of trusting impression necessary to have someone consider doing business with you. We’ve found postcards that deliver value generate leads best when sent relatively frequently and consistently, generally one card a month for 6 to 12 months.

If you think about it for a minute, this sounds pretty sensible.

If someone was regularly sending you information that you needed or found useful, then you might reasonably think they were serious about wanting you as a client.

Additionally, people associate consistent with productive. If you’re regularly reaching out, the assumption is that you are well-established and reliable.

Another reason for patience is the nature of marketing with postcards—it’s a little like a lottery.

Your postcards don’t always arrive in mailboxes on the day a recipient will need your services. But, if you send them regularly, you increase your odds of that day arriving. And when it does, you’re going to be the advisor they call. In the interim, your postcards work to keep you top of mind.

Second, you need to understand the true nature of the return on investment for postcards.

I routinely see published reports with an ROI for postcards between 3%–5%. One blog points to a Data & Marketing Association report claiming that postcards get a 4.25% response rate, which is a high rate. But it’s an average result across industries—it’s not a median, and it’s not specific to financial services.

For the sake of argument, let’s say you order 1,000 postcards for about $450. (You could pay more or less depending on delivery, size, etc.) If you only get a .3% response rate or 3 well-qualified leads, your cost would be $150 per lead. That’s not bad.

Compare that to sending 1,000 personally branded magazines for $4,000 with a 3% response rate. You would garner 30 qualified leads at about $133 each.

What I can’t figure out for you is how many of those leads turn into bona fide clients—and that’s the bottom line, isn’t it? Your results will depend on your skills, your product offerings, the client experience you provide, and more.

Whichever scenario best suits your needs, one thing is clear—you should test how postcards perform for you alongside other components of your marketing strategy and other marketing ideas for financial advisors. Only then can you truly discover whether postcards are right for you.

Finally, you must commit to following up. Rarely has any postcard, by itself, landed a client.

Sales is always about creating an opportunity to have a conversation with your leads. No matter your strategy, no one is going to entrust you with their money if you don’t literally speak with them.

The week your emails are delivered, follow up with a phone call. As an alternative, you might consider using a ringless voicemail provider like Slybroadcast, Drop, or LeadsRain. These services allow you to record a message that will go to voicemail without ringing the recipients’ phones.

Having given some thought to these 3 points, you’re in a much better position to assess whether postcards are the right choice for you. If they are, then you can select the postcards that best suit the demographics and needs represented by your database or niche.

Postcard-prospecting ideas for financial advisors

ReminderMedia offers a wide assortment of themes and an even wider selection of postcards to represent those themes. Below are several examples from our collection, but you can view them all on our website.

1. Retirement planning

As a financial advisor, you know better than most that it is never too early to plan for retirement. Send a postcard that reflects the importance of retirement planning, and offer the benefit of your wisdom and experience to others who may not have the foresight you do.

2. Financial security

Money serves one purpose—to provide security. Security offers freedom from worry and anxiety. Security also offers the freedom to pursue dreams. Let your sphere know that you specialize in providing security by offering sound financial planning.

3. Wealth management

No two people share the same tolerance for risk, but everyone wants to see their money grow. That’s where you come in. You have the skills to listen carefully and communicate expectations clearly, as well as the products and services to help people find their comfort level. Let your sphere know that you want to help focus their investment goals and aim straight.

4. Make it last

It’s an unfortunate truth that many people spend their lives planning for a happy retirement only to be struck by an illness or injury that sucks their savings dry. No one knows the future, but whether it’s a discussion about the limits of Medicare and Medicaid or explaining the benefits of long-term care insurance, you can help clients understand the risks and put a plan in place in case it’s needed.

5. The next generation

One of the persistent problems facing financial advisors is how to connect and develop a relationship with the next generation of investors. Making those connections now is especially critical since this generation is poised to inherit billions from baby boomers. Target your younger demographic with postcards that let them know who you are and that you’re ready to help.

6. Start planning now

While there appears to be a growing trend of young adults seeking financial advice, a significant number don’t sufficiently plan for their financial futures. And with a heavy load of student debt, the meteoric rise in house prices, the dubious future of government safety nets, and the ever-escalating costs of healthcare, not planning for the future is a significant problem. Fortunately, you can help.

7. The struggling investor

We’re experiencing some turbulent economic times. Inflation is rising, so prices are going up. The stock market is volatile and, as of this writing, steadily heading downward. Investors are nervous, but you can be the voice of reason. Customize your postcard to offer a free portfolio review, and promise to see if you can do better for them.

8. Immediate value

Send postcards that educate and build your credibility and authority. A postcard printed with useful information will get hung on the refrigerator door, placed in a handbag, or shared with others. It’s also a gesture of help that can generate a sense of reciprocity so that when you follow up, your recipients are more inclined to speak with you.

9. Protect what’s yours

You know that a regularly scheduled review of important documents is part of a sound financial plan. Incomplete, missing, or outdated documents can cause a real headache (or worse) if they aren’t accurate or available when needed. Send a postcard offering to help tie up any loose ends.

Advantages of prospecting with postcards

I’ve given you some food for thought about prospecting with postcards and a good list of impressive postcards ideas to choose from. You can see many more examples and review pricing options here. Still, I’d be cheating you if I didn’t also fill you in on some of the distinct advantages that are unique to postcards.

First, as one of several popular prospecting tools for financial advisors, postcards are fairly unique in the world of direct mail because you don’t need to entice your recipient to open an envelope to see your message.

Trust me . . . that’s huge!

In an often-quoted study that predates 2017, the New York University Law School published a report claiming that 44% of all direct mail was discarded before it was opened. With postcards, your message is literally staring them in the eyes.

Second, postcards are also relatively inexpensive compared to most other types of direct mail advertising. But inexpensive doesn’t preclude high quality.

ReminderMedia’s postcards, for example, are printed on high-quality, 110# cover stock with a UV-protected gloss finish. They’re also available in 2 sizes:

• Standard: 5.5 x 8.5
• Jumbo: 6 x 11

Whether you go with one or more of our postcards or another company’s, consider the information included here about whether postcards are something you should try. If we can answer any questions, then book a call that meets your schedule, and one of our marketing experts will be happy to help.

The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.