A communications strategy has become crucial to modern business operations in the finance industry, streamlining communications and campaigns, automating repetitive tasks, and making data-driven decisions. But the question that intrigues most people is how to select the right communication solution for your organization.
As you embark on your journey to selecting a communication technology for your organization, remember there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. The key is identifying your requirements, conducting thorough research, demoing and testing potential options, and selecting a tool that aligns with the organization’s and advisors’ needs. It might seem daunting initially, but it’s worth the effort to research, test drive, and commit to a more robust marketing communications technology to enhance the client experience.
1. Clearly Define Your Business Goals. The first step toward selecting the right marketing communications technology is knowing what you want to achieve. Therefore, your objectives should include improving client engagement, creating personalized experiences, and generating quality advisor leads. Your objectives may also include reducing human capital, including more advisors in your efforts, or reducing ‘swivel-chair’ actions between integrations for everyone: compliance, marketing, and advisors.
2. Understand Your Advisors’ Needs. Technology isn’t just about your organization’s needs; it’s also about your advisors and how to address their pain points better and effectively. Choose tech tools that help advisors leverage content to create client touchpoints and financial education campaigns, have a social media presence, and pre-approved content accessible to them anytime.
3. Evaluate Your Current Tech Stack. Before you start exploring new tools, take some time to evaluate your existing marketing communications technology infrastructure. Do you have functional tools that require certain upgrades, or do you need completely new software? This evaluation may help you identify gaps in your tech stack and guide you toward new tools that help solve pain points.
4. Balance Out the Tech Capabilities and Budget. You want a powerful solution that caters to all your needs. However, it is equally crucial to realign these needs with your budget to prevent overspending while still delivering on your ‘communications with the public’ objectives.
5. Consider Integration and Scalability. Your communications technology should integrate with other systems effortlessly to ensure seamless data sharing and workflow. Also, ensure that any tools you select can scale upward with your organization’s growth without causing disruption or requiring re-platforming.
6. Request a Demo or Free Trial. Before investing in any marketing communications tool, ask for a demo or a free trial to learn how the tool will benefit your organization’s communications strategy and overall operations.
7. Include Others in Your Decision. Seek tools with permission levels, including compliance oversight, monitoring, approval, content distribution, and archiving. It’s also vital to consider advisor access for self-service purposes. Communication initiatives in the finance industry must be a team effort between marketing and compliance to benefit advisors, and your decision must reflect that.
Choosing the right communication solution for your organization can be overwhelming, given the vast array of platforms and tools in today’s marketplace. However, having a strategy fueled by your needs, current tech capabilities, and budget can significantly simplify the selection process.
