Things to Consider before Creating Your Presentation

First things first, you need to ensure your presentation environment is ideal for the iPad.

If you’re giving a talk in a small conference or lecture-style room, you can hook your iPad to a projector. However, bear in mind that you will not be able to use a remote control with your iPad, so you will have to be sitting nearby to be able to tap the screen.

Not planning on using a projector? You can also show clients your presentation straight from the device. However, with the iPad’s screen size, you will need to be seated close to your client. While this setup limits your presentation environment, it also allows you to present to your client in an engaging and conversational manner.

Once you’ve determined that the iPad is something you can work with for your presentation, you can then go on to creating your presentation.

Things to Consider When Creating Your Presentation

Presentation Size

First off, when designing your presentation, set the size to 1024×768, same as the screen size of the iPad, to avoid any viewer compatibility issues.

Your Presentation Tool of Choice

Creating presentations for the iPad is easy if you’re a Mac user and use Keynote to create your slideshows and presentations.

However, if your desktop computer uses Microsoft tools, bear in mind that PowerPoint is not supported by iPad.

Fortunately, there are solutions available for ensuring your presentation can still be viewed on an iPad:

• Turn your presentation into a video

To preserve the animation, transitions, audios, and video clips within your PowerPoint slides, there are PowerPoint-to-video converters out in the market that allow you to convert PowerPoint presentations to iPad supported video formats: .m4v, .mp4, and .mov.

You can also use screen-capturing software to convert your PowerPoint presentation into video.

• Convert your slides into pictures

If your presentation is made up mostly charts, tables, or photos, this is a great solution for you, since iPad is equipped with a slideshow photo viewer.

Unfortunately, animations, transitions, and sound and video clips will not be preserved when you convert your presentation to pictures. In that case, better stick to using video.

• Save it as a PDF file

If you have the newer versions of PowerPoint (2007 and 2010), you can create a .pdf copy of your slides. iPad supports .pdf files, so this works best if your presentation is mostly made up of graphic content.

Again, this method of conversion is not without its disadvantages. If your presentation has many animations, audios and video, these will not be retained once your .ppt file is saved as .pdf.

Your Presenter’s Visuals

One of the perks of using the iPad for your presentations is that everything looks better, brighter, and bolder in it. Images are clear and crisp, and if you’ve already got good design going, this will be enhanced further on the iPad’s screen.
In other words, the iPad makes for the ultimate storytelling device. Boost your message by backing your content with outstanding design.

• Less text, more images

If you intend to make full use of the iPad’s capabilities, you’re going to have to do better than just using titles and bullets, which you might have been used to with earlier presentations. Maximize the iPad’s vibrant display through the use of colorful pictures, images, and charts.

As pointed out later, being engaging and conversational is one way you can adapt to a presentation that’s mostly focused on visuals and less on text.

• Size Matters

Given the iPad’s limited screen size, using the “title on top, main points in the middle” setup may not be the most effective way to present your points.

That said, you will have to make sure each slide has one central point of interest, such as a large text, chart, or a picture.
Also, with the absence of a keyboard and a remote control, this means your finger will be moving around the iPad’s screen a lot. To compensate, you need to make your design bigger.

• Don’t knock motion

There was a time when animated slides didn’t have a place in “serious” presentations. However, remember that most people’s favorite activity for the iPad is watching video. Just imagine how engaging and powerful its impact can be if you recreate that same experience in your presentation.

Take note though that both generations of iPad do not support Flash. But don’t let this keep you from inserting great animation in your slides. CustomShow is just one of the many apps you can use to add movement to your presentation.

Conclusion

The iPad was a groundbreaking device when it came out, and for various reasons. However, whereas it was dismissed largely as an entertainment powerhouse, its usefulness in the office is proof that the iPad is a useful and multidimensional tool. And, if used properly and in a way that allows it to display its strength, the iPad can be an effective presentation tool as well.

About Wealth Management Marketing, Inc.

Wealth Management Marketing, Inc. is dedicated to providing marketing strategy and support for investment advisory, wealth management and financial planning firms. The firm enables independent advisors the ability to market with the same quality and consistency as their larger competitors by providing the resources of an entire marketing department at a fraction of the cost of a single employee. For more information, visit www.wealthmanagementmarketing.net.

Fall is upon us, which means it’s time to start planning for 2012.  The period from October through December is an excellent time to review your existing marketing activities, create a new plan, and prepare for the new year so that you can hit the ground running in January.  Below are five quick steps to get you to take a break from 2011 and get your 2012 marketing strategy rolling.

Step 1:  Update Your Marketing Message

Do your prospects and centers of influence (COIs) understand who you serve, how you serve them and how you are different than your competitors?  If not, it is time to look at your overall messaging.  Develop a clear story about what makes you different, and the value you provide to your clients.  If you aren’t clearly communicating how you serve your clients, how are your prospects going to understand the value you bring?

Step 2:  Review Your Market Collateral

When was the last time you updated your marketing collateral and website?  If you can’t remember, or if it has been over a year, it’s time to review your marketing communication tools.  Most likely you will find your content to be out of date or it does not convey the appropriate message.  For 2012, consider creating marketing collateral that can be easily updated from year to year such as one-pagers instead of traditional brochures that have to be ordered by the thousands.

Step 3:  Evaluate Existing Activities

Before you begin planning for 2012, evaluate your marketing activities from 2011 and even earlier.  What worked?  What didn’t?   There is no reason to reinvent the wheel each year, so plan on repeating what is currently working for you.  Analyze the campaigns that haven’t worked and see if there is a way to improve them or make the decision to abandon the ideas.   These existing activities will provide the basis for next year’s campaign.

Step 4: Create a Plan

Get out your calendar for 2012 and begin planning your activities for the year.  Start with the campaigns that have worked in the past as your foundation and build from there.  Diversify your campaigns to address referral, direct and word of mouth marketing to generate clients from a variety of sources.  Also choose a mix of mediums from face-to-face interaction to online channels to reach prospects from a variety of angles.

Step 5: Begin Implementation

Implementation doesn’t begin on January 1 – it starts months prior to the new  year.   The process to update your marketing message or communication tools can take from a couple of weeks to a couple of months and should be completed before the start of 2012.  Organizing events and workshops needs to happen six to ten weeks in advance, so the planning for any January event should begin in November.

Don’t wait until January to start planning for 2012.  Take advantage of the three months left in 2011 to prepare for a stellar marketing strategy for next year.

About Kristen Luke

Kristen Luke is the President of Wealth Management Marketing, Inc., a firm dedicated to providing marketing support for investment advisory, wealth management and financial planning firms. Her firm enables independent advisors the ability to market with the same quality and consistency as their larger competitors by providing the resources of an entire marketing department at a fraction of the cost of a single employee. For more information, visit www.wealthmanagementmarketing.net.

Surprisingly, many advisors don’t have the appropriate logo files they need.  Many only have low-resolution versions of their logo and rely totally on their graphic designer when a  high-resolution version of the logo is needed. This is a sure path to problems in the future.

Your company’s brand is too important to not have total control of your logo. Your designer may have created your logo, but you should have full control over these files. This means having versions of your logo appropriate for different applications and owning the rights to your logo.

Get Scalable Versions

Your logo can end up on small items like pens and business cards, but it can also be blown up into larger than life proportions. If you need your logo for a tradeshow exhibit, on a billboard, or just a poster or banner, you need a version that scales up well.

The best solution is to get a vector file of your logo from your designer.  Vector images can scale up or down without any loss of quality, or even a change in file size. Using one vector graphic file, you can make a 1 inch square image for a business card, or a 30 foot by 30 foot image for a billboard.  Usually the file will end with an .ai or .eps extension.  You shouldn’t be surprised if you can’t open these files since it requires special software such as Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Illustrator to open.  You might not need it immediately, but having a vector file of your logo will save you from headaches in the future.

Get Different Versions

As mentioned previously, your logo might end up on several different mediums. This requires you to have different versions of your logo on file. Aside from the full color version of your logo, you will need a black and white version for materials printed in only one color such as newspapers. You also need both color and black and white versions on a white background, a black background, transparent background, and perhaps other colors that match or complement your logo.

You may also need different file types for the different applications of your logo. For web, the file types that work best are JPEG (.jpeg, .jpg), GIF (.gif), or Portable Networks Graphics (.png). For larger applications, the same files work, as well as TIFF (.tiff, .tif) and Photoshop (.psd). If you have a vector version of your logo, it will most likely come in Postscript (.eps), or Adobe Illustrator (.ai) format. Different vendors may ask for different file types and you need to have at least some of these files on hand.

Get a Style Guide

Your logo is your brand’s most prominent symbol, and every aspect of it has to be exact. Aside from the logo itself, your designer needs to address a few other things. These specifications make up your identity guidelines, often called a style guide, and they specify how your logo can and should be used. These include:

• The minimum sizes of the logo in different applications
• The different elements of the logo, as well as their proportions
• The exact colors used in the logo, as well as the background
• The fonts used
• The amount of empty space surrounding the logo

Get Ownership

When you commission a design, many designers will attempt to maintain ownership of their work, and only sell usage rights to their clients.  To avoid any future problems, make sure that you own the rights to all logos designed for you by carefully reviewing the contract. You don’t want just exclusive rights to use your logo – you want to own your logo. This is, after all, your company’s identity. Fortunately, many designers will make an exception, handing over ownership while maintaining rights to display your logo in their portfolio.

Own Your Brand

Your logo is the most prominent symbol of your brand and it is too important not to have total control.   Make sure you “own your brand” by obtaining the various files and rights you need to use your logo in all situations into perpetuity.

About Kristen Luke

Kristen Luke is the President of Wealth Management Marketing, Inc., a firm dedicated to providing marketing support for investment advisory, wealth management and financial planning firms. Her firm enables independent advisors the ability to market with the same quality and consistency as their larger competitors by providing the resources of an entire marketing department at a fraction of the cost of a single employee. For more information, visit www.wealthmanagementmarketing.net

Purchasing the Right Image

When purchasing stock photos, make sure you are purchasing the correct resolution and image size for your needs. Lower resolution images at 72 DPI (dots per inch) are appropriate for digital mediums such as websites, while higher resolution images at 300 DPI are required for print mediums such as brochures. Using a 72 DPI image in print collateral will result in a fuzzy image and using a 300 DPI image on a website will lead to slower download. Likewise, it is important to understand the size of the image needed. While you can shrink the size of an image without reducing the quality, you cannot increase the size of the image without distorting the quality. Therefore it is important that you purchase a photo that is at least as large as the size you are going to need. Purchasing the wrong size and/or the wrong resolution may require you to purchase the image again.

If you are purchasing an image that can be used multiple times for multiple purposes without time limitations, it would be wise to purchase the largest image, with the highest resolution possible (e.g. 17.5″ × 18.4″ or 5251px × 5530px at 300 DPI). An image of this size and resolution will be more expensive, but will provide more flexibility in the future. Let’s say you purchase a small, low resolution photo for your website, you may have to purchase the same photo again, this time in a larger size and at a higher resolution) when you want to use it in your brochure. This additional unnecessary expense of purchasing the image twice can be avoided by properly planning from the beginning.

Licensing

The important thing to remember is that stock photos require a license to use. While you may think it is acceptable to “borrow” images you find on Google Images, you are likely violating copyright laws and could be fined. For this reason, you will want to make sure that you not only purchase a license for each image you use, but that you understand the terms and restrictions of your license. For example, you may purchase a stock image that only allows you a certain use such as on a website. Any additional uses, such as in a brochure, may be a violation of the copyright. In addition, your license may expire after a certain amount of time (e.g. 1 year) and you will find yourself having to renew the license to continue using the images. Below is a general list of some of licensing terms you may encounter to help you understand the types of licenses you should consider:

• Use (e.g. brochure, website, print advertisement, multiple purposes)
• Duration (e.g. 1 year, no time limit)
• Print Run (e.g. 500,000)
• Geographic area (e.g. United States)
• Size (e.g. 8.5 x 11)
• Industry (e.g. Financial Services)
• Exclusivity (e.g. exclusive or non-exclusive)

It is a mistake to think that your business is too small to be fined for using stock photos illegally. The major stock photos sites actively look for violators in order to protect their images. I recently spoke with an advisor who was fined $1,000 for using an image on his website because his web developer used an image that was not correctly licensed.

Stock images are a convenient way to enhance your marketing materials and build your brand image. While the process of purchasing an image is easy, it is important to make sure you are purchasing the photos with the correct specifications and licenses to meet your needs. Otherwise, you could find yourself paying much more for a stock image than you ever would have imagined.

About Kristen Luke

Kristen Luke is the Principal of Wealth Management Marketing, Inc., a firm dedicated to providing marketing strategies and support for Registered Investment Advisory firms. Her firm enables independent advisors the ability to market with the same quality and consistency as their larger competitors by providing the resources of an entire marketing department at a fraction of the cost of a single employee. For more information, visit www.wealthmanagementmarketing.net

1. Those who believe there is always a crisis-of-the-day (e.g. Flash Crash, Japanese Earthquake, Debt Ceiling) and that addressing each of these events is not necessary. After all, this crisis will certainly pass and there will be a new crisis tomorrow. These advisors feel that their clients hire them to manage their money making rational, long-term decisions and not to react emotionally to the day’s events – so it should remain their burden, and not their clients’.

2. Those who believe it is important to address clients about newsworthy events so that they remain calm. Clients are hearing varying opinions about the markets and the economy from the media and the people around them, so it is important that they hear the thoughts of the person managing their money.

Of course there is a balance between remaining dead silent through historic economic downfalls and addressing every media-hyped event. In volatile times, as well as in more stable times, there will be occasions when it becomes necessary to communicate to your clients about specific events. It is important that you are prepared when those times come. Below are two things you can do now to be prepared to send out messages to your clients when a crisis does occur.

Compile an Up-To-Date Client Email List
Make sure you have an accurate and up-to-date email list for just your clients. If you are using an email marketing system like Constant Contact or MailChimp, you may have your lists sorted by the type of publication you send out (e.g. newsletter, market wraps, etc.) instead of by the type of contact (e.g. client, prospect, center of influence, etc.). Create a list of just your clients so you are ready to send out client-exclusive messages in a moment’s notice. Also make sure that this list is updated on a regular basis, adding new clients and removing former clients as necessary. If you utilize a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system to send emails, you will want to make sure your clients are correctly labeled in the system so they are receiving these important emails.

Create a Breaking News Email Template
In order to send out a message quickly, create an email template you can use for breaking news. This can be easily accomplished using any email marketing system. The layout should be simple so that you can quickly and easily paste your message into the body of the email and then push “send.” More complicated formats such as multiple column layouts may delay how quickly a message can be created and delivered. You may even want to consider sending a text email format to differentiate these important messages from the rest of your marketing messages (e.g. newsletters, event invitations, etc.). Whichever route you choose, make it easy and simple to create so you aren’t delaying an important message by spending valuable time formatting the email.

While we all hope that sending messages to clients about the next economic crisis won’t be as necessary as it has been in recent years, it is probably an unreasonable expectation. So prepare yourself now to be able to communicate quickly with your clients in the future.

About Kristen Luke
Kristen Luke is the Principal of Wealth Management Marketing, Inc., a firm dedicated to providing marketing strategies and support for Registered Investment Advisory firms. Her firm enables independent advisors the ability to market with the same quality and consistency as their larger competitors by providing the resources of an entire marketing department at a fraction of the cost of a single employee. For more information, visit www.wealthmanagementmarketing.net

As far as I can tell, Google+ does not provide a solution or benefit that is notably different than what Twitter and Facebook currently offer. That being said, there will be a number of Google enthusiasts as well as the Facebook and Twitter detractors who prefer to use Google+. And of course, there will be the early adopters who will prefer Google+ just because it is new. But the majority of the population just recently became comfortable with the idea of having a Facebook page. It may be a while before they decide a Google+ page is a necessity as well.

There is a core group of financial advisors who will be early adopters of Google+. These are the same people who were active on Twitter two, three and even four or more years ago. These advisors are lovers of social media and are naturally attracted to this medium. However, if you are more like the average advisor who does not enjoy spending hours on social networking sites and trying every new tool, I recommend you wait on Google+. While the buzz is generally positive about Google+, there is no way to know if this new social networking site is going to gain the kind of popularity sites like LinkedIn and Facebook enjoy. Google has launched other social media tools like Google Wave, which never caught on, so it is a little early to get on the Google+ bandwagon. Many advisors are concerned about having time to dedicate to social media, or they are concerned their target demographic isn’t utilizing social media sites. At this current point in time, both of these are valid concerns with Google+.

Google+ is not to be ignored. After all, Google is the most popular website in the world, so it seems reasonable that their social networking site has the same potential for popularity. However, until it is clear that Google+ is going to be a leader in the social networking space, or until it is clear that the site will attract a different demographic than what is currently using Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter, I’d say “wait..” You don’t have to be “first-to-market” in the social media space to be successful. You just have to engage in quality interactions once you are on a site to achieve success. So unless social media is an enjoyable hobby of yours, take a step back and see how Google+ develops. Don’t worry! You’ll have time to get on the bandwagon when all of your prospects, clients and centers of influence decide to do the same.

About Kristen Luke

Kristen Luke is the Principal of Wealth Management Marketing, Inc., a firm dedicated to providing marketing strategies and support for Registered Investment Advisory firms. Her firm enables independent advisors the ability to market with the same quality and consistency as their larger competitors by providing the resources of an entire marketing department at a fraction of the cost of a single employee. For more information, visit www.wealthmanagementmarketing.net.

Step 1: Research Other Websites
Step one begins with researching other websites that appeal to you. The quickest way to find websites of other financial advisory firms is to visit a registry site like NAFPA’s Find an Advisor site or Brightscope’s Advisor Pages. These sites have links to hundreds and even thousands of other advisors’ websites and will give you a good perspective of the range of designs. If you would like inspiration from outside of the financial services industry, you can visit a site like Elance and peruse the portfolios of the web designers for ideas. Another option is to visit a website template site like TemplateMonster to view hundreds of different website variations. Choose a handful of designs that you like and make note of the similarities. This will help you identify and communicate the elements you prefer. For example, you may notice all the websites are a tone of blue. Or they may all have a minimalist design. Or they may all feature pictures of families. By comparing the sites and noting similarities, you should be able to develop a clear understanding of the type of website you want and communicate those elements to whoever will develop your site.

Step 2: Choose Images
It is common for it to take many hours and several rounds of revisions for a web designer to find the perfect images for your website. This process can go much quicker if you know what images are available and what you like. For step two, review stock images to determine which ones you like. It should be clear to you from reviewing other websites in step one, which types of photos are appealing to you. For example, you may like landscape photos, photos of families, or photos specific to your local market. Once you have identified a theme for your photos, visit a stock photo site to see what is available. If you are on a budget, a visit to iStockPhoto may accomplish the task. If money is not as much of a concern, higher quality photos can be found at Getty Images. Make note of the image numbers so you can easily find them later when you are ready to design the website.

Step 3: Determine Functionality
In addition to serving as a “brochure” for your firm, a website can be a useful tool for both your clients and prospects. It’s a good idea to understand what type of additional functionality you would like to add to your site before you begin the design process. Such items include blogs, calculators, market snapshots, and client portals just to name a few. The research you did in step one will help you understand all that is available and what suits your business. For step three, note which functionalities you would like to add to your site. It is easier and less frustrating to incorporate these functionalities in the beginning of the web design process, rather than adding them at the end of the process.

Creating your first website or redesigning your existing website is a significant undertaking. By spending the time planning for your website in the early stages, you will increase the chances of getting the exact site that you want and decreasing the chances of wasting time and money unnecessarily. In other words, following these three initial steps will help make the web design experience a more pleasant one for you and your web designer.

About Kristen Luke

Kristen Luke is the Principal of Wealth Management Marketing, Inc., a firm dedicated to providing marketing strategies and support for Registered Investment Advisory firms. Her firm enables independent advisors the ability to market with the same quality and consistency as their larger competitors by providing the resources of an entire marketing department at a fraction of the cost of a single employee. For more information, visit www.wealthmanagementmarketing.net.

The summer slowdown provides an excellent opportunity to focus more energy on marketing and to plan for the fall when “life returns to normal”.  Here are three things to work on this summer to prepare for September and the 4th quarter.

Plan for Workshops and Events

If you would like to host a public workshop or a client appreciation event, September and October are excellent months to do this.  But to accomplish this, the planning should start now.  An event can take two to three months to organize, especially if this is the first time you are hosting the event.  If you do the calculations, to host a mid-September event, planning should begin in mid-June (in other words, now!).

Contact Centers of Influence (COIs)

Most likely, the majority of your COIs are in their slow season as well.  The summer months provide an excellent opportunity to schedule meetings , lunches or other COI-targeted marketing campaigns to either develop or deepen COI relationships.  Take this opportunity to not only build your relationships but also discuss opportunities for joint marketing in the fall.

Update Collateral and Website

When was the last time you reviewed your marketing collateral and website?  You’ll probably find that there is out of date information.  Spend a couple of hours reviewing all of your material and updating your communication materials as necessary.  This will help ensure all information you are communicating to prospects is accurate when business picks up in the fall.

This summer, in addition to enjoying some time off, spend some time focusing on your marketing.  It will put you in a better position to take advantage of the opportunities fall has to offer.

About Kristen Luke

Kristen Luke is the Principal of Wealth Management Marketing, Inc., a firm dedicated to providing marketing strategies and support for Registered Investment Advisory firms. Her firm enables independent advisors the ability to market with the same quality and consistency as their larger competitors by providing the resources of an entire marketing department at a fraction of the cost of a single employee. For more information, visit www.wealthmanagementmarketing.net.

If a client or prospect isn’t willing to come to your office, find out why and develop a solution.  Below are two common excuses advisors hear and solutions that avoid having you travel around town to meet clients and prospects.

“I can’t make it to your office during your office hours.”

Your office hours might directly conflict with the schedules of your prospects and clients.  If this is the case, choose one Saturday per month to schedule appointments or have two week nights per month when you keep your office open until 9pm.  Ensure that you are consistent each month such as the first Saturday, second Tuesday and third Wednesday of the month.  You should post these additional office hours on your website in order to establish a firm policy.   When a client or prospect gives you this excuse, you can provide them with your extended office hours and reference this information on your website.  Implementing this practice will enable you to accommodate irregular schedules without having to accommodate for individual clients and prospects.  If you are still getting further resistance, there is probably another reason why the client or prospect doesn’t want to meet at your office.

“Your office is too far away”

There may be physical or psychological barriers preventing prospects and clients from meeting at your office.  For example, in cities where there are large bridges connecting the metropolitan areas such as the San Francisco Bay Area, asking a client or prospect to cross a bridge to visit your office may be asking too much.  Though your office may be less than 10 miles from the prospect’s or client’s home or office, the bridge creates a psychological barrier to traveling to your office.  Instead, they would prefer you to come to them.  To circumvent this, establish virtual offices in areas that are more convenient for your ideal clients and prospects.  For a couple hundred dollars per month, you can utilize a company like Regus or Davinci to establish a satellite office.  These facilities provide you with a receptionist and meeting space without requiring you to setup a second physical office.   As recommended with office hours, you should establish standard days that you will schedule meetings at your satellite office so that you are not traveling across town each time a prospect or client wants to meet.    These satellite offices should be posted on your website so prospects don’t automatically disqualify you based on location. This strategy will not only provide a more convenient meeting location for some of your clients and prospects, it will also allow you to more successfully penetrate geographical markets that may have previously been out of reach.

If you are an advisor who travels to meet clients and prospects, it is wise to analyze the reasoning.  If it is your client service philosophy to make “house calls” for all clients and prospects, then it may make sense to continue this practice.  However, if it is out of desperation to acquire a new client or keep an existing one, then it is time to consider alternative solutions.  Overly accommodating a client or prospect may be hindering your growth goals.

About Kristen Luke

Kristen Luke is the Principal of Wealth Management Marketing, Inc., a firm dedicated to providing marketing strategies and support for Registered Investment Advisory firms. Her firm enables independent advisors the ability to market with the same quality and consistency as their larger competitors by providing the resources of an entire marketing department at a fraction of the cost of a single employee. For more information, visit www.wealthmanagementmarketing.net.

The Let’s Make a Plan campaign combines television, print and online advertising to communicate the message that “If you need your whole financial life pulled together, a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER professional is uniquely qualified to help.”  The distinctive ads aim to rise above the clutter of other financial services advertising and communicate that CFP^® professionals are ethical and are focused on overall planning through the comprehensive evaluations they provide to clients.

If you are a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER professional, you will be directly affected by this campaign whether you take a passive or active role.  CFP^® professionals who prefer to take a more active involvement in the campaign can use the toolkit provided by the CFP Board to market the campaign in local markets.  Let’s take a look at what Let’s Make a Plan entails and what you can personally do to take advantage of the campaign.

TV Commercials

The Let’s Make a Plan campaign kicks off with three months of 30 second TV spots broadcasted nationally on both cable news and lifestyle  stations including HGTV, Travel Channel, History Channel, ESPN, ESPN 2, Fox News, Fox Business, CNN, and MSNBC.  The commercials were created by the same agency that created the poster for the Broadway musical Wicked and the original iPod commercials with the silhouetted figures dancing on colored backgrounds.  The Let’s Make a Plan ads follow along this same vein and are inarguably distinct and memorable.  An upcoming broadcast schedule for the television ads can be found at http://www.cfp.net/publicawareness/CFPBoard_TV_Ad_Highlights.pdf.

What You Can Do:  The CFP Board has posted the TV commercial on YouTube and their website for CFP^® professionals to use.  This enables you to embed the video on your website, share it on your social media accounts or include it in an email campaign.  The shareable video can be found at http://www.cfp.net/publicawareness/tv.asp.

Print Magazine Ads

The Let’s Make a Plan campaign includes the placement of print ads in nationally distributed magazines including Smart Money, Kiplingers, Money, Barron’s and Wall Street Journal.  These ads will be placed in the different publications throughout 2011 with at least one ad running in a major publication at all times.   For a complete print advertising schedule, visit http://www.cfp.net/publicawareness/CFPBoard_Ad_Schedule.pdf.

What You Can Do:  You can download editable versions of the same print ads that will be published in the national newspapers and magazines to customize with your company name and contact information.  These ads can then be placed in your local publications at your own cost.  The white space provided for the editable ads is somewhat awkward, so you may want to consider hiring a professional graphic designer to help you edit the advertisement.

Online Advertisements

The majority of the activity of the campaign will focus on online display ads and paid online searches.  Display ads will appear on websites such as Wall Street Journal, Reuters, Morningstar, Bloomberg, Kiplingers, AOL, MSN and LinkedIn.  Paid search results will be placed on Google, Bing and AOL.

What You Can Do:  The CFP Board has provided the banner ads in the Toolkit for CFP^® professionals to include on their own website.  The ads will direct visitors to letsmakeaplan.org where they can find out more about the importance of financial planning and choosing a CFP^® professional.  There are three banner ads to choose from including two flash versions and one static version.  Directions on how to install these banner ads can be found at http://www.cfp.net/publicawareness/banners.asp.

LetsMakeAPlan.org

A new website at www.letsmakeaplan.org has been established to help consumers understand why they need a financial plan and the steps they can take to start a plan.  All television, print and online ads associated with this campaign direct consumers to this website.  An important function of the site, which is accessible from each page, is the CFP^® Professional Search which allows consumers to find a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER professional in their area.  The site does not provide direct referrals to CFP^® professionals, but instead includes contact information for consumers to directly contact the professional of their choice.  At this time, very little information is provided to consumers to help make a decision on which CFP^® professional to choose other than name, address and the advisor’s status with the CFP Board.

What You Can Do:  As a CFP^® professional, you should be listed on the search directory.  Go to www.letsmakeaplan.org to verify that you are listed and that the information is correct.  If any information is inaccurate, update your profile by logging on to http://cfp.net/login and clicking the “Update Profile” link.  In addition to updating your profile, you may also want to provide a link on your website to www.letsmakeaplan.org in order to educate your visitors on the value CFP^® professionals bring to their clients.

Other Tools

In addition to the advertisements and Let’s Make a Plan website, the CFP Board has provided several other tools to help individual advisors promote the campaign in their local market.  These tools include:

1. Talking Points – A one page sheet that coaches CFP^® professionals on how to discuss the Let’s Make a Plan campaign and the CFP^® certification with their clients and prospects.
2. News Release Template –  A press release template that can be used to distribute to local media outlets or posted on firm websites.
3. New CFP^® Marks – The new versions of the CFP^® marks used in the campaign have been made available for use, but are additions, not replacements of existing marks.

What You Can Do:  These tools have been made available to help you better communicate your value as a CFP^® professional.  First, include the talking points in your marketing collateral and website as well as in your discussion with prospects, centers of influence and clients.  Next, publish the news release on your website to provide fresh content to your site.  Finally, consider replacing the existing CFP^® marks you are currently using with the one used in the campaign since it may be more recognizable by consumers.  These three tools are simple ways for all CFP^® professionals to actively participate in the campaign.

The CFP Board’s Let’s Make a Plan campaign will be in effect for the next four years and is funded by your annual fees.  As a CFP^® professional, you have paid for this campaign so it makes sense to take advantage of all the tools and opportunities provided to you by this campaign to help differentiate yourself among the hundreds of thousands of financial advisors currently practicing.

About Kristen Luke

Kristen Luke is the Principal of Wealth Management Marketing, Inc., a firm dedicated to providing marketing strategies and support for Registered Investment Advisory firms. Her firm enables independent advisors the ability to market with the same quality and consistency as their larger competitors by providing the resources of an entire marketing department at a fraction of the cost of a single employee. For more information, visit www.wealthmanagementmarketing.net.

Source: All information for this article came from http://www.cfp.net/publicawareness/default.asp or the subsequent pages, documents and videos linked to this site.