The Marketing Staple That Withstood COVID

There is one piece of client communication that feels like old-school marketing, but when done well, manages to stay relevant. It’s something that we should surely move on from, but keeps coming back and continues to prove its worth: the quarterly newsletter.

Distinct from the market commentary or investment updates that also have their place, it’s a more personal and open-ended touch point that’s been helping advisors connect with their clients for as long as anyone can remember. 

The pandemic was the most recent industry shake-up that could have pushed the newsletter out of favour once and for all, but it seems the opposite has happened. 

The newsletter is a perpetual favourite among advisors and clients alike, and over the last year and a half, we’ve seen even more advisors and firms take it up. From simple two-page summaries to substantial, magazine-quality digital publications, we’ve been helping clients across North America to produce quarterly newsletters that have more value than ever. 

So we wanted to take a look at what really works about this client experience item. Below are the top reasons we believe the newsletter remains a staple for so many. 

#1: The Personal Side

A quarterly newsletter is something that you, the advisor, write (more or less) yourself. It summarizes the happenings of the previous quarter in your voice, and it’s an opportunity to share some of the “soft” information that has a surprising amount of value for clients. 

We hear time and again how advisors get positive feedback on newsletter content that has nothing to do with personal finance or investing. Sharing favourite recipes, personal stories, family and recreational updates can all bring a touch of levity to an otherwise serious professional relationship. And it can humanize you in a way that builds trust. 

#2: Reach and Scale

The most common reason advisors opt not to publish a quarterly newsletter is the time it takes to put one together. But you’d be hard pressed to think of a single tool that can scale so easily, while producing such an engaging effect on individual clients. 

With the push of a button, you can send out one newsletter to your entire client base and get the kind of trust-building that you’d expect to happen only in one-to-one scenarios. And of course, if you have a brand partner who can compile your newsletter for you, the timing and scheduling of it all becomes a much smaller hurdle.

#3: Marketing Flexibility

Another advantage of the quarterly newsletter is that it’s flexible. It can take many forms, and it can be integrated into email and blog marketing processes seamlessly. 

You can link the newsletter to a blog post or upload its individual articles, which can also be deployed with an email marketing system to both clients and prospective clients. With this approach, not only will you know who’s opening and reading it, but you’re also driving traffic through your site, which boosts your search engine ranking. 

#4: Distinction and Engagement

The reality is that the advantages of producing a newsletter are directly tied to its originality. For advisors associated with large institutions and banks, the corporate communications provided for you aren’t without merit, but corporate isn’t managing your clients’ money, you are—and your clients want to hear from you.

So create a newsletter that’s wholly your own, and you’re far more likely to achieve the client engagement you’re looking for. Clients can see the energy and care that went into it, and they can appreciate it as something they have exclusive access to.

#5: Evergreen Value

The quarterly newsletter, remarkably, is useful through both calm and tumultuous periods. As we’ve seen this past year, its value holds up even—or especially—in situations where you cannot meet your clients in person.  

The point of a communication that’s tangential to investment commentary is that it can build and maintain your standing with clients independent of what’s happening in the markets. And this is crucial when it comes to client loyalty, advocacy and longevity.

Through an efficient process, we help our clients create, compile and present newsletters that reflect their unique brand and personal voice. Reach out if you’re curious about how it works.