5 Keys to Success for Financial Advisors with Radio Shows

As I see more and more of the industry's most successful financial advisors move into radio, often times many of them simply jump headfirst (even with the substantial up-front cost) into this new market without thinking about different ways to best get a return out of their substantial investment of time and money. Although radio is a great medium to generate tons of CREDIBILITY, create new opportunities for REFERRALS, and reach a brand new multitude of PROSPECTS, many of these same advisors aren't utilizing some of the most powerful ways to leverage their radio shows.

Here are a few tips that I've picked up from the advisors I work with that are utilizing radio to drive more business through the doors, enjoy...

5 Keys to Success for Financial Advisors with Radio Shows

1. USE A CO-HOST - This is key to helping position you as the expert and not make you sound like a self-promoting salesman. Here's a quick example...
   
   Flying Solo - "Last week was a ROUGH week in the markets, luckily I've protected all of my clients from a market downturn by utilizing annuities..."
   
   Or try this version...
   
   With a Co-Host - "This week we have a great show for you! I know we fielded a lot of calls last week Mr. Advisor from a number of our listeners that were concerned about all that's going on in the market out there. Mr. Advisor, I know you are sitting down with your clients on a daily basis to talk about their concerns and the different tools to help protect them from a market downturn. Since this seems to be a hot topic, can you share with us some of these planning strategies?"
   
   Mr. Advisor - "Well Mr. Co-Host, thanks for the question. There are a lot of tools out there, but one of the best we've found to help eliminate the down side of the market are annuities..."
   
   
2. HAVE A HOOK OR OFFER - Although I'm sure there is an advisor out there that does their radio show just for fun, most of us are in the business of making money! The key to generating traffic through the front door is to make sure you are consistently offering something of value on your show that listeners can request. Whether that's a free proposal, a recent study, or maybe a free book giveaway - it is imperative that you are asking your listeners to respond for something on a consistent basis to generate leads and calls!
   
   
3. MAKE IT EASY TO RESPOND - Give your listeners multiple avenues to easily contact you (via phone, website, etc.) and make sure you continue to mention them throughout the radio show. Also, in order to make it easy to commit websites/phone numbers to memory, many advisors will create specific phone numbers or websites that are simple to remember. Here are a couple of examples, let me know which one is easier to remember while you are driving down the road in your car and listening to the radio...
   
   Example #1 - Call me at 555-482-7281 or visit my website at www.financial-advisors-network.net
   
   Example #2 - Call me at 555-4ADVICE or visit my website at www.4advice.com
   
   Just a couple that I quickly made up, but I know which one I'd pick. Also, for those of you that are a little more technologically advanced, many advisors will actually create specific landing pages (websites) for each of the offers on the show in order to eliminate the distractions of other links or menu items that may be found on their company webpage.
   
   Here's an example of a great landing page from Netflix, their goal is to get you to sign up for a 1 month free trial because they know if you have their service for a month you are hooked...
   
   
As a Financial Advisor, why are you not making it this easy to request all of the materials that you offer on your radio show? Or sign up for your email newsletter? Or sign up to receive updates when you post to your blog?


4. MAKE IT EASY TO LISTEN (NOW AND LATER) - Not everyone is going to be able to tune in for every show, so some of the most successful advisors make it very easy for clients and prospects to "find" the shows they've missed. Make sure you have your archived shows available on your website, uploaded to iTunes, or even available on CDs for those that want to catch shows they've missed. This is a great way to make sure that your past radio shows never stop "working for you!"
   
   Also, don't forget to let your prospects know that you have a radio show! Include the radio station and your website (with the archived radio shows) on all of your company literature, direct mail pieces, email newsletters, or anything else you distribute!
   
   
5. KEEP IT SIMPLE - As far as content is concerned, make sure you CONSTANTLY repeat your theme, topic, or hook within the show often - many times you have a short window to catch a passing listener's interest (studies shows that average listeners will tune in for 7 minutes when flipping through stations). It's great to have a story board or theme that lasts for 60 minutes, but keep in mind, if you have listeners tuning in for the last 15 minutes - you are losing potential clients if they can't get up to speed quickly or if your offer/hook has already passed!

For those of you currently on the radio...

Email Me for this Idea
"How to Set 5 Appointments on Your Next Show"

As an added bonus, I've shared a few statistics from a recent study on radio demographics below...

Powerful Statistics on Radio's Reach

• 90% of adults are exposed to some form of audio media on a daily basis, with broadcast radio having by far the largest share of listening time
• Broadcast radio is the dominant form of audio media at home, work, and in the car
• Car audio listening time is primarily broadcast radio listening time, with broadcast radio comprising nearly three-fourths (74.2%) of all audio time in the car
• Audio media exposure has the highest reach among those with higher levels of education and income

Thanks for reading as always and I hope that you are able to put this information to use on your own radio shows!

ALSO DON'T FORGET TO PLEASE LEAVE COMMENTS WITH YOUR FEEDBACK AND IDEAS BELOW, THEY ARE ALWAYS APPRECIATED!