Marketing tips and templates

Transcription

1 For financia adviser use ony. Not approved for use with customers. Marketing tips and tempates Heping you to grow your equity reease business

2 The growing equity reease market can offer many opportunities for both you and your cients. This guide ooks at how you can use marketing techniques to grow your business as an equity reease quaified adviser. We show you how to market to existing cients, and how to find new ones. It aso incudes some hepfu etter and emai tempates to hep give your marketing a head start. 2

3 1. Identifying your prospects You won t need teing that it s easier to buid business with existing cients than to find it from scratch. Your best source of new business may be the cients you aready have. Your own cients It s worth mentioning equity reease routiney in reviews hed with any appropriate cient aged 55+ who owns their own home. You coud aso send out emais or etters to seected cients from your database you find some hepfu tempates on page 6 of this document. A reguar newsetter can be an exceent way to introduce new topics to existing cients. Hoding seminars or other informative events can provide the opportunity to expain more about equity reease, whist heping to maintain good cient reationships. You coud invite cients to attend a seminar in person at a specific venue, or you coud host an onine webinar. Remember one size doesn t fit a. Spit your database into segments and vary the message according to the known priorities and areas of interest. Target new prospects What to tak about Sometimes a singe issue such as the possibiity of reeasing vaue from the home can be a good way to ead into a communication with peope whom you have not previousy contacted. But you may prefer to use a more genera message for prospective cients after a, you need to introduce yoursef and the services you offer. One option is to expand the equity reease message to embrace the idea of property as an asset which coud be used in retirement panning. This can encourage prospects to begin to think in broader terms and act as an introduction to the hoistic nature of the advice you offer. Where to start ooking It s usefu to consider the attributes of existing cients in order to find fresh prospects who may share the same needs and characteristics. Think about: Locations within your area where demographics and property vaues match those of existing equity reease customers. Partnerships do you have contacts, such as estate agents or soicitors, who coud introduce you to prospects within an area you haven t previousy considered? Networking whether face-to-face or onine coud be a good way to make connections. Read our Buiding your professiona connections guide to earn more about this area. Use your website Does your website cover equity reease in any detai? A dedicated section on the subject wi hep to demonstrate your credentias and experience. Remember to use equity reease reated key words and phrases to hep increase your prominence in searches. And don t forget to incude your equity reease quaification, not ony on your website, but on your business card and socia media channes too. The power of referras Your best source of new business may be your existing cients but don t forget that they coud aso be your best source of new prospects. Even if you know that equity reease woudn t be appropriate for a particuar cient, they may have friends or reatives in a different position and a happy cient wi aways be wiing to pass on eads and recommend your services to others. 3

4 2. Getting the message across Word-of-mouth, referras and networking wi aways be exceent ways to gain new eads. But to reay make the most of the growing opportunity to buid equity reease business, you need to think about the routes to market which wi be most effective for you. This section contains some usefu tips and tempates to hep you get the most from your marketing toos. Adapting your messages to different formats Emai campaigns aow you to reach a arge number of peope simutaneousy at a fraction of the cost of more traditiona direct mai. Get the subject ine right - it s your chance to grab the reader s attention. Keep it short - research has shown that peope devote ess time to reading emais than they woud a etter. Think about how the emai appears on screen - the reader shoudn t have to scro down to see the most important messages and inks. Use inks effectivey - take them straight to the area of your website that s reevant to the subject matter. Have a cear ca to action - et the reader know what you want them to do as resut of reading the emai. Direct mai can sti be effective, especiay when you re deaing with an oder audience. If you decide to buy maiing ists make sure they re checked against Maiing Preference Service Data. Try to keep etters to a singe side Use subheadings, boxes and indented text to break up the etter visuay and make it easier to read. Most peope scan marketing communications rather than reading word for word, so make key points stand out. Personaise your etter - make a persona connection by using the recipient s name. Teephoning cients directy wi be effective if you have a very specific proposa, or if you re very confident your contact wi be interested in what you re offering. In the case of equity reease, you coud consider contacting a sma number of carefuy seected existing cients rather than taking a more banket approach. Socia media is a powerfu and persona way of buiding reationships with new and existing cients. Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube are ikey to be an important part of cients ives and therefore important for your business too. Twitter tips: Set up a business Twitter account using your business name and ogo. Keep your description brief and incude the hours the account wi be monitored. Keep to 280 characters or ess. Use Twitter Anaytics to monitor impressions and engagement of your content. Put your Twitter name on emais and your website. Add images, video and #hashtags to hep increase engagement. Starting a bog or podcasting (creating audio messages) is a good way to raise your profie and demonstrate your expertise in particuar areas. A bog can be a good vehice to introduce specific areas of advice such as equity reease but it needs to be entertaining and not saesy. 4

5 The foowing pages contain some usefu etter, emai and press advert tempates for you to use with your cients. Using the tempates These tempates, which aow you to copy and paste the content onto your own materia, are intended as a framework so you can adapt them to your own needs. For exampe you might want to refer to conversations or previous meetings you ve had with individua cients, and you no doubt want to retain your own tone of voice to make them persona and reevant to the reationships you have. It s aso important to remember to incude any mandatory wording or information - you can check against the MCOB rues if you re unsure whether something is mandatory. It s important to bear in mind that you wi remain responsibe for the content of your communications, however much or itte of the tempate content you choose to incude. Guideines and reguations do change from time to time, so pease make sure you keep your communications up to date with FCA and other reevant directives. Equay, you need to be seective in choosing which cients you contact - ony contact those who are happy to receive marketing information and make sure your messages are appropriate to the peope who receive them. Taking to prospective new cients When writing to peope whom you haven t previousy contacted, don t forget to incude an introductory paragraph to give them an overview about you and your services. When taking to new prospects, you might think that a etter about equity reease aone may be too specific for a first contact. That s why our tempate introduces the idea of the home as a major asset in retirement panning, opening up the issue of how this might be used as a source of income. This can hep to broaden potentia discussions to incude options such as downsizing and etting, as we as equity reease. 5

6 Letter tempates Initia etter to cient [Date] [Name] [Address] [Postcode] Dear [name] Ever stopped to think about equity reease? Now coud be a good time to tak When you re thinking about panning for your retirement, it s important to take a ook at the whoe of your finances, not just your pension, to see if you re on course for the kind of retirement you d want. [You probaby remember that we touched on this during our meeting.] Nowadays, peope are thinking about different ways to fund their retirement. For some, equity reease might be an option. Many peope think this means having to se your home, but that s not the case. You may be abe to unock some of the cash tied up in your home with a ifetime mortgage a form of oan which is the most popuar equity reease product. The money you reease coud be used for paying reguar expenses, home improvements, occasiona treats or even hoidays. There are no monthy repayments - instead interest is added each year to the oan and to any interest previousy added to it. This quicky increases the amount owed. The oan and interest are repaid, usuay from the sae of your home, when you die or go into ong-term care, subject to the terms and conditions of the provider. When you choose a provider who is a member of the Equity Reease Counci, there s a no negative equity guarantee. This means that neither you nor your estate wi have to pay back more than your house is sod for, as ong as it is sod for the best price reasonaby obtainabe. I d be peased to expain everything ceary and simpy Reeasing equity from your home is a big decision, which is why I make sure that you understand the benefits, costs and risks. I d be happy to arrange a meeting where I tak you through the minimum eigibiity requirements that appy, such as age and property vaues, and whether it wi affect your tax position and any means-tested benefits you receive. You shoud bear in mind that a ifetime mortgage is a ifetime commitment and the costs invoved, pus the amount you reease, wi reduce the inheritance you eave. However it may be possibe to guarantee that a share of the proceeds from the eventua sae of the property wi aways be paid to you or your estate. Pease get in touch If you d ike to meet up for a financia review where we can tak about equity reease or anything ese you may want to discuss pease just give me a ca on [XXXXX XXXXXXX]. I d be happy to go through the options with you. Yours sincerey [IFA name] 6

7 Letter tempates Letter to cient, meeting hed in the past, no action taken [Date] [Name] [Address] [Postcode] Dear [name] Your retirement panning... time to think again about equity reease? You reca we met [some time ago/(specific date )] to discuss whether reeasing equity from your home was a suitabe way to hep fund your retirement. At the time you decided this wasn t the right option for you. Now that time has passed it s ikey that your situation has changed, so now might be the right time to reconsider unocking some of the cash tied up in your home with a ifetime mortgage. Nowadays, peope are thinking about different ways to fund their retirement. For some, equity reease might be an option. Many peope think this means having to se your home, but that s not the case. You may be abe to unock some of the cash tied up in your home with a ifetime mortgage a form of oan which is the most popuar equity reease product. The money you reease coud be used for paying reguar expenses, home improvements, occasiona treats or even hoidays. There are no monthy repayments, instead interest is added each year to the oan and to any interest previousy added to it. This quicky increases the amount owed. The oan and interest are repaid, usuay from the sae of your home, when you die or go into ong-term care, subject to the terms and conditions of the provider. When you choose a provider who is a member of the Equity Reease Counci, there s a no negative equity guarantee. This means that neither you nor your estate wi have to pay back more than your house is sod for, as ong as it is sod for the best price reasonaby obtainabe. I d be peased to expain everything ceary and simpy Reeasing equity from your home is a big decision, which is why I make sure that you understand the benefits, costs and risks. I d be happy to arrange a meeting where I tak you through the minimum age and property vaues that appy, and whether it wi affect your tax position and means-tested benefits you receive. You shoud bear in mind that a ifetime mortgage is a ifetime commitment and the costs invoved, pus the amount you reease, wi reduce the inheritance you eave. However it may be possibe to guarantee that a share of the proceeds from the eventua sae of the property wi aways be paid to you or your estate. Pease get in touch If you d ike to meet up for a financia review where we can tak about equity reease or anything ese you may want to discuss pease just give me a ca on [XXXXX XXXXXXX]. I d be happy to go through the options with you. Yours sincerey [IFA name] 7

8 Letter tempates Foow-up to initia etter [Date] [Name] [Address] [Postcode] Dear [name] Remember I wrote to you about equity reease? Some information to bear in mind... You may remember that I recenty wrote to you to suggest we get together to tak about equity reease. Today s equity reease products have moved on a great dea since the od stye pans of the 1980s and 1990s. Here are a few facts to think over: You may be abe to unock some of the cash tied up in your home with a ifetime mortgage, the most popuar equity reease product. You woud sti be the owner of your home with a ifetime mortgage. You coud use the money reeased for amost anything you ike. There are no monthy repayments. Interest is added each year to the oan and to any interest previousy added to it. This quicky increases the amount owed. The oan and interest are repaid, usuay from the sae of your home, when you die or go into ong-term care, subject to the terms and conditions of the provider. You shoud bear in mind that a ifetime mortgage is a ifetime commitment and the costs invoved, pus the amount you reease, wi reduce the inheritance you eave. However it may be possibe to guarantee that a share of the proceeds from the eventua sae of the property wi aways be paid to you or your estate. Coud we arrange a meeting? Reeasing equity from your home is a big decision, which is why I make sure that you understand the benefits, costs and risks. I d be happy to arrange a meeting where I tak you through the minimum eigibiity requirement, such as age and property vaues that appy, and whether it wi affect your tax position and means-tested benefits you receive. If you d ike to meet up for a financia review where we can tak about equity reease or anything ese you may want discuss pease just give me a ca on [XXXXX XXXXXXX]. I d be happy to go through the options with you. Yours sincerey [IFA name] 8

9 Emai tempate To cients, equivaent of initia etter Ever stopped to think about equity reease? Retirement panning: coud you reease cash from the vaue of your home? Dear [Name of cient] When panning for your retirement, it s important to take a ook at the whoe of your finances, not just your pension, to see if you re on course for the kind of retirement you d want. [You probaby remember that we touched on this during our meeting (in Month/on XX Month.] >Arrange a meeting to tak about equity reease You may be abe to unock some of the cash tied up in your home with a ifetime mortgage the most popuar equity reease product. With a ifetime mortgage: You d sti own your home You coud use the money reeased for amost anything you ike There are no monthy repayments Interest is added each year to the oan and to any interest previousy added to it. This quicky increases the amount owed The oan and interest are repaid, usuay from the sae of your home, when you die or go into ong-term care, subject to the terms and conditions of the provider. A ifetime mortgage is a ifetime commitment and the costs invoved, pus the amount you reease, wi reduce the inheritance you eave. However it may be possibe to guarantee that a share of the proceeds from the eventua sae of the property wi aways be paid to you or your estate. Reeasing equity from your home is a big decision, which is why I make sure that you understand the benefits, costs and risks. I d be happy to arrange a meeting where I tak you through the minimum age and property vaues that appy, and whether it wi affect your tax position and means-tested benefits you receive. Just foow the ink beow or give me a ca on [XXXXX XXXXXXX]. >Contact me to pick a date and time Yours sincerey [IFA name] 9

10 Sampe press ad Home Sweet Home When you re panning for your retirement, don t ignore your biggest asset Worried that your pension pot might not be big enough? It s important to consider a your options. There may be ways you coud use the vaue in your home to aim for a better retirement without seing it or moving out. It s important you consider the benefits, costs and risks before deciding if equity reease is right for you. Ca [name of adviser / company] For independent financia advice based on your needs and priorities We can chat through your options in a reaxed, pressure-free meeting at your home or our office. [website address] 10

11 More hep from Aviva For more information on how Aviva can support your work pease get in touch with your usua Aviva contact. You can find out more about Aviva s equity reease products on Aviva Life Services UK Limited. Registered in Engand No Aviva, Weington Row, York, YO90 1WR. Authorised and reguated by the Financia Conduct Authority. Firm Reference Number aviva.co.uk PF /2018 Aviva pc