Introducing . . .

BTS Practice Management Series

for Financial Advisors

9 Tips for Getting Your

Marketing Email Messages
Opened & Read
Finding opportunities that lead to new business and referrals

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F or financial advisors, the advantages of email prospecting is
obvious.
Use motivational words and phrases such as opportunity, urgent,
how will, higher, lower, bottom, introducing, coming,
accumulate, etc.
It's fast, comparatively inexpensive and can get responses quickly.

On the other hand, prospecting email messages that are actually Ask a question -- "Do you make these seven investor mistakes?"

delivered, opened and answered are in a multi-year downtrend. or "How will you retire comfortably? -- are some example idea-
starters for you.
There are many reasons for this. Among them is the
preponderance of emails received by upscale consumers. Piquing curiosity works well, relate your content to topics in the
news or relevant to the time of year, such as tax planning at year
Email volumes continue to increase each year. Competition for
end or bond returns when the Federal Reserve has just changed
attention is ferocious.
rates.
Other reasons are the use of social media for messaging, more
Trigger an air of scarcity. According to social scientists,
aggressive spam filters, image blocking, and lower click-throughs
opportunities that are limited to small, select groups of people are
for emails opened on mobile devices.
perceived to have high value.
Importantly, those over 50 are much less inclined to open email
Avoid words in your subject line such as "Free, Now, Save, etc."
via mobile.
or words in all caps. These are fodder for spam filters as well as
Yet email remains alive and well, consistently delivering a very text buried inside images.
high ROI.

So how can you improve the performance of your email You have only a split second to capture
marketing in today's fluid electronic landscape? Here are some interest and get your email opened. It
ideas for you to consider: has to appear to be pertinent.

1. Your Email Address - It's All About Recognition

3. Formulate a Powerful Offer
The first thing your recipient looks at is the sender's address.
Traditionally, financial advisors and investment firms have relied
Therefore, if you or your firm have a nationally recognized name,
on offers of information to secure leads.
be sure that it is worked into your email address if possible.
Perhaps overused, this approach continues to be effective - with a
Otherwise, you can use an address that implies your services, e.g.
caveat.
money.manager@, or retirement.planner@, etc.
Powerful informational offers today are ideally: proprietary in
However, make sure your firm is identified as sender in your
nature, relevant, delivered quickly, easily understood, and
email text.
facilitate the psychology of involvement.

The key word is offered - not transmitted within the prospecting

2. Craft Your Subject Line Carefully email itself.

The second thing recipients want to know is what is this about - The information offered to those who respond to your email
what's in it for me? should be created specifically for the campaign. It should be
impartial in concept ... having a title and topic of irresistible
You have only a split second to capture interest and get your
relevance to the recipient.
email opened. It has to appear to be pertinent.
The format suggested is an executive report or memo, not a
Your best bet is to offer something of high perceived value and
flashy brochure filled with colorful images. Minimize the
then associate it with powerful benefits.
number of graphs and charts.
But keep your subject line short and direct, ideally no more than
The more personal, individually prepared it appears, the better.
seven words or 35 characters.
The recipient is more likely to become involved when content is Behavioral traits such as club memberships, luxury auto or boat
situation specific, e.g., high retirement income. When there is owner, high net worth, investor status, etc., may be available as
involvement, the stage is set for a successful follow-up call. well.

Ask your list supplier for response lists that match your target
market with opt-in email addresses appended.
4. Creating Compelling Email Content
The list owner must see and approve the email you wish to send
In general, your email should look like it's personally prepared --
in advance.
not an emailed ad.
The list cards will often identify firms that have used the list
Flashy graphics, animation or similar treatments can detract from
which can be helpful information.
effectiveness.
Another strategy is to search out direct mail lists with a
The email should have a degree of exclusivity or “mystery” about
percentage of email addresses which may not be offered as stand
it.
alone lists.
It shouldn’t tell too much, or give away the whole story. It should
entice the reader to seek more detail by moving to the action
step... which can be a simple free form reply or click through to a 6. Questions to Ask Your Email Service Provider
contact information template. In most instances, your email list provider will also be your
The email should sell only the information (or item) being service provider. This is because most list owners will not share
offered. There should be only a passing mention of your firm their lists fearing unauthorized usage. Here are some questions
and its services. to ask:
Past email tests have shown that response suffers mightily when a 1. What is the delivery rate? Nationally it averages about 75%.
good offer is coupled with product-based content. Sell the
2. Are duplicate addresses eliminated?
information being offered and that alone.
3. How are bounce backs handled?
The email text should promote how helpful the report is ... how
4. How do you enforce CAN-SPAM compliance?
it’s easy to read ... how exclusive and valuable it is.
The CAN-SPAM Act governs best practices for email senders.
The title of the informational report is a vital component of the
offer. The title needs to motivate and imply benefits to the Your provider should play by the rules. If the email list you use is
reader. not updated and maintained well, you may be classified as a
spammer.

5. Select the Right Email List

7. Improve Deliverability
There are many email list providers available to you. Be sure to
define your target market with utmost precision. There are a few steps you can take to insure a higher deliverability
rate.
The more detail your list vendor has about who you want to
reach, the better off your are. One is to keep your email volumes in the 5,000-10,000 range for
each effort.
Keep in mind there are two types of lists - compiled and response
based. List brokers supply both. This will help keep you off the spam radars. Another way to
avoid having your communication being categorized as spam is to
Compiled lists include basic demographic parameters such as age,
optimize your email for mobile devices by minimizing graphics
income, net worth, location, home ownership, home value, etc.
size and text length.
Opt-in response lists almost always work much better than
Another method for avoiding the spam category is to try out
compiled lists because they're composed of people with a
more than one list at a time. You'll be surprised at the differences
demonstrated interest in a particular topic or activity.
in response and click through rates.
Send your email message using a “responsive” email template from You may want to experiment over a period of time with varying
your Email Service Provider (ESP). In this way, your email will times of the day as well as week and evaluate your success with
display properly and be easy to read on a desktop, tablet, and phone. each.

8. Send Email at the Best Times 9. Testing

Studies show that most consumers check their email multiple One of the great benefits of email is that you can test lists, subject
times per day. lines, offers and content easily.
But the best day to send an email is the day that the recipient is This is done by comparing one segment of the list with the
most likely to act on it. Unfortunately, there is no reliable data performance of another segment, usually on a 50-50% (split test)
detailing such activity. basis.
However, there is plenty of data on email volumes by days of the The key is to test only one thing at a time, whether it be a
week and time of day. different subject line, offer, or list.
Volume Monday through Friday is about the same every day -- Testing allows you to develop and fine-tune an email approach
high. Most emails are sent between 8 AM and 6 PM, as you that is most likely to get a profitable result for you.
might expect.

Some experts argue that sending email during peak periods

generates maximum opens.

On the other hand, it could make sense to drop on Saturday or

Sunday when volume is lower.

About BTS Asset Management

Founded in 1979, BTS Asset Management is one of the oldest risk managers, managing traditional assets with a
nontraditional approach. BTS has a multi-year track record in tactical fixed income and equity management. Our goal is
to find opportunities with the potential to take advantage of rising markets while working to manage losses during
downturns.
BTS:
 Seeks to preserve capital
 Aims to offer downside protection and upside potential
 Strives to reduce volatility while delivering consistent long-term returns

BTS Asset Management, Inc.

420 Bedford Street, Suite 340
Lexington, MA 02420
800 343 3040
Fax: 781 860 9051
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.btsmanagement.com

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© March 2015, by BTS Asset Management, Lexington, MA 02420. All rights reserved. Any dissemination, distribution, or
copying of this document is prohibited.