To paraphrase Mark Twain’s famous words: The rumors of email’s death have been greatly exaggerated. In fact, email is alive, well, and still sitting on the throne of marketing. It’s the Media King. Why? Because email is owned media, not rented or earned. Let me explain.

• Rented Media is your advertising, social media platforms, LinkedIn profiles—places where you may control the message, but you don’t own the land. You’re a tenant, at the mercy of the landlord who can change the rules or kick you out any time. Facebook decides they don’t like what you’re posting? Boom. You’re gone.
• Earned Media—ah, that’s the PR, the word-of-mouth, the glowing reviews, your face on stage. It’s great, but it’s like winning the lottery. You’re depending on someone else to sing your praises or give you a platform. It’s nice when it happens, but it’s unreliable.
• Then we have Owned Media—the gold mine. Your email list, your website, your podcast, your mailing list. Nobody can take these away. You own the connection. You control the conversation. This is where the real marketing power is, and email marketing is the crown jewel in your marketing empire.

The Financial Advisor’s Secret Weapon: Email Marketing

You’re a financial advisor, and here’s the truth: email is your most underutilized weapon. Let me be blunt—if you don’t have an email marketing strategy in place, you’re opening the door wide for your competitors to waltz in and grab your clients. Now, I know what you’re thinking: “But isn’t social media the hot commodity right now?” Well, let me clue you in. Social media is fickle, fleeting, and dependent on algorithms that could care less about your bottom line. But email? That’s direct, personal, and puts you right in your clients’ inboxes.

Emails allow you to build relationships. And relationships lead to trust. Trust leads to business, which is your ultimate goal.

Let’s Talk ROI

If I told you that for every $1 you spend, you could get $42 back, would you call me crazy? Well, you should, because that’s the cold, hard reality of email marketing. No other marketing channel even comes close to this kind of return on investment. This isn’t a theory—it’s a fact backed by industry stats​ (Mailmodo) ​(Mailercloud).

Building Your List with Lead Magnets

Now, before you can start enjoying that sweet ROI, you’ve got to build your email list. And let me tell you, there’s only one proven way to do it—lead magnets. What’s a lead magnet? It’s bait. But not just any bait—it’s irresistible bait. It’s a free resource that’s so valuable your prospects can’t help but hand over their email address to get it.

The best part? You control the list. The platform doesn’t own it, you do.

What Makes a Killer Lead Magnet?

• Solve a problem. Don’t just dangle a carrot—offer something that solves a specific, pressing issue for your ideal client.
• Be relevant. If your target audience is concerned with retirement, don’t offer a checklist on student loan repayment.
• Practical and actionable. People love to get something they can immediately use.

Here are a few that are working like gangbusters for financial advisors:

1. eBooks & Guides: Create a guide like “10 Steps to Retire Comfortably.” This positions you as the expert who has the answers.
2. Financial Checklists: Something like a “Year-End Tax Planning Checklist” gives your prospects instant value and gives you credibility.
3. Webinars: Hold a live session on “How to Secure Your Financial Future.” You’ll not only get emails—you’ll get engagement.
4. Quizzes & Assessments: Let them self-assess with something like “Are You Ready for Retirement?” Quizzes are irresistible.
5. Exclusive Reports: Provide industry insights they can’t find anywhere else, and you’ll have them knocking on your door.

These lead magnets work because they attract people who are genuinely interested in what you have to offer.

Audience Segmentation: Stop Blasting, Start Targeting

Email blasting is dead. What works today is segmentation. Look, not all your clients are the same, so why would you send them all the same message? When you segment your audience, you get to speak directly to each group’s needs. This increases engagement, trust, and ultimately, conversions.

Here’s a story: one client had a list of over 10,000 subscribers but felt like his emails weren’t performing. I told him to segment the list—he narrowed it down to the top 1,000 most engaged subscribers and sent them a special offer. The result? A 622.5% increase in the open rate.

How to Segment Your List:

1. Demographics: Group by age, income level, or life stage (e.g., Gen Z vs. retirees).
2. Behavior: Segment based on actions—attended a webinar? Downloaded a guide? They’re hotter leads.
3. Interests: Break them up based on financial goals—retirement planning, tax strategies, estate planning.
4. Client Lifecycle: Prospects, active clients, dormant clients—they all require different messaging.

Segmentation is not optional. It’s a must.

Types of Campaigns: Keep Them Engaged

Now that your list is segmented, let’s talk campaigns. There are four kinds you need in your toolkit:

1. Welcome Series: Your first impression. A 3-5 email sequence that gives value, introduces your services, and sets expectations. Miss this, and you miss the boat.
2. Educational Emails: Edutainment is the name of the game. Think 80% entertainment, 20% education. Use stories, humor, and personal anecdotes to keep people hooked. Trust me, nobody wants to be bored.
3. Promotional Emails: Keep these sparse, but effective. Offer something valuable—like a free consultation—but make your subscribers feel like insiders.
4. Re-engagement Emails: Wake up the sleepers. “We Miss You! Here’s How We Can Help You Get Back on Track” is a simple, powerful way to revive inactive subscribers.

The Consequence of Doing Nothing

My honest take—if you don’t have an email strategy, you’re in trouble. Without it, you’re missing out on TOMA—Top of Mind Awareness. If you’re not in your clients’ inboxes, someone else is. And when the time comes for them to make a financial decision, guess who they’ll call? Not you.

3 Steps to Get Started (and Stay Consistent)

1. Set a schedule. Decide whether you’re sending emails weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly. Whatever you do, stick to it.
2. Plan a content calendar. Look ahead—align your emails with tax season, the holidays, or whatever is happening in your clients’ financial lives.
3. Automate. Set up a drip sequence for new subscribers, automate your promotions, and watch the results.

The Power of Alignment: Mission, Vision, Values

Don’t just fire off emails for the sake of it. Your emails should reflect your brand’s mission, vision, and values. Why? Because your brand is what draws the right clients to you. If your mission is to help people retire with peace of mind, show that in every email. If transparency and integrity are your core values, live them in your communications.

Bottom Line

Email marketing isn’t just alive—it’s thriving. It’s the most cost-effective, direct, and profitable way to build relationships, establish authority, and, most importantly, close deals. If you’re not doing it, you’re letting money slip through your fingers. So, stop wasting time and start owning your media, building your list, and sending emails that convert.

And remember, this isn’t just marketing—it’s smart marketing.