Jody Lowe, President and Founder of Lowe Group, joined Julie Cooling, Founder and CEO of RIA Channel, to discuss strategies for driving organic growth through brand awareness and marketing.
The Lowe Group is a public relations, digital marketing, and strategic communications agency specializing in the financial services industry. For advisory firms seeking organic growth, Lowe underscores the importance of establishing a well-defined niche to generate referrals. However, as younger investors become increasingly digitally focused, she encourages advisors to look beyond referrals and explore additional ways to build trust and brand awareness.
To build a strong brand, Lowe emphasizes the need to deliver a consistent client experience, from discovery and onboarding to ongoing relationships. She highlights several brand awareness strategies, including public relations, educational events, and content marketing.
Lowe explains that media appearances and speaking engagements can help position advisors as industry experts. She also emphasizes the potential value of niche-focused educational events, such as retirement planning seminars for a firm’s target audience. While these events can be expensive and time-consuming, Lowe notes that advisors who implement them report some of their highest conversion rates.
Regarding content marketing, Lowe encourages advisors to develop consistent, in-depth content, such as white papers and blogs, focused on their niche. She also highlights digital marketing, paid leads, and sponsorships as additional avenues for growth. Lowe suggests firms test a few strategies, measure their results, and focus on those that prove most effective.
For asset managers, Lowe notes that organic growth requires a different approach, as firms typically target institutions or financial advisors rather than individual investors. She emphasizes the importance of tailoring public relations efforts to these audiences.
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