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Hosting events offers an opportunity to market your business to prospective clients or deepen relationships with existing clients in an informal, low-pressure environment. You can tailor events to your target audience and use the time to share some of your expertise and knowledge. Just over a quarter of advisors use these types of events to grow their businesses, according to a 2024 Kitces report on how financial planners market their services.1 Advisor event marketing automation tools can assist with organizing and scheduling, so that you can focus on creating a memorable experience for attendees.
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5 Advisor Event Marketing Automation Tools to Consider
Marketing automation tools can differ in the features they offer and you may need to spend some time comparing tools to find one that meets your needs. With that in mind, here are a few options you might consider for automating event marketing.
| Tool | Features | Pricing |
|---|---|---|
| AdvisorStream | Intelligent email automation, pre-written marketing campaigns, automated event promotion, automated follow-ups | $175 to $235 per month, billed monthly $158 to $212 per month, billed annually |
| FMG Suite | Pre-built and customizable event campaigns, registration landing pages, custom invitations, automatic reminders, registration management tools | $99 to $895 per month for marketing plans |
| Redtail | Create and track multiple seminar events, integrate with Tarvent to develop drip campaigns, map engagement data to update Redtail automatically | $45 to $65 per month, billed monthly $39 to $59 per month, billed annually |
| Snappy Kraken | Automated marketing sequences to promote virtual and in-person events, smart lead capture, CRM integrations, compliant workflows | $199 to $899 per month, billed annually |
| HubSpot | Drag and drop interface to build campaigns seamlessly, built-in communications tools, marketing and analytics tools, automated workflows | $0 to $890 per seat, per month, billed monthly $0 to $800 per seat, per month, billed annually |
1. AdvisorStream
AdvisorStream assists with event marketing automation through the Campaigns feature. With Campaigns, you can create a drip email sequence to promote your event. Whether you’re hosting a seminar, webinar or a different type of event, you can use automated follow-ups to spark interest with invitees and nurture relationships both before and after the event.
Campaigns offers a library of pre-written emails to choose from, or you can create custom content that’s tailored to your brand messaging. The reporting dashboard allows you to see at a glance which invitees are most or least engaged, and which ones may benefit from a follow-up message. AdvisorStream also offers automated marketing tools to help you promote your regular weekly or quarterly advisor newsletter.
2. FMG Suite
FMG Suite offers an event promotion toolkit with its Premium and Do It For Me marketing packages. You can choose the type of event you’d like to host from a suite of pre-built campaigns or develop a custom event. FMG offers tools to help you design event invitations in minutes and automatically creates a landing page you can use to collect registrations.
You’ll have access to a secure dashboard to view and manage invitation responses. You can control the number of registrations allowed for each event you host, and schedule automatic reminders to be sent to attendees. Do It For Me packages also include quarterly event ideas, promotion support and concierge service.
3. Redtail
Redtail is a customer relationship management (CRM) platform that includes a dedicated Seminar Management tool to help advisors plan and track events. You can use the tool to:
- Create events and invite contacts from your prospect or client lists
- Establish a seminar timeline and document the event with detailed notes
- Manage all attendees through a single dashboard
- Set up automated workflows to follow up with attendees
Redtail integrates with other event marketing automation tools like Tarvent, so you can create email drip sequences or blast campaigns to remind email subscribers about your event. You can also use the Tarvent integration to determine which invitees registered but didn’t attend so you can follow up with them separately.
4. Snappy Kraken
Snappy Kraken offers marketing automation tools and service packages for a variety of needs, including event promotion. Both the Grow and Freedom360 plans include content creation tools for events, along with an AI email builder tool to help you create drip sequences for marketing.
If you’d like something more comprehensive, done-for-you packages offer everything you need to promote events, follow up with attendees (and no-shows) and nurture relationships with prospects through automated messaging campaigns. This fully managed option is backed by a dedicated team to help you take event promotion to the next level.
5. HubSpot
HubSpot is not designed exclusively for financial services, but it can be used as an event marketing automation tool for advisors. The Marketing Hub includes AI-powered automation tools to handle repetitive tasks, such as email campaigns to promote your event, lead nurturing and follow-ups. A unified customer database consolidates the information you collect from attendees so you have a complete snapshot of interactions with prospects.
The platform offers streamlined registration solutions that integrate with your CRM, along with automated reminders, post-event surveys and follow-up campaigns. Custom reporting allows you to zoom in on which events were most (or least) impactful for moving the needle on conversions.
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How Events Can Help You Grow Your Advisory Practice
Events offer a chance to spend time with prospects, either virtually or in person, and share some of your knowledge without delivering a hard sales pitch. Offering prospects a sample of what they can expect if they decide to work with you could nudge them toward scheduling a call.
The key is choosing a topic for your event that speaks to your ideal client’s pain points and a format that’s most comfortable for them. The better you understand your target clients and their needs, the easier it becomes to select topics that are likely to pique their interest and address the challenges they face.
Events can also help you generate more referrals organically if you’re hosting your current clients for a fun, informal meetup. For example, you might show your appreciation with a private wine tasting, a family day at a local theme park or an all-inclusive yacht cruise around a local waterway. Clients who feel valued may be more inclined to tell their friends, family members or coworkers about your business.
When deciding what type of event to hold, consider the upfront cost and the potential ROI. The Kitces study referenced earlier found that, on average, events generate $7,000 in revenue per new client but come with an average client acquisition cost of $27,424. So, consider the scale of your event and how much you’ll need to invest to support a return in the form of new clients acquired.
If you’re looking for a way to generate more leads between events, consider where SmartAsset AMP fits into your marketing plan. This holistic marketing platform connects advisors with leads and equips them with tools to nurture relationships via text and email automatically. Schedule a demo to learn more.
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Bottom Line
Advisor event marketing automation tools can simplify the process of promoting your next event, so you can focus on creating compelling content to share with attendees. When comparing marketing automation tools and services, consider what aspects of event promotion each one is designed to handle, as well as what you’ll pay. And don’t discount done-for-you marketing services if you need extra help setting up your event.
Tips for Advisor Marketing
- Along with seminars, you may rely on email newsletters, social media and search engine optimization (SEO) to increase your brand’s visibility. Partnering with an advisor marketing platform like SmartAsset AMP can help you connect with new prospects. SmartAsset AMP (Advisor Marketing Platform) is a holistic marketing service financial advisors can use for client lead generation and automated marketing. Sign up for a free demo to explore how SmartAsset AMP can help you expand your practice’s marketing operation. Get started today.
- When developing event marketing campaigns, it’s important to keep compliance in sight. The SEC’s marketing rule prohibits the use of any misleading or inaccurate statements in marketing materials. Any information you share about investments must be fair and balanced, and show prospective clients both the potential positives and negatives. And if you plan to use client testimonials or reviews to promote your firm, you must include compliant disclosures that are easily viewable and accessible.
Photo credit: ©iStock.com/Jacob Wackerhausen, ©iStock.com/Torsten Asmus
Article Sources
All articles are reviewed and updated by SmartAsset’s fact-checkers for accuracy. Visit our Editorial Policy for more details on our overall journalistic standards.
- Inveen, Dan, et al. Kitces Report: How Financial Planners Actually Market Their Services (2024). Vol. 1, Kitces, https://www.kitces.com/kitces-report-financial-planner-advisor-marketing-tactics-strategies-referrals-centers-influence-networking/.