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Maintaining strong relationships with clients is a cornerstone of success for financial advisors. Understanding how to keep in touch with clients effectively can enhance trust and foster long-term partnerships. For this, financial advisors have a variety of tools at their disposal, from automated emails and newsletters to market updates and personalized portfolio reviews. By leveraging available technology and maintaining open lines of communication, advisors can create a more personalized experience, ensuring that clients feel valued and informed.
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1. Offer Personalized Check-Ins
One way to stay stay connected with clients is through personalized, scheduled check-ins. Whether conducted quarterly, semi-annually or annually, these meetings can be held in person or virtually.
During these sessions, advisors can review the client’s portfolio performance, discuss life changes or adjust financial plans. To enhance personalization, it’s helpful to reference specific client goals or life events, which demonstrates attention to detail and an understanding of their unique situation.
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2. Send Periodic Market Updates
Clients appreciate staying informed about market trends, especially when those updates come directly from their financial advisor. Sending a brief, plain-language market update via email or a newsletter can keep clients informed without overwhelming them. These updates can focus on relevant market changes, regulatory updates or economic forecasts.
A consistent update schedule creates a reliable communication cadence that clients can count on. You may choose to send emails weekly or biweekly to ensure that your message is current and relevant to what’s happening in the market.
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3. Use Automated Email Campaigns
Automated email campaigns provide an efficient method for staying in touch with clients without requiring constant manual outreach. Using email marketing platforms, advisors can create a series of pre-written, personalized emails and schedule them to send on specific dates.
These emails can cover topics like upcoming tax deadlines, tips for saving or portfolio performance reminders. With personalization features, these emails can still feel tailored to each individual client while saving the advisor valuable time.
SmartAsset AMP not only includes automated lead generation, but the ability to build and manage automated email campaigns to nurture prospects and support ongoing follow-up. Schedule a demo to learn more, or get started to set up your first campaign.
4. Leverage Social Media
Social media platforms provide another way to keep in touch with clients in a professional but engaging manner. Advisors can use LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok or YouTube to share insightful articles, thought leadership and company news.
The key is choosing topics that speak to your target audience’s needs and concerns. Posting relevant content not only reinforces the advisor’s expertise but also allows clients to engage by liking, commenting or sharing posts. Over time, this keeps the advisor top of mind while subtly reinforcing the value they bring.
5. Host Webinars and Educational Events
Hosting webinars or educational seminars on financial topics can be another excellent way to engage clients. These events can cover a range of topics, from retirement planning to market outlooks. Webinars in particular allow for direct interaction, where clients can ask questions and receive real-time responses.
By offering these educational opportunities, advisors demonstrate a commitment to their clients’ financial knowledge and growth, further strengthening the advisor-client relationship.
6. Implement a Client Appreciation Program
A formal client appreciation program can go a long way in solidifying client relationships. This can be as simple as sending out birthday cards, holiday gifts or anniversary notes to celebrate key milestones. Taking time to recognize these moments with a handwritten note or a small token of appreciation can foster a deeper personal connection.
You may also consider hosting client events that invite engagement outside of your regular meetings or check-in calls and emails. Clients who feel valued may be more inclined to maintain the relationship and refer others to the firm.
7. Incorporate Client Surveys and Feedback
Another approach to maintaining communication is by soliciting client feedback. Periodic surveys can gauge client satisfaction and uncover areas where service could improve. These surveys don’t need to be complex; a simple online form asking for feedback on recent interactions or areas of interest can suffice.
What matters is listening to what your clients have to say, and taking action to address issues that may be creating a negative experience. You can then follow up with clients to inform them of the changes and demonstrate that their opinions are valued.
8. Develop a Robust Newsletter
A monthly or quarterly newsletter is a more in-depth way to stay in touch with clients. Newsletters can cover a range of topics such as recent financial news, upcoming events or client success stories. Advisors can use the newsletter to offer insights into economic trends, showcase new financial products or provide updates on firm performance. The key to a successful newsletter is delivering content that’s both informative and relevant to clients’ needs, without being too sales-focused.
SmartAsset AMP now gives advisors the ability to generate newsletter campaigns from a library of thousands of financial topics and schedule them for delivery. The platform also makes it easy to track engagement via emails, calls or texts through a single unified dashboard. Learn more or get started today.
9. Offer Financial Planning Tools and Resources
Providing clients with access to financial tools or resources further strengthens the advisory relationship. Advisors can share calculators, retirement planning worksheets or educational resources that help clients better understand their financial situation. This proactive approach keeps clients engaged with their finances, positioning the advisor as a resource for both guidance and learning.
You’re not limited to sharing your proprietary tools or resources either. If you come across an interesting article or tool that could be useful to your clients, you can pass that along as well. You can let clients know that you thought they might find it valuable, and that they can reach out to you with questions once they’ve taken a look.
10. Send Personalized Reports on Portfolio Performance
Clients appreciate detailed and easy-to-understand performance reports. Sending personalized portfolio performance reports, especially those that explain shifts in market conditions and what they mean for their investments, can reassure clients. These reports should highlight not only the numbers but also the context behind them, ensuring clients feel informed about the changes in their financial landscape.
11. Incorporate SMS and Mobile Notifications
Many clients prefer to receive quick updates via text or mobile notifications rather than over email. Advisors can use SMS services to send brief updates, reminders or links to more detailed reports or resources. While these messages should be concise and professional, they offer a convenient way to stay in touch with clients who may not frequently check their email or prefer mobile communication.
Before launching a messaging campaign, review text and SMS compliance rules for advisors. And if you’re looking for a way to create and manage automated text messaging campaigns to communicate more easily with prospective clients, consider a SmartAsset AMP subscription.
12. Maintain a Client Portal for 24/7 Access
Providing clients with a secure online portal where they can access their account information, review documents and check portfolio performance at any time can improve and support client satisfaction. Advisors who offer this kind of digital access demonstrate transparency and offer convenience. It also reduces the need for frequent calls or emails, as clients can log in and review updates whenever they want.
Your portfolio management software, financial planning software or CRM might offer a secure portal for clients. Look for an option that allows you to message clients directly through the platform, so you can always stay connected.
13. Invite Clients to Participate in Special Events
Many clients enjoy participating in events that promote community engagement or charitable causes. Hosting or participating in charity runs, golf tournaments or fundraising events allows advisors to interact with clients in a more relaxed and social setting.
These events, which are separate from client-focused appreciation events, can help strengthen the relationship on a personal level and create a shared sense of purpose beyond finances. Getting active in the local community is also an opportunity to network with other professionals and potentially engage with investors who may be looking for an advisor.
14. Schedule Annual Reviews
Finally, conducting annual reviews gives advisors an opportunity to revisit client goals and assess whether they’re on track to meet them. These reviews should focus on the client’s long-term objectives, financial changes and any adjustments that may need to be made. By taking the time to thoroughly review each client’s situation, advisors demonstrate their commitment to helping clients work toward their financial goals.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How Often Should Advisors Communicate With Clients?
Thirty-nine percent of clients say they want to hear from their advisors at least once monthly, if not more often, according to a 2024 YCharts Advisor Client Communication Survey. Forty percent say at least every two to three months is appropriate, while 37% of clients say they don’t hear from their advisors enough. Starting with at least a once-monthly check-in can help you stay engaged with clients and on their radar.1
What Is the Best Way for Advisors to Meet With Clients?
Overwhelmingly, clients prefer in-person communications. In the YCharts survey, 38% of clients say they wish their advisor would schedule an in-person meeting to communicate, while 36% said they’d be comfortable with virtual meetings. Twenty-one percent favored a combination of the two, while only 5% said they were happy with their advisor’s current meeting preferences.
How Important Is It for Advisors to Stay In Touch With Clients?
Strong communication is very important, particularly for client retention. In the YCharts Survey, 78% of clients said they based their decision to stay with their advisor at least in part on how well they communicate, and how frequently they hear from them. Developing a consistent communication schedule and using the methods your clients prefer may support retention.
Bottom Line
Keeping in touch with clients is one way to strengthen long-term relationships and maintain open communication. By combining technology, personalization and proactive outreach, financial advisors can stay connected through regular check-ins, market updates and personal touches that reinforce their role in the client relationship.
Tips for Managing Your Client List
- Organize your clients into segments based on service needs or complexity. This allows you to prioritize your time more effectively, as high-touch clients may need more frequent, in-depth interactions, while lower-maintenance clients can be managed with periodic check-ins or automated updates.
- Automating your marketing and lead generation efforts may help you save time and energy, which you can then devote to your current clients. 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.
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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.
- Aligning Advisor Strategies with Evolving Client Preferences. Advisor – Client Communication Survey, YCharts, https://go.ycharts.com/hubfs/YCharts_Advisor_Client_Communication_Survey_2024.pdf.