Later this month, the 2024 holiday season officially kicks off with Thanksgiving. As advisors well know, the end of the year is a perfect time to make sure their clients are prepared for 2025, including setting up their financial goals for the new year.
Advisors should be refining their marketing and communications strategies around the holiday season, and they can apply a few simple strategies that leverage traditional media, along with social media and digital marketing.
To learn the best marcoms strategies that advisors can use for their holiday season, we spoke with Haley Rosa, Vice President at Gregory FCA; Carolyn Dalle-Molle, Vice President Of Consulting And Innovation at Ficomm Partners; and Kevin Santo, Senior Account Executive for Water & Wall.
We asked each of them: How should advisors adjust their marketing and communications for the holiday season?
Their responses follow.
Haley Rosa, Vice President, Gregory FCA
Year-end presents a real opportunity to connect with clients on a personal level. At the same time, advisors are typically engrossed in important planning work, while their clients can be distracted by the volume of personal commitments. As the holiday season approaches, it’s important that advisors refine their marketing to connect authentically with clients and prospects while being mindful of the diverse celebrations observed. Advisors can apply a few simple strategies leveraging earned media, social media and digital marketing.
Let's start with earned media. Position yourself as a thought leader by contributing to media outlets with a focus on year-end financial planning. Pitch an article to local or personal financial publications on topics like “Smart Financial Moves to Close Out the Year” or “Tax Strategies for Gifting and Charitable Contributions.” This type of media coverage can demonstrate your expertise while attracting new clients preparing for year-end decisions.
More wealth management firms are adopting social media and digital marketing strategies to engage with clients and prospects. Use social media platforms to share personalized holiday messages that blend financial insights with the warmth of the season. Create posts or short videos wishing clients well, while subtly highlighting timely services like year-end portfolio reviews, tax planning or charitable giving strategies.
Advisors might also launch a holiday-themed email campaign offering a free, downloadable guide on “Financial Resolutions for the New Year” or “Maximizing Your Financial Gifts.” Providing value in this way not only strengthens client relationships but also encourages referrals, as recipients may share the guide with friends or family.
Carolyn Dalle-Molle, VP of Consulting and Innovation, Ficomm Partners
The holiday season brings a spike in referral opportunities as clients gather with family and friends. To capitalize on this time to drive increased organic growth in 2025, first and foremost you must know your ideal clients (and know them well). Taking this further, I invite you to focus on two end-of-year opportunities for your communications strategies:
First, deliver tailored content. The top-performing advisor communications are highly targeted to the lived reality of best-fit clients. The holiday season is no exception. Speak to the events on their calendars and the thoughts on their minds. Are they hosting a big dinner? Watching football? Giving gifts? Thinking ahead to 2025? How do they feel about all of this? Lean into the psychographics about your book of business and let that guide the topics that’ll be most relevant. Provide resources, share stories and bring your unique perspective.
Second, deliver your content in a tailored format. Think of the exact way your ideal clients want to receive it. During the holidays, clients are often juggling various priorities and may feel extra busy. So, do they want a long, detailed email or a short, bulleted one? Are they looking for in-depth educational content on your social channels, or do they prefer lighter formats like short videos, graphics or photos? Stand out as the advisor who understands what they want to hear – and how. In today’s digital world, hyper-tailored content has the power to “wow” a client and drive increased referrals.
Kevin Santo, Senior Account Executive, Water & Wall
The holiday season offers a unique opportunity for advisors to showcase their humanity – and given current conversations around the growth of AI and if it will eventually replace advisors – that’s more important than ever.
For the record, I don’t think AI will ever be able to replicate the trust between advisors and their clients which has been built over time, especially when there’s a high cost of being wrong.
To my initial point, though, personalization is key. In the same way an advisor crafts a financial plan unique to each client, they should know the holidays a client celebrates and communicate in kind. Call me old school, but I still believe in the power of a handwritten note, especially to achieve this specific goal.
Beyond that, advisors should capitalize on the fact that the holidays are a natural inflection point.
They can share email communications that reflect on the past year and celebrate mutual achievements, while acknowledging any challenges and how they plan to overcome them. In the same vein, they should proactively learn clients’ financial goals for the New Year, and offer a year-end financial checklist that positions them to hit the ground running in 2025.
I will also always advocate for an education series, whether it focuses on holiday budgeting or charitable giving around the holidays.
And lastly, an advisor should highlight their own charitable giving, volunteer work or office celebrations across social channels. To my original point, showcasing the human side of your business is critical.
Jeff Berman, Contributing Editor and Reporter at Wealth Solutions Report, can be reached at jberman@wealthsolutionsreport.com.
