Small monthly mailings that generate big response
Milestone birthday marketing is a cost-effective way for financial planners, stock brokers and advisors to reach out to new prospects with on-going campaigns that mail small, affordable quantities each month and generates a tremendous lifetime value in return.
These are the 3 key milestone birthdays we will be reviewing in this article:
- Turning 59 ½
- Individuals Turning 65
- Turning 70 ½
Each of these milestone birthdays gives a Financial Planner a chance to show off her expertise. They can show how their services can make a big financial difference in someone’s retirement life.
The key is selecting a highly targeted list by month & year of birth, putting together a great marketing piece and mailing at the right time with a solid offer.
Age 59 ½
We know that Age 59 ½ is significant in that it is generally the earliest that withdrawals can be made from certain retirement plans without incurring the 10 percent “early withdrawal” penalty on investments.
This is the kind of topic that becomes water cooler talk at the office and many people are confused about what is right for them. Do they simply withdraw money or do they roll it over to a Roth IRA – what’s their best option?
The consumer’s confusion can be your golden opportunity. You should market it to your advantage. And, I don’t mean taking advantage. I just mean that by giving people the right information when they need it, gives you an advantage. There is just so much confusion out there.
Financial advisors should consider mailing a letter to the turning 59 ½-ers. This letter should explain how you can help them make an educated decision about their future. This is a great chance to broaden your client base. If you make the right impression, you can convert prospects to clients that can stay with you for decades!
Smart financial advisors mail to people turning 59½ three months before this milestone birthday, selecting their prospects by birth month and year. Remember, this campaign does not need to be big, just smart.
Turning 65
Someone’s 65th birthday is a big turning point in their life. It’s a milestone date for people who are contemplating retirement, a time to review and consider federal tax breaks and most of all, sign up for Medicare eligibility.
Financially, it’s crucial to make smart decisions with money. And navigating the waters requires the help of a qualified professional.
We all know that this group will be receiving letters from Insurance people looking to sell them supplemental Medicare insurance. But Financial Advisors need to take a different approach. They need to make sure their communication stands out as being different and essential.
The financial advisor needs to communicate that they can assist their prospects with getting the tax breaks they deserve and provide them with a comprehensive plan that will maximize their retirement income for the rest of their lives.
The Turning 65 Milestone Birthday Marketing campaign is not a large mailing. Best practice is to mail to the Turning 65-ers 5 months before their birthday with a follow up 2 months later. The mailer needs to be professional; the message needs to be clear and concise. In terms of offer – a retirement budget worksheet along with a free consultation has worked well.
Turning 72 ½
I look at Turning 72 ½ as the Year of RMD – Required Minimum Distribution
While individual monthly mail quantities may be insignificant, as a whole this group is massive. The first of wave of baby boomers hit this milestone last July. Those oldest boomers, born at the start of 1946, turned 70½ in this summer and will be followed at the rate of 10,000 people per day for the next 18 years.
When someone turns 72 1/2, they must begin taking annual withdrawals from their tax-deferred retirement accounts, such as a traditional IRA, workplace 401(k) or self-employed retirement plan.
This is the time that people who have not put their plans in place get serious about their retirement strategies and start to think legacy, charitable giving, business succession planning, and how to actually handle their RMDs since failure to withdraw the RMD on time could result in a hefty penalty.
These turning 72 ½ prospects are not only great prospects for financial advisors, but also for charities and foundations looking for legacy gifts.
Other thoughts / suggestions:
Financial advisors, stock brokers and foundations should have the month/year of birth for everyone in their client database. If they do not, this information can be appended to the file, along with lots of other data, enabling entrée to these households with the right message at the right time
Continuity is key. Milestone birthday marketing mailings need to happen every month like clockwork. Mail going out means leads coming in. This type of program needs to be consistent and is an easy project to assign to a new hire or intern.