FiComm is a long-time supporter and partner for Insider’s Forum and with good reason. Bob and his team have created a lasting, impactful event that often sets the tone for how advisors and service providers think about industry trends, and the action-packed agenda of breakouts and moderated panels always makes for an energizing, immersive and collaborative gathering.
Here are our five takeaways we wanted to share with you from the event:
Herbers was in the house.
There was definitely a sense of urgency for growth, as evidenced in the packed pre-session workshop with Angie Herbers of FourPointe Consulting. She discussed how advisors can kick-start growth through strategic hiring, managing and deploying capital, and evolving a marketing strategy.
Get with technology, CFP®.
Technology played a key role in many of the sessions, and during his 2017 Insider’s Forum Leadership Award acceptance, Joel Bruckenstein made a strong argument for convincing the CFP Board that it should finally give credit for technology, as it has become a critical component to advisors’ operations and client service levels.
It’s not just a man’s world.
Social media played a big role in communicating live updates from the event on Twitter, and undeniably, the gender gap online was non-existent. At last count, there were no fewer than 20 active attendees and firms communicating about the event, and at least 6 of those were individual women.
Millennials have feelings too.
One of the themes heard throughout the event was how advisors were targeting (and often missing the mark) on communicating with and marketing to the next generation. Joel Bruckenstein even noted in his Tech Trends pre-session that his son, a young advisor, had recently attended an event that he had deemed “too millennial,” even for a millennial.
Marketing. The next best thing to a handshake.
The hot topic at the FiComm booth in the Exhibition hall was content. Specifically, creating original content that could engage prospects and build better relationships with clients. The video was also a popular curiosity, and we stressed that good content comes from having a good strategy first and that people today prefer “bite-sized” content over long white papers and articles.
Speaking of bite-sized, our own Megan Carpenter presented at a breakout session on the how to create memorable, “snackable” content for use in all forms of marketing materials. She focused on leveraging existing content that could be broken into short, easily digestible bites to communicate effectively and leave a lasting impression.
After the lights had gone down and the conference Wi-Fi had expired, the crowd left the Little Big Town with a renewed sense of direction in tackling the challenges landscape ahead. As for Team FiComm, we enjoyed meeting with clients and sharing ideas with our peers in the industry.
We look forward to seeing everyone next year in San Diego!