Boosting Client Engagement: Email Marketing for Financial Advisors

When you’re in a relationship, you know that communication is everything. If you don’t check in, show you care, or offer support when it’s needed, the relationship fades. The same goes for your clients. They don’t just need financial advice — they need to hear from you regularly to feel valued, informed, and confident in their financial decisions.

Email marketing is one of the easiest and most effective ways to maintain this connection, providing them with useful updates, financial tips, and personalized advice right in their inbox. In fact, 90% of clients say that how often and how well their advisor communicates with them affects their loyalty and whether they refer others. In other words, strong communication can help you build trust, keep your clients longer, and even attract new ones through referrals.

But simply sending emails for the sake of it won’t get you results. If your emails feel too generic or irrelevant, they’ll end up ignored (or worse, in the spam folder). So, how do you make sure your emails actually provide value, spark engagement, and help grow your financial advisory practice?

In this guide, we’ll break down the eight generally proven financial advisor email marketing strategies to boost client engagement — from building your email list to writing engaging emails that make sure your messages actually get read. 

Set Up Your Email Marketing System for Financial Advisors

Email marketing might seem complicated at first, but once you set it up, it practically runs itself. The goal is to work smarter, not harder, and a good email system does just that.

First, you’ll need an email marketing platform like Mailchimp, HubSpot, or ActiveCampaign. These tools don’t just send emails — they help you schedule automated follow-ups, personalize messages, and track engagement so you know what’s working (and what’s not). Using an email service provider (ESP) can further enhance your email marketing efforts by providing tools for personalization and segmentation, which help build trust with customers and improve deliverability.

Next, you’ll need a sign-up form to collect email addresses. But just slapping a form on your website won’t magically grow your list. Make it easy for people to find by placing it on your homepage, blog posts, and contact page. Give people a reason to subscribe. Offer a freebie like a “5-Step Retirement Planning Guide” or a “Market Update Newsletter” so potential clients see value in signing up.

Once you have an email list, make sure it’s full of engaged contacts—people who actually want to hear from you. Start by including your existing clients and warm leads, such as those you’ve connected with on LinkedIn, at networking events, or through referrals. Avoid buying email lists; they rarely work and can lead to compliance issues. Instead, grow your list organically by promoting your sign-up form on social media, at webinars, or even in your email signature.

Speaking of compliance, don’t forget to follow email laws like CCPA and GDPR, which require you to get clear permission before sending emails and provide an easy way for people to unsubscribe. Basically, don’t be spammy.

1.1 Define Your Email Marketing Goals

Defining your email marketing goals is a crucial step in creating an effective email marketing strategy for financial advisors. Clear goals help you stay focused and measure your success. To set these goals, use the SMART criteria: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.

For example, you might aim to increase the number of new clients by 20% within the next six months. Or perhaps you want to boost your email open rates by 30% over the next three months. Other goals could include increasing referrals from existing clients by 15% within a year or improving the conversion rate of your email campaigns by 25% within nine months.

To define your email marketing goals, start by asking yourself what you want to achieve with your email marketing efforts. Are you looking to attract new clients, retain existing ones, or perhaps both? Identify your target audience and consider what sets you apart from other financial advisors. What unique value do you offer that can be highlighted in your emails?

By setting clear, SMART goals, you’ll be able to create a focused and effective email marketing strategy that drives real results for your financial advisory business.

1.2 Choose an Email Marketing Platform for Financial Advisors

Choosing the right email marketing platform is essential for financial advisors who want to create and send effective email campaigns. The right platform can make your email marketing efforts more efficient and impactful.

First, consider ease of use. Look for a platform that is user-friendly and easy to navigate, even if you’re not particularly tech-savvy. Features are another critical factor. You’ll want a platform that offers email templates, automation, segmentation, and robust analytics to track your performance.

Integration is also key. Ensure the platform you choose can seamlessly integrate with your existing customer relationship management (CRM) system and other marketing tools. Compliance is non-negotiable; the platform must adhere to anti-spam laws and regulations, such as the CAN-SPAM Act, to keep you on the right side of the law.

Cost is another consideration. While you want a platform that offers all the features you need, it also has to fit within your budget. Some popular email marketing platforms for financial advisors include Constant Contact, Mailchimp, HubSpot, Marketo, and Pardot.

Take the time to research and compare different options. Consider your specific needs and goals to find the best fit for your financial advisory business.

2. Create High-Value Content

People don’t sign up for emails just because you ask them to. If you want people to actually open and read your emails, you need to give them something worth their time. Instead of just saying “Subscribe Now,” offer something valuable, like a free budgeting template, a retirement calculator, or a market update with actionable insights. Make it clear what’s in it for them — will it help them save money? Make smarter investments? Avoid tax mistakes? Give them a reason to care.

People also respond to urgency, so instead of sending just another generic newsletter, try adding a limited-time incentive. Offer a free 15-minute portfolio review for those who sign up this week, or give early access to an exclusive webinar on tax-saving strategies before the deadline hits. Your emails should solve real financial problems — focus on what your clients actually worry about, like how to build a secure retirement, manage investment risks, or legally reduce their tax bill. Keep it simple and real — use examples they can relate to, like how a small change in asset allocation saved one of your clients thousands in taxes.

To keep readers engaged, send emails that feel personal and timely. If the market drops, send an email explaining what it means and what they should do next. If someone clicked on an email about tax-saving tips but didn’t book a consultation, follow up with a short, friendly note inviting them to a Q&A session. The goal is to make your emails feel like a conversation, not a sales pitch.

Finally, show them why they should trust you. Share insights based on your experience, real client success stories, or even behind-the-scenes glimpses into your investment approach. Invite them to exclusive webinars or private client-only updates to make them feel like insiders.

3. Get More Subscribers for Your Email Marketing

If you want more subscribers, you need to make it easy, valuable, and visible in the places where potential clients already spend their time. Start with your website — your sign-up form should be front and center on your homepage, at the end of blog posts, on your service pages, and in the website footer. If someone is reading your financial advice, they’re interested — so don’t make them hunt for a way to stay connected. Email marketing strategies are crucial for connecting effectively with clients and prospects, offering a significant return on investment by allowing for tailored, scalable communication that fosters trust and relationship building.

Next, tap into social media. LinkedIn and Facebook are obvious choices for financial advisors, but don’t ignore TikTok — it’s one of the most popular platforms right now, and financial advice is trending there. Post short, engaging videos with quick expert tips and include a call-to-action like “Want more in-depth strategies? Subscribe to my free newsletter” with a sign-up link in your bio. Add your sign-up link to your LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok bios so anyone checking out your profile can join your list with one click. You can also run targeted ads to attract new subscribers or share success stories from current clients to build trust.

Another powerful tool is pop-up forms. Love them or hate them, they work — if you use them right. Pop-ups can convert up to 23.7% of website visitors into subscribers, but timing is everything. Instead of bombarding visitors the second they land on your site, set them to appear when someone is about to leave, after they’ve scrolled halfway down the page, or after spending 10–15 seconds on your site.

4. Write Subject Lines That Clients Open, Read, and Act On

If your email doesn’t stand out, it won’t get opened, and if it doesn’t get opened, it won’t get read. That’s why open rates matter. The first thing your client sees is the subject line, so make it count. Instead of something generic like “Financial Update,” try “John, Are You on Track for Retirement?” or “3 Days Left: Free Portfolio Review.” You can also create curiosity (“One Simple Change That Could Save You Thousands”) or urgency (“Last Chance: Market Insights Before Year-End”) to get more people clicking. AI tools can suggest subject lines, but always tweak them to sound natural—AI can sometimes create misleading or awkward phrasing.

Timing and frequency matter, too. If your email lands in their inbox at 3 AM, it’s probably getting buried. Test different times — early morning before work, lunch breaks, or evenings after dinner — to see when your audience actually opens emails. As for frequency, it’s a balancing act. Too few emails, and clients forget about you. Too many, and they unsubscribe. Instead of guessing, ask them how often they want to hear from you. A quick survey in your welcome email can help set the right expectations.

Now that you’ve got them to open the email make sure they actually read it. People skim emails, so keep it short, clear, and structured. Use short paragraphs, bullet points, and clear headings to break up text. Keep it under 300 words whenever possible, and add visuals like a simple chart or infographic to highlight key points. If you’re writing about market trends, break it down into plain language — no one wants to decode financial jargon.

Finally, make your emails feel personal. Clients should feel like you’re talking directly to them, not just blasting a generic message to a list. Use their name, segment your list based on their interests, and send follow-ups based on their actions. It’s crucial to effectively communicate with both clients and prospective clients to incentivize engagement.

5. Make Your Emails Mobile-Friendly

Think about how often you check your email on your phone — probably while waiting in line for coffee, scrolling during lunch, or even half-watching TV. Your clients do the same thing. In fact, 41% of emails are opened on mobile devices. If your email is hard to read, has tiny text, or forces them to pinch and zoom, they’re not going to bother with it. Instead, they’ll delete it and move on. A well-crafted marketing message is crucial in driving conversions through effective call-to-actions (CTAs), as it can evoke a desired response from the audience by using compelling language and strategic placement.

Most email marketing platforms have responsive templates that automatically adjust to different screen sizes. But don’t assume it’s perfect — always send a test email to yourself and check it on your phone. If you have to squint, scroll too much, or struggle to click a link, your clients will, too.

To make your emails easy to read, use a font size of at least 14–16px, break up text into short paragraphs, and use bullet points so readers can scan quickly. Keep subject lines under 50 characters so they don’t get cut off, and make sure buttons and links are big enough to tap easily. Also, use images wisely — too many can slow down loading time, and if they don’t display properly, your email might look broken.

6. Segment Your List

Segmenting your email list is a crucial step in creating targeted and effective email campaigns. By dividing your list into smaller, more specific groups, you can tailor your messages to better meet the needs and interests of your audience.

One of the primary benefits of segmentation is improved open rates. When you send targeted emails to specific groups, the content is more relevant, increasing the likelihood that recipients will open and engage with your emails. This, in turn, can lead to increased conversions, as your tailored messages and offers are more likely to resonate with the recipients.

Segmentation also helps you better understand your audience, allowing you to create more relevant and engaging content. You can segment your list in various ways, such as by demographics (age, gender, location), interests (investment goals, financial planning needs), or behaviors (email opens, clicks, purchases).

Most email marketing platforms offer segmentation features that make it easy to create custom segments based on your specific needs. By leveraging these features, you can ensure that your email campaigns are more targeted, relevant, and effective.

7. Follow Compliance Rules

Following compliance rules is essential for financial advisors who want to avoid legal and reputational risks. Compliance ensures that your email marketing efforts are ethical and trustworthy, which is crucial for maintaining client relationships.

One of the key regulations to follow is the CAN-SPAM Act, which requires clear subject lines, opt-out links, and physical addresses in your emails. If you have clients in the European Union, you must also comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which mandates explicit consent and data protection measures.

For registered investment advisors, FINRA regulations are also important. These rules require clear disclosure and supervision of your email communications to ensure they are accurate and not misleading.

To follow these compliance rules, use clear and transparent language in your emails. Always provide opt-out links and physical addresses, and obtain explicit consent from clients before sending emails. Regularly supervise and monitor your email marketing efforts to ensure ongoing compliance.

By adhering to these compliance rules, you can avoid legal and reputational risks, maintain trust with your clients, and ensure that your email marketing efforts are both effective and ethical.

8. Test, Measure, and Tweak

Email marketing is an ongoing process that gets better when you track what’s working, fix what isn’t, and experiment with new ideas. Start by looking at your open rates — this tells you how many people are actually opening your emails. If your open rate is low, your subject lines might be too generic, your emails might be landing at the wrong time, or people won’t recognize your sender name. Since Apple’s privacy settings can affect these numbers, compare open rates over time rather than relying on a single email.

Next, check your click-through rate (CTR). This tells you if people are actually clicking on links or buttons inside your email. If they aren’t, your content might not be engaging enough, your call-to-action (CTA) might be weak, or your offer might not be relevant. If you’re getting clicks but no conversions (like webinar sign-ups or consultation bookings), your landing page might not match what your email promised, or the page might be too confusing.

Now, pay attention to unsubscribe rates. If people are leaving your list faster than you’re gaining new subscribers, that’s a red flag. It could mean your emails aren’t relevant, you’re sending too many, or your content isn’t what they expected when they signed up. If unsubscribes start spiking, look at the last few emails you sent — were they too frequent? Off-topic? Too salesy?

To improve your results, test different subject lines, experiment with CTA wording, adjust your email frequency, and try different email formats. The better your emails get, the more they’ll actually help your clients — and grow your business.

Your Clients Need You — Let Us Handle the Marketing

We know how busy you are to do all these things, or maybe you just don’t know where to start — or if it’s even worth the trial and error. You shouldn’t have to waste time, money, and effort on marketing strategies that may or may not work for your business. That’s why we’re excited to work with you. We’ve helped countless financial advisors and firms just like yours build successful marketing strategies that actually get results.

At Three Crowns Core Marketing, we don’t believe in one-size-fits-all solutions. Our expert team rolls up their sleeves and creates customized strategies designed specifically for financial professionals. With decades of experience in financial services, we understand your world and know how to translate complex financial concepts into compelling messages that attract and engage your ideal clients.

If you’re ready to start seeing results, let’s chat. We’ll help you build an email marketing strategy — and a full marketing plan — that actually works. Schedule a meeting and make marketing easier and more effective for your firm today!