Disruption caused by the pandemic, and the need for advisors to improve how they reach new clients and serve existing ones, puts marketing skills under the spotlight like never before.

Hightower, the US wealth manager, is rolling out a marketing platform to help advisors ramp up business - likely to be even more necessary after the pandemic’s crushing economic impact is laid bare.

The firm, which operates advisory businesses, has launched the “Engage” marketing platform in partnership with marketing technology firm Snappy Kraken. The platform is designed to help Hightower advisors maximize their reach, enhance client engagement and jumpstart growth.

“Marketing communications is one area that many advisors struggle with, as they often lack the time, staff and expertise to handle the heavy workload associated with deploying effective campaigns,” Abby Salameh, chief marketing officer at Hightower, said.

“Given the events of the last six weeks, advisors are under more pressure than ever to engage in meaningful communication with clients. Our new platform enables Hightower advisors to have these personal conversations while at the same time deploying targeted lead-generation campaigns to acquire new clients and move their practices forward,” Salameh said.

Hightower advisors who use Engage will gain access to a curated suite of original, customizable marketing campaigns produced in collaboration with Snappy Kraken’s creative team, including blog posts, email newsletters, video content, social posts, guidebooks and infographics segmented by audience personas, with accompanying analytics to measure engagement. 

“Engage will give Hightower advisors, with their already industry-leading organic growth rate, the ability to simultaneously attract new leads, motivate existing prospects, nurture clients, boost referrals and automate operational workflows, providing scalable monthly campaigns,” the firm said. 

Audiences for the platform include retired clients; those still accumulating assets; next generation customers; next generation clients; business owners; ultra-high net worth individuals and prospective clients. 

The platform’s interface meshes with Clear, Hightower’s advisor platform, and Salesforce.

(Editor's comment: Family Wealth Report will speak to Hightower early next week to go into more detail about how this platform works and what has prompted its launch. What is not in doubt is that the economic hit caused by coronavirus will put a premium on firms and individual advisors to boost sales leads - and hence revenues - fast. Digital marketing and other channels will be crucial. We intend to also write about how firms try to retain existing clients who might be unhappy about service quality and are looking for a change. For readers who want to get in touch with the editorial team, email tom.burroughes@wealthbriefing.com .)