Lights, Camera, Action! Are You Ready to Grow Your Practice with Video?

Learn how financial advisors can use video marketing to build rapport and quickly establish an emotional connection with prospects.

As an increasing number of people turn to the internet to find a financial advisor, how can you accelerate the trust-building process without an in-person meeting?

Most advisor websites offer written descriptions of an advisor’s background and experience, but relatively few include high-quality videos. Financial advisors might consider hiring a professional videographer to stand out.

Whether recording an interview to help prospects get to know you, or inviting your clients to share testimonials now permitted by the SEC Marketing Rule, videos offer impactful opportunities to build rapport and establish an emotional connection quickly.

To help advisors learn how they can incorporate video into their marketing strategy, we asked Kerri Feazell, Managing Principal of Authentic Advisor Video, to tell us more about her experience launching the company and how advisors can benefit from the services they offer.

Q: How did you come up with the idea for Authentic Advisor Video?

Kerri: My business partner (who is also my husband, Jeff) and I have had a production company since 2017. We love working with entrepreneurs of all types because they are passionate about their work. I especially love what I do to interview people on camera because I consider myself camera-shy, and I love to work with people as they come alive to share their stories. 

The idea to create a brand just for advisors emerged after we served our first financial advisor firm. Once we went through the video production process with their compliance team, we realized the way we fundamentally create videos lent itself really well to passing compliance. It’s a bit unusual to see all the intangible creative stuff–the most compelling, authentic, emotionally-connected stories–also align with very strict guidelines. It felt like a Venn diagram section we could really serve. 

Because I knew we were onto something with the relationship between creative storytelling and the SEC, I got connected to the Association for Fundraising Professionals and wrote an article for the Journal of Financial Planning, Create an Authentic Marketing Video Without a Compliance Headache. 

Q: For advisors thinking about getting started with video, can you offer your opinion on the pros and cons of do-it-yourself video recording vs. choosing a professional service?

Kerri: The pros and cons of DIY video vs. hiring a professional are about the same as any DIY project, from plumbing to construction. Perhaps as valuable as weighing pros and cons is thinking through your specific needs and coming up with a strategy that works best for where you’re at in your business, who you want to reach, and where you’re communicating with them. Think about: What results do you want to achieve with video? I recently published an article with NAPFA Advisor that dives deeper into this: Your Video Assets Need Strategy to Generate ROI. 

First and foremost, don’t hire a professional if you don’t think it will help your bottom line. Talk to a professional, yes. But don’t hire them if you’re not convinced.

Also, be clear on the results you hope to see with video. I don’t recommend having a video because “people say I need video.” Why do you need video? What are the business challenges you need to solve, and how can video help you achieve the results you want to see? Is video the right strategy to help you achieve those results?

Investing in a video strategy should be exactly that: an investment, not a cost center. Work with professionals who help guide you through a strategic process to understand how video can be useful for you. 

That said, all marketing efforts carry some risk, and even if you’re aiming for a specific results, so many variables come into play, and you might not achieve what you hoped. Don’t spend more than you’re willing to risk. 

If you’re not ready to spend, definitely try DIY! Test some things out! See how it feels! What do you have to lose?

If you are inclined to DIY, I recommend our online course (which is also offered by FPA) and can be purchased directly here. It won’t teach you anything technical about video production, but it will teach you How to Make a Brand Video that Isn’t Boring. 

Q: Beyond posting a video to an advisor’s website, how else can advisors benefit from videos they produce?

Kerri: There are many different ways videos can be used depending on the results you want. A few other ways to use video include: 

• A video that prospects can watch prior to having a phone call with you (as a way of pre-qualifying prospects)
• Advisor bio videos to accompany (or replace) headshots and written bios
• Client testimonials that can be used in your sales process
• YouTube, Google, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn ad campaigns targeted to a specific audience and with a specific call to action 
• Company culture videos to use in staff recruiting
• A library of FAQs or responses to sales objections 
• Vlogs to accompany (or replace) written content with a more personal, human approach 
• A new client welcome video – if you are repeating something over and over, use video to help you automate a process at scale while maintaining a personal connection 

These are just a few ideas! Because we focus on strategy, we create customized solutions to meet our clients’ specific business challenges. 

Q: Can you share examples of videos your team has recorded and briefly describe how the script(s) were prepared and primary use case(s)?

Kerri: Scripting works really well for certain types of videos, but we mostly work unscripted, and there’s a really specific reason for that. When you need to establish trust, a script can undermine that goal. That might seem counterintuitive because a script helps you get it “right”, right? Maybe. 

You’re a financial advisor, not a trained actor. So in an on-camera interview, the “role” you’re playing isn’t a role; it’s you.

To make the most compelling video, show up and be yourself. You don’t have to memorize anything. You don’t need to read a teleprompter while also trying to look at the camera at key moments. All those things that actors have trained years to do well–that’s a lot of pressure to put on yourself to do for the first time in front of a camera crew and with hot lights on you. It makes me nervous! And when I get nervous, I don’t come across as confident. That can undermine trust. And a video like that can actually hurt your brand quite a bit. 

But you are confident. You do know what you’re doing. You can be trusted. That will come across authentically with an unscripted video that gives you an opportunity to make an authentic emotional connection, at scale, through video.

Our process generally works something like this: 

• We conduct a pre-interview to get to know you and talk a little about logistics 
• We come up with interview questions based on some key points that are important to you 
• Compliance usually wants to review those questions 
• We film an interview. (It’s fun!) This can happen in person with a camera crew of 3-4 people using cinema-quality equipment, or it can happen remotely using a remote recording kit and an online recording platform. 
• We work with you and your compliance team as we edit the video. Usually, we provide unlimited rounds of edits as part of our flat rates. Editing includes color correction, graphics, and music. 
• Once you and your compliance team are happy with your video content, we finalize it and deliver it in the format you need, depending on how you’ll use it. 

For a cinematic brand video, the finished product looks like this: 

For a remotely recorded client testimonial, the finished product looks something like this. Note: this is a testimonial from one of our clients for our services. Because the SEC so recently loosened its restrictions on client testimonials, we don’t yet have any finished edits (but some are in process!): 

Q: What can advisors do to ensure their investment in video production results in videos that can stand the test of time? 

Kerri: If you’re only making one video to help you establish trust with prospects, make a video about why you do what you do. 

That could be a brand video with you and your team talking about your passion for serving your clients. Why do you do it? What do you love about it? 

Or that might be a client testimonial video talking about the care and concern you have for your clients. How did you help them imagine a secure future? What is it like to work with you? What surprised them about working with you?

Focus on your unique why–your relationships–and your video will always stand out and serve you well for a very long time. 

Q: For advisors wondering if they are a good fit to use your services, what else would you want them to consider? 

Kerri: If you have a passion for what you do and are a trustworthy human, I can serve you well. You don’t have to have any prior camera experience; you don’t have to know anything about marketing, and you don’t have to have a YouTube channel. All you need to have is a willingness to share your story and want to relate to your clients and prospects in an honest way.

We also work with quite a variety of budgets and love coming up with ways to make video accessible to people who are interested to try it. If you’re curious, let’s connect!