Third-party, digitally-enabled marketing solutions focused on driving lead gen for independent financial advisors continue to proliferate, and small wonder. Effectively identifying and converting prospective clients continues to be one of the most time consuming and complex activities for financial advisors, but with the greatest potential ROI in terms of driving successful business growth.
The plethora of options today – ranging from automated social media campaigns to tech-driven client and advisor matching platforms – creates new challenges when it comes to effective selection and implementation of the right tools.
That’s why third-party marketing solutions providers are increasingly being called on to do more than just address specific tactical needs, with independent financial advisor businesses now frequently seeking providers that can deliver across a wider range of integrated solutions.
One example of a third-party solutions provider that is stepping up to the plate by offering more is White Glove. The digitally-enabled full-service organizer of seminars and other investor education events that align with a financial advisor’s client prospecting strategies embarked upon a series of transformational strategic moves beginning in late 2023.
This includes the fourth quarter 2023 appointment of a new CEO, Greg Bogich, and the subsequent merger of White Glove with TouchFuse, a provider of localized marketing automation tech and services to the RIA market.
Adding to the company’s momentum, in the first quarter of this year White Glove further expanded its leadership team, bringing on Jeff Bajorek as Chief Sales Officer and Derek Janis as Chief Marketing Officer.
We spoke with Mr. Bogich and Mr. Janis about their firm and the steps they are taking to outpace their martech competitors in the wealth management industry.
Digital Wealth News: How have things been going with integrating TouchFuse’s solutions with White Glove’s offerings, given that the merger between both firms was just a few months ago?
Greg Bogich: We’re five months in, and so far, the integration of the businesses has been incredibly successful. There’s a great cultural fit between the teams, a shared vision for our collective future, and an alignment of values. There are many examples of strong collaboration, and maybe the most exciting thing is that the combined perspectives are already leading to new ideas and innovations that will benefit our clients and the industry.
However, there’s still substantial work to do. We’re in the early innings, but we’re excited and confident based on our initial progress. To make the most of this unique opportunity, we’ve also made a couple of key additions to the combined company’s leadership team. We’ve hired Derek Janis as our new Chief Marketing Officer and Jeff Bajorek as the new Chief Sales Officer. Both are thought leaders and difference makers.
Derek Janis: It’s been extremely exciting to come into this newly merged company and witness the positivity and collaboration from Day One. This company has some of the most passionate people I’ve worked with and it’s inspiring to see them pour that passion into executing every day for our customers.
Additionally, the care and dedication the team has taken to merging processes, systems and cultures have been tremendous. The key to this early success is the undeterred focus on the overall customer experience and ensuring our clients reap the benefits of the merger as quickly as possible.
DWN: How does the combination of White Glove and TouchFuse create a more potent competitor in the landscape of martech solutions providers for independent financial advisors? How are your customers responding to the expanded offerings from this merger?
GB: The marriage of White Glove and TouchFuse created something unique in the marketing services and martech space. We’re especially tailored for independent financial advisors, and our merger has enabled us to bring together leading-edge technology, unparalleled customer service and the option of pay-for-performance. We’re a unicorn.
We provide both best-in-class digital media and traditional media, ensuring that advisors have a strong pipeline of the most qualified prospects. This combination allows us to fill the top of the funnel with greater efficiency and effectiveness. We also offer a level of transparency on consumers that’s unmatched in the industry.
In addition, our Nurture and Engage platform ensures that advisors can grow both their prospects and their existing client base effectively. This means our customers benefit from a seamless process that strengthens their ability to grow new business while enhancing their existing relationships – all of which improve their retention rates.
DJ: Our customers are discerning folks with businesses to run. They know scaling their client base is important and that seminars are one of the best ways for financial advisors to bring more assets under management – we’re here to be their growth engine.
The combined offerings of White Glove and TouchFuse provide them with a partner to take the hassle out of executing seminars. We also offer omni-channel, data-enhanced strategies to fill those seminars with high-net-worth households. We further drive return on investment for our customers through our technology platform that automates post-seminar follow-up and nurturing.
DWN: Looking ahead, what do you see as White Glove’s top priorities for the balance of this year in terms of company growth and services for independent financial advisors?
GB: Our top priorities for the rest of this year focus on integration and enhancing the services we offer to advisors. We are working hard to integrate White Glove and TouchFuse into one cohesive, streamlined organization. This includes systems, training and alignment of processes to ensure a great customer experience.
Additionally, we are exploring new ways to integrate traditional and digital media to deliver more effective campaigns. We believe we can broaden our reach while maintaining a personalized touch, driving greater success for our clients.
We’re also expanding our customer-enabled tools, adding new features to improve functionality and provide greater transparency to the advisor’s experience. This, coupled with our ability to customize service levels to meet the unique needs of each advisor, ensures that whether an advisor is new to marketing or a marketing savant, we will have the flexibility, tools and team to support them.
DJ: As with any merger, a focused effort to unify the brands and tell a consistent story is needed. This is my initial priority as I come into the leadership team. White Glove and TouchFuse’s offerings are expansive, and our audience needs to understand all we can do for them and the value we create.
Another priority is finding new ways to share that story. As our capabilities grow, so does our addressable market. Ensuring we’re getting our story in front of the right people at the exact right time will be critical to our company’s long-term success.
DWN: Clearly, the future of independent financial advisor marketing that drives lead gen, lead capture and brand elevation will look dramatically different from the past. What do you believe are the top tech trends that will fundamentally transform this segment of the wealth management industry?
GB: First, technology and service solutions enable financial advisors to scale their online presence and engagement without requiring them to become expert marketers or hire dedicated marketing personnel.
You couple that with the advisor’s need to reduce their reliance on referrals, which is critical, especially with the great wealth transfer on the horizon. Inherited money clients will be seeking advisors, whether those are new or win-back accounts. Advisors will need significant support to compete against other advisors and DIY retail investing.
Lastly, the ongoing focus on privacy and evolving legislation, including the new SEC marketing rule, impacts how advisors market their services. They will need help navigating the changing regulatory landscape and learning to balance privacy concerns with the need for effective marketing.
DJ: People choose their financial advisors based on who they feel they can trust, and advisors must build that trust in their first few interactions. High-touch, personalized marketing campaigns utilizing one-to-one messaging are quickly rising as a top-performing strategy that helps potential clients feel seen and understood right out of the gate.
For advisors looking to create sustainable growth with minimal impact on their current operations, technology-enabled marketing automation is key. We will continue to invest in our technology platform and offerings, enabling automated and enhanced marketing messages our customers can deploy for their growth efforts.
