Quealy and Whistler shot a second video in Omaha, which was more relaxed in tone (jackets, but no ties) as they described the essence of what Nottingham is all about.
Quealy says Nottingham plans to start shooting a “Friday Five” video series, where on Friday afternoon they’ll talk about the five things or events that happened that week and how they affect the market. “It can’t be a video you throw out there with no real purpose,” Quealy explains. “Everything we do has to come back to our strategies or one of our portfolios.”
Gone Fishing
Changes in technology and consumer expectations more or less guarantee that video will play a larger role in the marketing efforts of financial advisors going forward. But not everyone is jumping on the bandwagon.
Scot Hanson, a certified financial planner in Shoreview, Minn., who’s part of EFS Advisors, wonders if video is right for his practice. “I’ve thought about creating a video because I’ve seen other firms and competitors do videos, and they’ll do them based on questions relating to things like IRAs or college savings. I think that’s fabulous.
“But in my case, I’m very established and I’m not looking for new clients because I gain them from my reputation and referrals,” he adds. “Maybe videos are for younger advisors who are actively trying to grow their business.”
Hanson says he understands that websites (which he does have) and videos are important marketing tools for advisors, but he says he’s found many of his clients over the years simply by going about his life. “I go to church and meet people,” he says. “I live my life and manage things just by walking around.”
And he hunts and fishes. The handle in his business e-mail address is “walleyescot,” walleyes being a freshwater fish prevalent in the Upper Midwest. “For some people, that means something,” Hanson says.
The name of his walleye boat is called “The Floating Office.” “I probably have more client appointments there than anywhere else,” Hanson says, perhaps half-jokingly. “You get someone who likes to hunt or fish go out with you, and sometimes they bring their son or daughter, their best friend, their brother-in-law…whoever. It’s not like we talk heavy about financial planning, but you get to know their values and what they’re trying to accomplish.”
In an age increasingly dominated by portable electronic gadgets and visual overstimulation, it’s comforting that an advisor can talk shop and bond with clients—and possible future clients—while reeling in walleyes on a clear, cold Minnesota lake. If Hanson wants to make a video for his website, maybe that’s the story line.