Existing clients are the lifeblood of your business, so it’s not surprising that 83% of researched advisers told us that they see potential for new business from their existing client base*.

Human nature is to stick with what we know. Familiarity is key, and much like an old friend, your clients’ loyalty is based on the time and effort you invest in them and how good you are at staying in touch. Perceived indifference is the reason why 71% of customers take their business elsewhere.

Email marketing still remains an easy way to maintain the relationship and is still probably your most cost-effective client retention tool, but what should you use to do the work – a weekly email or a monthly newsletter?

Make it relevant

The answer depends on the profile of your reader. Once prevalent, newsletters are now used less and less as people are increasingly inundated with information and have limited time available.

Retired clients may have a more relaxed lifestyle which allows them to read all communications, whereas a client who still works could be swamped with emails and quick to judge what will be a good use of their time. Using a subject heading that appeals to your reader is vital. If it has ‘clickability’ you know that your message will at least be opened.

Making sure the email content is relevant is also hugely important. A client with a high retirement income won’t be interested in new rules around staff contributions, for example. A newsletter may not be the best option if the content is general and designed to apply to the majority rather than the recipient.

Analyse everything

The success of an e-mail campaign or a newsletter can be quickly and precisely measured, which will prove to be time well spent. Try to avoid using Outlook and think about choosing another email distributor that will easily track which emails have been opened and which links have been clicked. This will allow you to adapt and develop what you send out, to maximise your value and readership within each audience segment.

We’ve put together some guides to help you decide what will work best for you.

Emailed newsletters

1. The difference between a newsletter and a retention email.
2. Newsletter pros and cons
3. A simple step by step guide
   
   

Retention emails

1. The pros and cons
2. A concept map guide to email marketing
3. A checklist to run through before sending out your email

We are bombarded with emails and are therefore becoming increasingly protective of our inboxes. No matter which way you decide to go, focus on producing concise, relevant, high quality and valuable content. The moment the quality starts to slip, you’ll rapidly lose their attention.

Master all this and your clients will not only learn to trust you and your content, they’ll also look forward to getting emails from you. And what could be better than that?

*Aviva Adviser Research, Cicero 2018