Snappy Kraken CEO Robert Sofia on the science of smart advisor marketing

Do you ever look out of your window and imagine being at the beach? Do you wish you could fast-forward through Wall Street's looming rainy season and get to something a little sunnier? 

Then allow Financial Planning to transport you back to the dog days of summer and directly into the heart of Surf City.

Our special look back at the Future Proof Festival continues through a series of interviews with insiders and newsmakers conducted by the Financial Planning editorial team.

In this clip, Wealthtech Reporter Justin L. Mack speaks with Robert Sofia, the CEO of industry marketing firm Snappy Kraken. The company recently announced the launch of a new packaged offering, Freedom360, which they say is crafted to handle all the vital aspects of an advisor's modern marketing strategy. 

Freedom360 is targeting busy advisors who may see greater returns on their marketing efforts if handled by an expert. In addition to the technology, content and marketing support, the goal is to free up advisors so they have more time to serve existing clients and grow effectively without spending so much of their time on marketing.

Snappy Kraken officials also say their recent survey of high-net-worth retirees and pre-retirees found that slightly more than half (52%) of respondents would consider hiring a financial advisor within the next 18 months. The firm says the findings underscore the need for advisors to better engage existing clients and served as the impetus for the Freedom360 program.

Snappy Kraken is also preparing for its second Jolt! marketing conference at the Aria Resort in Las Vegas in early May. The event will focus on helping advisors grow via their marketing strategies. 

At Future Proof 2022, Sofia and Mack discussed what separates the top performing advisors differentiate themselves through marketing. Sofia said one of the most important things is taking the time to understand the "why" behind your ideal client as much as the "who." 

"They are marketing to a very specific psychographic profile. They're not using spray-and-pray, big-box marketing that just goes out. The same thing to the same groups all the time, in the same way and treating everyone the same," Sofia said. "They're not copying what other advisors do … they're getting super clear on exactly who their ideal client is. They determine that psychographic profile, and they build all their marketing around it."

He added that advisors should be mindful of the message they may be sending based on how they decide to reach out to clients and prospects. 

"When you reach out to your clients, do you reach out to them like a stranger? I think about all the big marketing tools that send automated birthday messages. So does every restaurant. They don't know you. They don't care about you. Something like that just says my computer remembered your birthday," Sofia said. "That's not human marketing. That undermines a relationship. So there are so many better ways to not just put yourself out there, but to show your clients 'I know you, I'm thinking of you as a human,' and you can scale these things."

Check out the full interview below.

Future Proof, an event billed as the first wealth festival, attracted more than 2,200 people to Huntington Beach, California, last year. Financial Planning was a sponsor of the event. Dates for Future Proof 2023 have already been announced. The event is slated to return to the beach Sept. 10-13, 2023.