LMG Services

Strategic Messaging

Strategic Messaging

Most advisors have a hard time with their messaging because they know what problems they solve for people, what makes them good at what they do, and why people should choose them, but articulating it in a compelling and concise way can be difficult. Through our Strategic Messaging project, we’ll work with you to create powerful content that says the right things to attract and impress your target market segments and inspire them to reach out to you. Building on any existing content you have, the language we create will become the foundation of your marketing and branding moving forward.

Every firm is different and so is the content we create to tell their story, but some of the common subjects we cover include:

Process

We start with a discovery meeting where we ask a lot of questions and uncover your strengths and the value you deliver to clients. We’ll talk about things like why you became an advisor, what you love about your job, the difference you make in your clients’ lives, and what it’s like working with you. We’ll also talk about the kind of clients you work with and want to attract moving forward so that we can get into the mindset of the people we are aiming the content at.

Our discovery meeting takes around an hour, and it gives us the information we need to share your story and effectively position your firm in the market. After the meeting, our writer and brand strategists will collaborate to create the content, and then we’ll show it to you and make any changes you have. When you’re happy with it, it will go to compliance, and we’ll make their changes as well.

Once the messaging is finalized, different portions of it will be used throughout your various brand assets, including your website, social media profiles, booklets and brochures, capabilities decks, and more.

Timing

Messaging usually takes four weeks and is often done in tandem with a website or capabilities deck project.

Fees

  • Our full strategic messaging service is $4,000, and we create all of the content from scratch.
  • For a lower-cost option, we can use starter content out of our existing agency library for $1,500. With that option, we’ll still take you through our full discovery process, but instead of writing the content from scratch, we choose existing content from our library that best aligns with what we learn about you. You can either use it as-is or edit it as you see fit to personalize it for your firm.
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Business Stationery & Folders

Even though we live in a digital world, most elite advisors still use various stationery pieces like notecards, envelopes, and folders. We can design whatever pieces you need, and either provide the print-ready files to you, or we can coordinate printing and shipping with our preferred printer.

Process

Your stationery project will start with you providing the information you need on the various pieces, like names, titles, contact information, and disclosures. Then we will design all of the pieces and show you them as a set so you can get an idea of how it will all look together. We’ll make any revisions you have and work with compliance to do the same, and then when everything is approved, we will clone everything and customize it for the other people on your team.

Timing

Stationery design takes two weeks plus any additional time needed for revisions and compliance.

Fees

  • Folded cards: $500
  • Flat notecards: $300
  • Letter pads/notepads: $300
  • Sticky notes: $150
  • Envelopes: $150
  • Folders: $750
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Brand Naming

The name you choose for your firm is a big deal because it’s a core piece of your identity and how you’ll be known moving forward. The name you choose should be unique, memorable, and appealing to the kind of clients you want to attract, and it must be available from the standpoint of competitors, trademarks, and domain names.

If you’ve tried to figure out the right name on your own, you’ll know that it can be a bit overwhelming, but rest assured that you don’t have to go it alone. We’ve developed a five-phase process that helps you navigate the waters and find the perfect name for your practice.

Process

Phase I: discovery meeting

We start by taking you through our discovery process so we can learn about your business, your background, your strengths and skills, and the kind of people you want to attract. We’ll also discuss any name ideas you have and/or any words or themes you’ve been thinking about.

Phase II: brainstorming & research

Next, our branding team does an internal brainstorming session to come up with a list of possible names, and then we fully vet each one. We determine if there are any nearby competitors with similar names, if there are any trademarks, and whether or not there are good domain names available.

Phase III: presentation of finalists

Once our research is complete, we’ll present you with five finalists that we believe would be a strong representation of you and your brand. Each finalist will be available from a competitor, trademark, and domain name standpoint, and we will turn them over and encourage you to marinate on them for a few days.

Phase IV: consideration & collaboration

When you marinate on the names, one might stand out as the clear favorite, or you might be torn between several options. A new name idea might even spark in your mind, but rest assured that all of those possibilities are normal. Naming is a collaborative process, especially at this stage, and we can talk through things and even vet new names you come up with to help you settle on the one.

Phase V: finalization of name

Once you’ve decided on your name, we’ll help you acquire your domain names, and if you want to trademark it and don’t have an intellectual property attorney, we can introduce you to ours.

Timing

Naming projects typically take 3 weeks, plus any additional time you need to collaborate and make your final decision.

Fees

  • A full naming project is $5,000, not including any additional fees you may pay for trademarking the name or purchasing domain names.
  • If you already have some names in mind and you just need help determining what’s available in terms of trademarks, competitors, and domain names, we also offer a name vetting service for $2,000 where we vet up to five names that you provide us.
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Logo Design

Your logo is a foundational element of your brand, and it’s something that, when done well, will never need to be redone. It should be unique, simple, and look great in any format, whether it’s on your website, your business card, a sign on your office wall, or engraved on a YETI mug.

Process

Our logo process starts with us talking through ideas with you during your kickoff meeting, and then collaborating internally with our designers to develop three logos to present to you. Each option will be a unique representation of your brand and adhere to NM’s rules and requirements, and you’ll review them and provide us with your feedback.

We will make any revisions you request to your favorite concept(s), show you the revised options, and go back and forth like that until you have a logo you love and are ready to finalize. At that point, we will create it for you in a variety of formats (horizontal, stacked, icon-only, black and white, etc.), and we will produce it in all eight formats that NM requires. Once it’s submitted to compliance, if they have any changes, we will take care of them as well.

Timing

Logo projects typically take two weeks for the initial set of three logos for your consideration. From there, the time varies depending on the speed of your feedback and the number of rounds of revisions you request, but most logo projects are done in about a month, plus whatever time is needed for compliance.

Fees

  • A full logo project is $2,500.
  • If you have an existing logo and you just need minor changes to it, we would just do it as an hourly project at our standard agency rate of $220/hour.
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Custom Websites

When a prospect is referred to you, their next step is not contacting you, it’s going online to vet you and check you out to decide if they should—and your website is where that decision happens. When you understand that, you understand how important having a great website is to your bottom line. People need to be able to find it quickly and easily, and when they do, it should impress them and inspire them to get in touch.

Platform

Northwestern Mutual uses Broadridge for website hosting, and we have special capabilities to give you a more custom look and feel than the standard template if you are either a Strategic Group, an Ensemble, or a member of the Private Client Group. The Broadridge platform is search engine friendly and ADA compliant, and all websites are mobile responsive and will function perfectly on all devices and screen sizes.

Process

We start the process by doing a kickoff meeting to learn about your firm, your target markets, and your preferred website style. For the style, you can either show us examples of websites you love, or we can show you examples of modern, best-practice websites and get feedback on what you do and don’t like. After the kickoff meeting, we build the website in its entirety, deliver it to you, and give you veto power to make any changes you want. Once you’re happy with it, it will go to compliance, and then we’ll work directly with them to get it approved and live.

Timing

Websites typically take four to six weeks to build, depending on size and complexity, plus whatever time is needed for revisions and compliance.

Website design fees

  • Custom websites are $6,000 and include up to 20 custom-built pages.

Website content fees

It’s important for your website to look good, but the most important thing is that it says the right things to inspire prospects to get in touch with you. When we build your website, there are three options for the content we use:

  • You can provide it to us in a Word document or we can use what you have on your current live website.
  • After taking you through our discovery process and learning about you and the kind of people you want to attract, we can write it from scratch. This is done through our “Strategic Messaging” service and is $4,000.
  • After taking you through our discovery process and learning about you and the kind of people you want to attract, we can choose content out of our existing agency library, and you can edit it as you see fit. This option is $1,500.

Regardless of which option you go with, keep in mind that the content used on your website can also be used in places like your capabilities deck, company brochure, social media profiles, and more. Your story is your story no matter where it’s told!

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Strategic Messaging

Most advisors have a hard time with their messaging because they know what problems they solve for people, what makes them good at what they do, and why people should choose them, but articulating it in a compelling and concise way can be difficult. Through our Strategic Messaging project, we’ll work with you to create powerful content that says the right things to attract and impress your target market segments and inspire them to reach out to you. Building on any existing content you have, the language we create will become the foundation of your marketing and branding moving forward.

Every firm is different and so is the content we create to tell their story, but some of the common subjects we cover include:

Process

We start with a discovery meeting where we ask a lot of questions and uncover your strengths and the value you deliver to clients. We’ll talk about things like why you became an advisor, what you love about your job, the difference you make in your clients’ lives, and what it’s like working with you. We’ll also talk about the kind of clients you work with and want to attract moving forward so that we can get into the mindset of the people we are aiming the content at.

Our discovery meeting takes around an hour, and it gives us the information we need to share your story and effectively position your firm in the market. After the meeting, our writer and brand strategists will collaborate to create the content, and then we’ll show it to you and make any changes you have. When you’re happy with it, it will go to compliance, and we’ll make their changes as well.

Once the messaging is finalized, different portions of it will be used throughout your various brand assets, including your website, social media profiles, booklets and brochures, capabilities decks, and more.

Timing

Messaging usually takes four weeks and is often done in tandem with a website or capabilities deck project.

Fees

  • Our full strategic messaging service is $4,000, and we create all of the content from scratch.
  • For a lower-cost option, we can use starter content out of our existing agency library for $1,500. With that option, we’ll still take you through our full discovery process, but instead of writing the content from scratch, we choose existing content from our library that best aligns with what we learn about you. You can either use it as-is or edit it as you see fit to personalize it for your firm.
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Capabilities Decks

A well-thought-out capabilities deck, also called a firm profile or pitch deck, is an important asset to highlight your firm’s strengths and points of differentiation. Some advisors walk people through it during their first in-person or Zoom meeting, and others prefer to send it before or after the first meeting as an introductory or reinforcement piece. No matter how you plan to use it, it is a great tool to showcase who you are and what you’re all about.

Process

We’ll start your capabilities deck project by meeting with you to discuss how you plan to use the deck as well as any ideas you have for what information you want to convey. The content typically comes from a combination of your website messaging in a scaled-down format, along with any corporate content or content from our library that makes sense for your practice.

For the design, the best practice is for it to have a similar look and feel to your website so that your brand identity is both polished and cohesive. Our creative team will start there for the design inspiration. We’ll create a modern layout, develop custom graphics as needed, and integrate images from our stock library to balance things out.

Once we have the deck built out, we’ll turn it over to you and then go back and forth doing any revisions you have. Once you’re happy with it, it will go to compliance, and we’ll make any changes they have as well. Once it is approved, we will provide it to you in PowerPoint and as a PDF document.

Timing

Capabilities decks typically take four weeks plus any additional time needed for revisions and compliance.

Fees

  • Capabilities decks include up to 15 custom-designed slides for $4,000.
  • Additional slides can be added as needed for $200 each.
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Welcome Booklets

As a financial advisor, you should formally welcome clients to your family when they decide to work with you. They are making a life-changing decision, and it’s a moment that should be honored and celebrated. Also, if a client’s experience with you early on is impressive, it will impact the way they see you moving forward, and a welcome booklet (along with a gift for top clients) is great, next-level touch.

It is typically designed as a multi-page booklet that reflects your brand’s identity and contains some of the same information you probably already send to clients, such as a welcome message, key contacts at the firm, next steps, account access instructions, and more. But instead of sending everything through long emails and disjointed attachments, it’s all consolidated into one polished reference document that’s designed with your unique brand identity.

Process

We’ll start with a kickoff meeting with you to discuss what information you want to convey as you welcome new clients to your practice, and we can show you examples and talk through what other advisors commonly include.

For the design, you want it to have a similar look and feel to your website and other materials so that your brand identity is both polished and cohesive. Our creative team will start there for the design inspiration. We’ll create a modern layout, develop custom graphics as needed, and integrate images from our stock library to balance things out.

Once we have the booklet created, we’ll turn it over to you and then go back and forth doing any revisions you have. Then when you are happy with it, it will go to compliance, and we’ll make any changes they have as well.

Timing

Welcome booklets typically take three weeks plus any additional time needed for revisions and compliance.

Fees

  • Welcome booklets are priced at $2,500 for 4 pages or $4,000 for 8 pages.
  • Additional pages can be added for $425 each.
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Social Media Profiles

Some advisors love social media and others loathe it, but regardless of how you feel about it personally, having a business social media presence is expected in this day and age. When you have great profiles and share relevant content, you can maximize your referrals, reinforce your brand messaging, stay top of mind with prospects and clients, and position yourself as a thought leader in your market.

Before you start actively posting in social media, though, it’s important that your profiles are optimized to reflect a consistent brand identity. Every profile should be maxed out with all available fields, and the information should align with the information on your company website.

Through our social media profile service, we will create or optimize any of your social media profiles including creating custom cover photos and profile images and copywriting for headlines, bios, and company descriptions.

Process

We’ll create the profiles in Word documents and work back and forth with you on any revisions you have. Once you’re happy with the profiles, we will login to NM, copy them into the platforms, and then compliance will review them and let us know if there are any changes.

Timing

A set of social media profiles usually takes three weeks, plus any additional time needed for revisions and compliance.

Fees

 

  • LinkedIn advisor profile: $1,000
  • All other social media profiles: $500
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Executive Biographies

When it comes to content about who you are and what you do, the general rule of thumb is “less is more” because people are busy and don’t want to read a novel. There’s one big exception, though, and that’s your bio. Almost every person who vets you is going to read your bio, and if you want it to be as effective and compelling as possible, it needs to be comprehensive, segmented, and personal.

Process

Our executive bio service starts with an in-depth interview with one of our writers, and then we create a comprehensive segmented bio to use on your website, LinkedIn profile, bio sheet, and more. You’ll receive it as a Word document, and we’ll work with you on any revisions you may have. Once you’re happy with it, it will either go to compliance as a standalone piece, or some companies prefer to review bios as part of a website submission.

Timing

Executive bios typically take two weeks plus any additional time needed for revisions and compliance.

Fees

  • Executive bios are $1,000 each, and we recommend them for all advisors.
  • For staff members, we typically recommend a “Mini Bio” where they fill out a form about their role on your team and their personal life, and then we create a condensed bio for $500.
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Brand Announcement

If you’re making a major change in your practice, the way you announce it to your clients is critically important. Big changes need to be explained in a way that prevents confusion and helps your clients understand that this is an exciting, positive change that will benefit them. Over the years, we’ve helped countless clients announce major changes in their practices such as going independent, launching a new DBA, taking on a new partner, and more, and we have gained a lot of insight into what works well and what doesn’t.

Process

We begin our process by discussing your specific situation and whether or not there are any legal limitations in place. We’ll also discuss the relationships you have with your clients and how you want them to feel about the announcement, and then we craft strategic language to convey the right information in the best way possible. You’ll review it, provide any necessary revisions, and when you’re happy with it, it will go to compliance and then ultimately to your clients when the time is right.

Timing

Brand announcement letters typically take two weeks plus any additional time needed for revisions and compliance.

Fees

  • Announcement letters are $1,000.
  • We can also do the announcement as a video script for you to record for $1,000.
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One Pagers, Brochures, & Booklets

When you have professionally-designed materials you can share with people that provide detail about you, your firm, services you provide, or even specific financial topics, it’s an impressive touch for your brand. Depending on your needs, we can help you design anything from a simple one-pager or trifold brochure to a multi-page comprehensive booklet, and it can be created in a physical format, a digital format, or both.

Process

Our first step will be a kickoff meeting so we can discuss the project and determine what content and information you want to convey and what size and format will work best. For the design, we will create it to coordinate with your other brand assets, and we’ll develop custom graphics and integrate images from our stock library as needed.

Once we have it created, we’ll turn it over to you and then go back and forth doing any revisions you have. Then when you are happy with it, it will go to compliance, and we’ll make any changes they have as well.

Timing

One pagers, brochures, and booklets take anywhere from one to three weeks, depending on the number of pages we are creating, plus any additional time needed for revisions and compliance.

Fees

  • 1 Pager: $750
  • 2 Page Brochure (flat, bi-fold, or tri-fold): $1,500
  • 4 Page Booklet: $2,500
  • 8 Page Booklet: $4,000
  • 12 Page Booklet: $5,000
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Custom Fact Finders

As an advisor, you want every interaction prospects and clients have with you to be polished and professional and to communicate your status as an independent company. The materials you use are a big part of this, and if some of them are professionally designed and branded with your DBA, but your onboarding fact finder has your broker dealer’s branding instead of yours, there is a disconnect there. Creating a custom fact finder enhances your brand continuity, sends the right message of true independence, and allows you to fully customize the data you’re gathering during the onboarding phase.

Process

To begin this project, we’ll have you provide us with the current fact finder you are using, and we’ll have a quick meeting to discuss anything you want to add, remove, or change. Next, we’ll design the new custom fact finder, show you and do any revisions you have, and then it will go through compliance. After we’ve made all of the changes from you and compliance and we have final approval, we will make the entire piece into a fillable PDF.

Timing

Custom fact finders typically take three weeks, plus any additional time needed for revisions and compliance.

Fees

  • Fact finders are 16 pages for $4,000.
  • If you need one that is shorter or longer than that, we will provide you with a custom quote.
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Newsletters

Company newsletters can be very effective marketing touches to help you stay in front of your existing clients, prospects, and centers of influence. You can create physical or digital versions, and they can be sent annually, quarterly, monthly, or weekly according to your preferences and goals. Generally speaking, the longer the newsletter, the less frequently you want to send it because people are busy and don’t want to receive long content all the time. However, if you’re only going to send it a few times a year, you can definitely make it more robust.

The best performing newsletters typically have a blend of financial information and personal, behind-the-scenes content. The idea is to give people a peek into your world and showcase what’s going on at your firm (new hires, awards or designations earned, success stories, etc.) and with your team members (marriages, babies born, goals set and accomplished, etc.).

Process

We’ll meet with you to discuss the strategy for the newsletter, the content you want to include, the cadence for sending it, and the format you plan to distribute it in. Then we’ll work with you to create the first edition, which will become the template for future editions.

Timing

Newsletters can take anywhere from one to three weeks depending on the number of pages we are creating, plus any additional time needed for revisions and compliance.

Fees

The fees to design the first edition of the newsletter as an editable template are below. Once the first edition is done, you will have a template to use moving forward. You can customize it yourself at that point, or if you’d like us to do it for you, we would bill it at our hourly rate of $220/hour.

  • 1 Page: $750
  • 2 Pages: $1,500
  • 4 Pages: $2,500
  • 8 Pages: $4,000
  • 12 Pages: $5,000
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Special Discounts for Northwestern Mutual

We have a great, longstanding relationship with Northwestern Mutual and have helped hundreds of NM firms elevate their brands and grow their businesses. We work closely with home office, we have special access to their systems, and we know their rules and requirements inside and out, so working with us is turnkey for you!

Current Discounts & Deals