One of the industries which is having a difficult time marketing to women is financial services, particularly in financial advising. There seems to be a disconnect between the predominantly male field and the increasingly female customer base in how to communicate.

Plans are developed and conversations are had that appeal to the male mindset, probably as a result of a by-gone era where few women worked and men made most of the big financial decisions. Now, this disconnect could be costing financial advisers clients. Women are a large part of the workforce, and many of them have some serious coin in their purse. They include women who have outlived their husbands who have a sizable retirement nest egg, divorcees who have their own careers and women who are the main breadwinners in their household.

We think the fix is simple enough. The industry just needs to understand how to communicate with its female clients better, know what motivates them to make decisions and realize that women are twice as likely to refer a financial adviser than men.

This could provide opportunities for women in the financial advising field to snatch up clients due to the inherent advantage they have over their male colleagues when it comes to speaking to women, especially since less than a third of people working in personal financial advising are women.

Do you have any stories, good or bad, about how the financial services industry has dealt with female clients? If so, please share.

FletcherPR is a national communications firm that specializes in reaching women through the power of media. Headquartered in Knoxville, TN with staff in Nashville & Los Angeles, we are a full-service agency providing strategic public relations, social media and marketing communications services to our clients throughout the U.S.