The Equity Mates network reaches more than 750,000 young Australian investors each month. For advisers, these are the next generation of clients. This monthly email shares insights to help bridge the gap between young Australians and financial advisers.

The Communication Revolution

The way the world communicates is changing. The next generation of clients are getting their information on different platforms, in different ways and from different people. Advisers are faced with the choice of keeping up or being left behind. 

Recent research from Salesforce shows that 67% of Gen Z consumers expect businesses to communicate through their preferred digital channels.¹ For financial services specifically, Accenture found that 73% of Gen Z investors want to engage with their financial providers through mobile apps and digital platforms.²

When it comes to their preferred digital platforms, unsurprisingly social media tops the list. Deloitte found that for Gen Z’s in Australia, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube are overwhelmingly the three most popular platforms.³ Of note for advisers, more and more young Australians are turning to TikTok for informational content, with 34% consuming news on the platform.⁴ 

One final platform advisers should be thinking about is LinkedIn. As of late 2024, LinkedIn had approximately 15 million Australian members, representing 90% of the country’s 16 million professionals and tertiary students.⁵ Often thought of as a more ‘boring’ or ‘older’ audience, 60% of LinkedIn’s Australian users are aged between 25 and 34,⁶ making it a great platform to reach potential clients. 

The Reality of Digital Engagement

A study by Deloitte revealed that Gen Z switches between devices an average of 4.2 times per hour and consumes information in micro-moments throughout the day.⁷ This isn't just changing how they communicate - it's fundamentally altering their expectations for professional relationships.

Traditional advisory models assume clients want comprehensive, scheduled interactions. But younger clients are more comfortable with:

• Frequent, brief touchpoints

• Asynchronous communication

• Visual and interactive content

• Self-service options for basic queries

McKinsey research shows that financial services firms using omnichannel communication strategies see 35% higher client satisfaction and 25% higher retention rates.⁸

Social Media for Advisers: The Professional Approach

Previously seen as a nuisance or a nice-to-have, social media is becoming a must for modern financial advice firms. Much like any other form of communication, the Australian Financial Services Licence requirements don't prevent professional social media use - they just require compliance with existing communication standards.

With more than 700,000 young Australians in the Equity Mates community, we’ve learned a lot about how to communicate with young investors online. Here’s some key tips for communicating on different digital platforms. 

LinkedIn Best Practices:

• Share market insights and educational content

• Comment thoughtfully on industry discussions

• Use professional photography and consistent branding

• Maintain ASIC compliance on all financial commentary

Video Communication:

• 2-3 minute market updates work better than lengthy explanations

• Screen-sharing for portfolio reviews increases engagement

• Personalized video messages for major market events

The Bottom Line

This isn't about abandoning personal relationships or professional standards. It's about meeting clients where they are while maintaining the depth and trust that great financial advice requires.

The advisers who are thriving with younger clients have learned to separate the medium from the message. They're delivering the same quality advice and building equally strong relationships - they're just doing it through channels that feel natural to their clients.

As Forrester Research notes: “Customer experience is the new competitive battleground, and communication preferences are at the center of that battle”.

Forms of communication are constantly changing. Much like a previous generation of advisers managed the shift to email, we are now seeing the shift to new mass communication platforms. The winners from this change will be those who move with the times and change with their audience. 

We asked two advisers, who we believe are leaders in this sp, how they approach communicating with the younger generation and what channels they find successful.

Ben Nash, Founder of Pivot Wealth
At Pivot Wealth, we think about communication as a spectrum. At the top of the funnel, short-form video and social posts help us spark interest and make complex financial strategies accessible to a broad audience. This type of content builds familiarity and trust before someone ever engages with us directly, and it gives people the chance to self-select when they’re ready to go deeper.

Once a client is engaged in financial planning, our focus shifts to more personalised and practical communication. We’ve found short explainer videos and curated digital financial education content to be especially effective. These tools give clients clarity on their strategy without overwhelming them, and they can be revisited whenever needed. Day-to-day touchpoints are delivered through SMS and email, with SMS driving timely nudges and reminders, while email provides structure and depth for meeting follow-ups, progress updates, and tailored educational insights.

To tie it all together, we use a secure digital portal where all communications and content are housed in one place. This gives clients a single point of reference for their strategy, key resources, and past discussions. It makes it simple for them to stay on track, reduces friction in communication, and reinforces that their financial plan is something they can always access and act on.

Ben Nash is a finance expert commentator, podcaster, financial adviser and founder of Pivot Wealth. Ben’s new book, Virgin Millionaire; the step-by-step guide to your first million and beyond is out now on Amazon.

Owen Raszkiewicz, Founder of The Rask Group
Any generation must trust their adviser. It's our lived experience that the younger generation (by that we mean, anyone under 50) is far more trusting of advice because many of them weren't ripped off by the pre-FASEA advice firms. If our advisers wore a full suit to an initial client meeting, I estimate our conversion rate would drop 20-30%. If not more. A collar is perfect.

Our business follows a combination of Permission Marketing, by Godin; meets Influence, by Cialdini; to nurture potential clients no matter how they enter Rask funnels. That means, the organic content on our websites (biggest lead source), Instagram, YouTube or Tiktok should make someone 'feel' the same. 

In 8 years, we've spent less than $20,000 on paid advertising (Google, FB, etc.). In our experience working with other finance brands, there's no point running a sleek advert if your website is old, slow and outdated. It's like driving a Ferrari onto a dirt road. The conversion between lead-generation on content platforms and ingesting actual inbound on your site will crater if your website is clapped out. 

What works for us:

1. Have your FSG prominently on every page of your website (e.g. in the footer). And don't make them boring. There's nothing in the Corporations Act or ASIC RGs that requires you to be a boring firm or person. Showing fees clearly will stop tyre kickers and there will be no 'bill shock' during your disco call. Your advisers will feel better too. It's not selling, it's educating. 
   

2. Form long-term (12+ month) partnerships with online creators and people of influence. We've been on the receiving end of these deals for years and the brands and advisers we work with have crushed the market's rate of growth. It's worked so well that now we're paying other creators to supercharge our Advice business' marketing effort. Tip: remind the creators of your ethics, transparency and your desire to pay them consistently every month for the long run. Don't expect an immediate ROI. That's not how trust works. 
   

3. Invest in your website. Not for the traffic, but for the brand trust. $5,000 - $15,000 will get you an amazing Wordpress website, with some onboarding nurture emails and maybe a basic CRM set up. Every client, not just the young ones, want this.
   

4. In the beginning, use your personal brand and communicate in the first person. Why? Ask any consumer if they trust the banks or Barefoot more. 
   

5. Offer once-off advice. Younger generations will pay your bill 2-3x faster than a retiree. If they rock up for a disco call, they're there to pay for advice - not to "shop around" or "get a feel for it". Younger generations don't think like that. However, if they feel locked in, they won't commit. While some may be okay if you push to OSAs or % fees immediately, your conversion will probably drop 50% or more if that's your lead. See Permission Marketing, and then "Commitment and Consistency" by Professor Cialdini. 

Over the last month we’ve covered a lot, including how to choose successful fund managers with Chirs Cuffee, and the real reason CBA is so expensive, with William Curtayne.

You can check out all episodes on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.

As part of our mission to support all Australian advisers, every Basis Points episode is accredited for CPD by the Financial Advice Association of Australia. To claim your CPD Points:

• Listen to or watch the episode

• Follow the link in the show notes or YouTube description to complete the CPD Quiz

• Complete the 3-question CPD quiz

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