If you’re a financial advisor looking to connect with new clients, it can sometimes feel like your options are limited.

Once you’ve tapped into your sphere of influence and people who they know, you need to find creative ways to attract new clients that also won’t cause compliance-related headaches.

When it comes to making a first impression on a group of potential clients, there are few things as effective as hosting a seminar. Here’s why.

Seminars establish your expertise.

For financial advisors looking to attract new clients, expertise is everything.

If someone isn’t confident that you know what you’re not talking about, they’re simply not going to trust you with their money. And who would blame them?

Seminars provide an outlet for you to show your expertise, which will make clients more likely to believe in you as an advisor. While you don’t want to approach your seminar as a sales pitch—which it definitely isn’t—you do want to keep in mind that your attendees will judge you based on your performance.

If you appear confident and dispense accurate, helpful information, it’s far more likely that your attendees will seek out your business afterward.

You can target your ideal client base.

As an advisor, some of the marketing opportunities available to professionals in other fields aren’t available to you, which can make connecting with an ideal audience difficult. But seminars are a great way to get in front of the people who can most benefit from what you have to offer.

For example, if you’re presenting a topic relevant to retirees, you might circulate information about your event where retirees are more likely to find it—for example, 55-plus communities, or at other local businesss that service seniors.

When you are offering up information that your audience can really use, you’re creating value. This is incredibly important, especially since many of the people you’re seeking out are convinced they can handle their financial affairs by themselves.

By demonstrating your knowledge of a subject that really hits home with your audience, you’re putting the thought into their minds that an expert might be able to take them further than they’re able to go on their own.

Networking opportunities abound.

While the presentation itself is the big draw for your potential clients, you need to keep in mind what comes after. Ultimately, you should be concerned less with the turnout and more with how many of the attendees eventually become paying customers.

If you’re hosting a seminar over dinner, consider ending your presentation by letting everyone know that dessert is about to be served. Then, while people enjoy their desserts, you can circle the room and thank them for coming. Have genuine conversations, and ask them what they thought about the presentation. Since the relationship between client and advisor is built heavily on trust and rapport, you’ll want to do what you can to create good feelings between you and your attendees.

To really get the most out of your seminars, it also helps to have an impression piece that will leave you top of mind once the event is over. This is where a customized magazine from ReminderMedia will go a long way.

Give your attendees promotional copies of your magazine, which contain your branding, as well as great, non-financial content that offers turnkey compliance approval. Then, you can provide a sign-up sheet for those who are interested in receiving a copy of your magazine every two months, and add those individuals to your list.

See how a 58% referral rate can change your business

At the end of the day, seminars are all about getting facetime with relevant leads and connecting with them in meaningful ways. While not everyone who shows up will become a client, those who do will make your initial investment worth every penny.