<img height="1" width="1" src="https://www.facebook.com/tr?id=449642955437084&amp;ev=PageView &amp;noscript=1">

7 Reasons Why Financial Advisor Websites Fail to Produce Prospects

In a recent Paladin survey, 82.4% of financial advisors said they were dissatisfied with the results that were produced by their websites. 

Additional survey questions confirmed more than 90% of these advisory firms were not sure why their websites failed to perform. 

More ominous, because their sites failed to perform, many of the financial advisors had very low expectations for results that could be produced by their websites. 

This is a big mistake. One of the biggest trends on Google, is increasing numbers of people using the Internet to find, screen, and contact all types of professionals: Financial advisors, CPAs, attorneys, and physicians. 

We have documented the seven primary reasons why financial advisor websites fail to perform. 

  1. Outbound vs Inbound 

Most financial advisors have used “Outbound Marketing” tactics for decades: Telemarketing, direct mail, seminars, advertising, etc. The key characteristic of Outbound is advisors initiate contact with investors. 

Websites use “Inbound Marketing” tactics to convince investors to initiate contact with financial advisors. This means websites have to do more marketing for advisors. 

Very few websites produce Inbound Marketing results.   

  1. Time On Site 

Paladin has researched the performance of hundreds of financial advisor websites. What we found creates a major marketing challenge for financial advisory firms. 

Financial advisor websites have about 15 seconds to create initial interest that keep visitors engaged and on their sites. 

If visitors engage, the typical financial advisor website has 2 minutes and 20 seconds to deliver information, create credibility and trust, and convince visitors to give-up their anonymity and submit their contact information. 

  1. Template-Based Sites 

The typical financial advisory firm was sold a cheap template-based website that used generic content and stock photos. 

In a nutshell, template-based websites do not work on Google and they do not resonate with investors. All they are is cheap. 

Generic content does not differentiate financial advisory firms. In fact, it makes them look more alike. 

Investors do not trust financial advisor websites that use stock photos. Anyone can buy photos of mountains, oceans, and happy couples on sailboats. Trustworthy financial advisors publish real photos that have some relevance to their firms. 

Download our eBook:  Is Your Financial Advisor Website Producing Leads? This free eBook explores tips that can increase the number of leads that are produced by your website.

  1. The Right Content 
  • Did investors use keywords to find your firm on the Internet? 
  • Did investors input your name in a search engine because they already know your firm? 
  • Did you refer investors to your website – a way to learn more about your firm? 

Regardless of how investors found your website, it has a few minutes to deliver content that describes your expertise and trustworthiness. 

Financial advisors continue to struggle with transparency. 

  • What information do they disclose to investors?
  • What information do they withhold from investors? 

This is a critical decision that impacts trust and credibility. 

  1. Too Many Distractions 

You have 2 minutes and 20 seconds to convince investors to contact you. Do you want them reading articles and using calculators? 

Of course not! These are distractions that consume valuable time and do not produce the results that financial advisors are seeking. 

Websites have a limited amount of time to convert a visitor into a qualified prospect. Distractions consume time and increase bounce rates. 

  1. Free Offers 

Free offers have to resonate with investors to be effective. 

Some financial advisor websites have free offers: eBooks, financial plan reviews, portfolio reviews and initial consultations. 

Many of the offers are thinly disguised sales tactics that are supposed to motivate investors to initiate contact with financial advisors. 

If only it was that simple. Free offers have to produce real value for investors or they will ignore them. And, the more intriguing the offer, the higher the probability they will give-up their anonymity to get it. 

  1. Safety 

Investors have to feel safe before they are willing to submit their contact information. 

Let’s face it, safety is a state-of-mind. There is no way you can prove you are trustworthy on your website. You can claim to be trustworthy, but so does every other advisor on the Internet. 

You have to make sure there is nothing on your website that turns investors off. You do not want them to exclude you from searches because they were not comfortable submitting their contact information to you. 

Then you need to convince them that initiating contact with you is a risk-free process.

Is Your Advisor Website Producing Leads 

Back to Blog