You may recall the classic story when law enforcement asked Willie Sutton, a notorious 1920s criminal, why he always robbed banks. His answer was simple and direct: “Because that’s where the money is.”
Let’s use that same logic for your financial advisor marketing plan in the mid-2020s. Why should you put a lot of emphasis on having a strong online presence? The answer is as simple as the one provided by Willie: Because that’s where investors go to find, screen, compare, and contact financial advisors.
Get the right financial advisor marketing strategy! Connect with Paladin Digital Marketing today!
The world is shifting online, and as a financial advisor, you need to meet your audience where they are—searching for the right advice, services, and guidance online.
Using a well-crafted financial advisor digital marketing plan, you’re not just keeping up with the times; you can position yourself and your firm as thought leaders and subject matter experts.
But let’s be honest: not all marketing plans for financial advisors are created equal. So, how do you ensure your plan doesn’t fizzle out faster than a New Year’s gym resolution?
Read our top seven best practices that will turn your financial advisor marketing plan into a lean, mean, client-generating machine.
1. Optimize Your Website for Search Engines (aka Make Sure You Play Nice with Google)
If you’re not appearing in search results, you might as well be invisible on the Internet. You certainly don’t want to be that hidden gem no one can find. In the digital world, it’s about being seen—preferably at the top of the one-page search results when someone types “financial advisor near me” or something a bit more local, like “retirement planner in Dallas.”
Search engine optimization (SEO) isn’t some dark art; it’s the cornerstone of your financial advisor marketing plan. For example, an optimized financial advisor website ensures that potential clients don’t have to dig through ten pages of search results before stumbling upon your name.
Tip: 75% of investors searching online don’t scroll to page two.
How can you make your financial advisor website more visible? Keywords are your secret weapon. Think of terms that potential clients might be using in their searches for financial advisors. Examples could be: “CFP® in [your city], “[your city] investment strategies for retirees,” or“financial advisor in [your city].”
It’s important to use location in your keywords as very broad terms like “financial advisors” will be nearly impossible to rank for, given the popularity and competition these broad terms carry on the Internet. The more specific you can be, the better your results can be.
But beware: stuffing your website with keywords like a Thanksgiving turkey is a no-go. Google considers keyword stuffing as the practice of overloading a webpage with keywords or numbers in an attempt to manipulate a site’s artificial ranking in search results.
This can involve:
- Repeating the same keyword or phrase excessively in content.
- Using irrelevant or out-of-context keywords.
- Inserting blocks of keywords in lists or groups.
- Adding keywords unnaturally in metadata or alt text.
As a guideline:
The keyword density (percentage of keywords in relation to the total word count) for financial advisor websites and content should stay around 1-2%. For a 1,000-word article, this means using the keyword around 10-20 times, but only if it fits naturally.
Prioritize related keywords (semantic variations) to avoid overuse of a single phrase.
Use keywords in strategic locations such as the title, headers, meta descriptions, and first paragraphs—without forcing them into every sentence.
2. Online Transparency: Build Credibility and Trust Without Breaking a Sweat
Let’s face it: trust isn’t handed out freely in the financial world—it’s earned. And if investors are supposed to trust you with their money, you’d better believe the more knowledgeable ones with larger sums will want to see the complete picture.
Transparency isn’t just about posting a link to your online ADV. It’s about giving potential clients a clear, straightforward window into your financial advisor business: your services, fees, qualifications, and investment philosophies. The more upfront you are, the less likely they’ll bolt from your website faster than you can say “compliance.”
Transparency also makes you more relatable. When visitors to your financial advisors website feel they know who you are, what you stand for, and how you work, that scary barrier of fear produced by unfettered uncertainty starts to melt away. So be open, be honest, and let your website speak for itself. It’s a fast track to building client trust.
3. Specialization: Why You Need to Be a Big Fish in a Small Pond
Let me guess—you’re a jack-of-all-trades financial advisor? You will work with anyone who meets your minimum asset or revenue requirement. That might impress some people, but perhaps it’s time to rethink that marketing plan. Clients are searching for advisors who understand their financial needs and can help them, but not those who claim to be experts in all of the financial disciplines.
Enter the use of specialization as a key marketing tool for financial advisors. Whether you focus on helping doctors, small business owners, women, or retirees, becoming an expert in a specific niche makes you the go-to advisor for that group of investors.
You’re not just casting a wide net hoping to catch something; you’re strategically targeting the right type of investor with the perfect bait. Specialized advisors also find that referrals come a lot easier. Word spreads faster when you’re the bonafide financial expert, and people love recommending the right experts to friends, family, and associates.
4. Free Offers: The Secret Weapon You Didn't Know You Had
Everyone loves free stuff, especially when it adds real value to their financial well-being. For financial advisors, offering free content like blog posts, webinars, or e-books isn’t just a goodwill gesture; it’s a well-calculated move that builds online credibility and trust. Think about it: when you give potential clients valuable financial insights for free, they start seeing you as an expert long before they even answer the questions on that first landing page.
But a financial advisor marketing plan should not stop at blog posts—make sure you’re diversifying your knowledge: Educational videos, free retirement calculators, and newsletters on tax strategies—these establish you as a thought leader and drive an increasing amount of traffic to your website. More traffic equals more opportunities to convert casual readers into revenue-generating clients.
5. Leverage Client Reviews, Testimonials, and Case Studies: Let Others Do the Talking
Your financial advisor marketing plan can talk about how amazing you are until you’re blue, but nothing beats the power of social proof. Client reviews, ratings, testimonials, and case studies offer third-party validations that build your personal credibility and trustworthiness. Your financial advisor marketing plan should consider social proof as the online version of word-of-mouth marketing; only you can display client feedback for all to see.
In a world where everyone can review everything, from restaurants to doctors to vacation getaways, your potential clients are likely looking for reviews about financial advisors, too. Ensure your financial advisor marketing plan has a system to request reviews from satisfied clients. And don’t forget to display those testimonials prominently on your website (subject to compliance approval). They could be the extra push a prospective client needs to hit the "Contact Us" button on your financial advisor website.
6. Multi-Generational Financial Advice: Because Millennials Are No Longer Optional
Millennials may be known for avocado toast, but they’re also set to inherit a jaw-dropping $78 trillion over the next 30 years. That’s right—Trillion with a “T.”
If you haven’t already, it’s time to start thinking about multi-generational financial advice as a key service offering. But it’s not just about winning over the kids; sometimes, it’s about building strong relationships with the parents and letting them sing your praises to their children.
Your financial advisor marketing plan should offer legacy planning services that position you as the family’s trusted advisor across multiple generations. Build those long-term relationships with the parents, and the children will more than likely follow. Vice versa can work, too. Appeal to the millennials, and you’ll likely find the parents tagging along. It’s a win-win situation.
7. Email Marketing: The Goldmine You’re Probably Ignoring
Some advisors treat email marketing like it’s stuck in their ‘90s marketing plans, but financial advisor email marketing is alive and kicking. It’s a cost-effective way to keep in touch with your existing clients and helps build credibility, trust, and awareness with names on your drip list. Regular communications in their inbox keep you at the top of their minds, and when they’re ready to pull the trigger on hiring an advisor, guess who they’ll think of first?
Focus your financial planner email marketing on providing real, relevant value—tips, industry news, financial insights—and keep it consistent. No one wants to feel like they’re getting spammed, but everyone loves receiving helpful advice that solves problems and achieve goals. It’s all about nurturing those leads so that they know exactly who to reach out to when the timing to schedule interviews is right.
Build a Financial Advisor Marketing Plan That is Based on Credibility, Trust, and Awareness
The foundations of financial advisor marketing plans are constantly evolving, but one thing remains the same—clients want to trust their advisors. Trust isn’t built overnight; it’s earned through consistent, transparent, and engaging marketing strategies.
Whether optimizing your website for SEO, tailoring your services to a specific niche, or investing in email marketing, these seven best practices will ensure your marketing plan is solid, scalable, and—most importantly—successful.
So, don’t wait for clients to stumble upon your firm by sheer luck. Be proactive, build a robust financial advisor marketing plan, and let the Internet work for you. Because let’s face it: that’s where the clients are.
