With all the advancements in technology, especially where it concerns how people get their information, it’s no surprise that the way investors find, research, and ultimately hire a financial advisor has changed drastically. Because hiring a financial advisor is a big decision, investors in the past had to do much legwork to get information on advisors to help them decide on their best choice.
Today that information is much easier to obtain, usually through a simple online search, which means if a financial advisor firm doesn’t have a solid digital presence, they are missing out on connecting with valuable prospective clients.
Today’s investors are better informed on investments and financial services, primarily due to the unlimited amount of information available. While this removes some “mystery” of investing, it also means that many investors know what they’re looking for in a financial advisor and where to find them. It becomes the responsibility of an advisor to be found while standing out from all of the competition.
Use this guide to get a grasp on digital marketing for financial advisors.
This article covers a few of the most popular ways investors research financial advisors in 2022.
Online Search
Google, Firefox, and Bing are the primary search engines today. However, there’s no disputing that Google is the dominant search engine globally and is where financial advisors should aim to optimize their search engine optimization (SEO) efforts. In short — optimizing for Google is a must-do for financial advisors looking to show up in relevant online searches.
Previously, this was done by searching through a phone book, seeing a billboard ad, or even a conversation with a colleague or family member resulting in a recommendation. And while the phone book has become all but obsolete, the idea behind it is still there, just online, and much more accessible to anyone looking. But in this environment, advisors have to know what is being searched and how to best position their websites to appear in those SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages).
This can be done with a solid SEO strategy and strong financial advisor content.
Digging deeper, for many local financial advisor firms, local search should be the primary focus. As a truly local business living and working in the same community as their clients, they can use the features available on their GMG (Google My Business) page to enhance SEO. This gives a more detailed view of their business by utilizing all aspects of this free listing, including photos and contact information, to name a few.
At a minimum, a GMB page should have complete and accurate contact information and hours; otherwise, this could potentially hurt a financial advisor website’s search rankings. That’s because, above all else, Google strives to provide accurate and relevant search results. If a GMB listing has conflicting information from the other online resources that the business owns (i.e., blog, website, social media), that can send red flags to Google’s algorithms.
YouTube and Other Video Platforms
There is no shortage of video content that’s churned out on everything from cooking and learning new languages to the ridiculous world of animal videos and DIY tutorials. But somewhere in between all of that is a thriving category of informative and educational videos in the professional services industry – primarily financial services. This category has major appeal because these videos – if done correctly – help remove the “stuffy banker” stereotype and remove some of the confusion and mystery behind the markets, investments, and what financial advisors actually do.
For too long, the entire financial services industry has seemed unapproachable – and the strict regulations didn’t help. By creating video content that is both informative and shows a more personal, relatable side to you and your financial advisor firm, you can do what no other media can do – talk to them and show them who you are. This can be a valuable tool against large firms with thousands of employees and can come across as impersonal.
Social Media
There was once a time when having a website was all it took to “be online.” Now, you can reach hundreds or thousands of people online – and they may never take one look or click on one link on your financial advisor website. Why? Because they don’t have to.
The beauty of search engines like Google is that they can pull information from every part of the internet and deliver it instantly to anyone asking for it. And sometimes, that may not be a financial advisor’s website but rather one of their social media profiles. Additionally, some more socially engaged investors will use the social media platform's search function to research financial advisors.
When doing so, they are instantly shown results that are swayed by that investor’s own preferences, friends’ preferences (it is social networking), location, etc. This is why even if you’re not very active with your financial advisor profile on a social media platform, at the very least, it should be accurate and updated.
Review Sites
While the traditional word-of-mouth tactics may be outdated, the need for people to know what other people think of a product or service is the kind of social proof that human beings are wired to seek out. There are many places online where people can leave reviews – from dedicated review sites like Yelp to social media platforms. 
It’s good to keep tabs on when and where your financial advisor firm is mentioned. While it’s not possible to remove negative reviews, knowing what’s being said (and if appropriate, responding to that review) can help you understand where you can possibly make improvements or, at the very least, be prepared if a prospective or current client brings that negative comment up and you aren’t caught off guard. While these are the main places investors are researching financial advisors online, this is not an exhaustive list. The main idea is that as a financial advisor looking to grow your business through an online presence, you need to be everywhere investors are looking.
