Every financial advisor website has the same goal. Convince visitors (investors) to contact them. On the other hand, most financial advisors report very few investors, who visit their sites, actually initiate contact with them.
There is an obvious disconnect that impacts the productivity of financial advisor websites.
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Let’s look at the problem from the investor’s point of view.
There are several ways to find advisors, but only the Internet provides an effective way to find and research advisors without contacting them. This creates a powerful tool that is controlled by investors.
Plus, even if they were referred to advisors by friends or family, smart investors will still use the Internet to research advisors before they contact. This is no different than being referred to a restaurant and checking Yelp reviews before booking a reservation. Research helps people avoid mistakes.
What are some website strategies that can be implemented by financial advisors?
3 Digital Marketing Challenges
Digital marketing is a complex process because the expectation is investors will initiate contact with advisors. This is the opposite of old Outbound Marketing tactics. There are three challenges that advisors face when they use this form of Inbound Marketing:
- Investors have to find advisors on the Internet
- Investors have to visit advisor websites
- Advisor websites have to convince investors to initiate contact
There are a lot of ways to find financial advisors. However, only the Internet makes it possible for investors to find and research financial advisors without giving up their contact information until they are ready to talk.
Cautious Investors
The need for caution makes convincing investors to contact advisors on their websites an even bigger challenge.
There are two primary types of investors who are using the Internet to find and research financial advisors. One type had bad experiences with previous advisors and are actively looking for replacements. The other type is a first-time user that has never used the services of financial advisors. Perhaps someone who is rolling 401k money into an IRA is first time user. Both types of investors will have an understandable need to be cautious.
Investors who have bad experiences do not want to repeat their mistakes.
First-time users want information before they select financial advisors.
Leads Versus Contacts
Step one is a crystal-clear vision that describes what financial advisors want their websites to actually produce.
The ideal investor is a lead – that is, an investor who is actively seeking financial advisors they can interview. These investors want to talk now. Every advisor would like a website that produces more leads.
Investors can also be contacts – that is investors who are seeking information versus advisors. The information could be about financial advisors or it could be general financial information. These investors are contacts who will end-up in advisors’ drip systems. The role of the drip system is to build electronic relationships that convert contacts into leads.
Blog Sites to Websites
Digital marketing, and virtual marketing, requires a steady flow of new content each month that covers important financial topics. The more compelling the titles and content the more investors will visit financial advisor websites.
The steady flow of content convinces Google that the financial advisor is an expert on the financial topics that are covered by the blog articles. This increases the advisors’ website visibility in the major search engines.
Think of the blog site as a bridge between the Internet and financial advisor websites:
- Investors find an advisor’s article on the Internet
- A click on the article takes them to the advisor’s blog site
- The blog site is part of the advisor’s website
- The article on the blog site creates a marketing opportunity
- The website has to convince investors to contact financial advisors
Safety First
We know investors are cautious based on what they have read and experienced with other advisors. Therefore, it is imperative that financial advisor websites make visitors feel safe when their sites ask for investors’ contact information.
Safety is a subjective feeling that should not be ignored. Advisor websites should contain a strict privacy policy. The website should also contain explicit information about what advisors will do with investors’ contact information. For example, the advisor will never sell or provide the data to a third party. Or, the information will not be used for telemarketing or the production of spam emails.
The safer investors feel, the higher the probability they will submit their contact information.
Content on Websites
The static content that appears on the financial advisors’ websites should be designed to deliver key information about the firm and the professionals who work there.
Plus, a high percentage of advisor websites have Resources or Insights on their top navigation. Dropdowns may list whitepapers and other types of educational content.
In general, this information does not require registration for viewing or downloading.
On the other hand, this content can build financial advisor credibility. The more credible advisors are the higher the probability investors will contact advisors they believe are trustworthy financial experts.
Free Offers
We know a high percentage of investors visit financial advisor websites to obtain three types of information:
- About the firm
- About a professional who works at the firm
- About a financial topic
The first two types of information are covered by the content on the financial advisors’ websites. What is imperative is the websites deliver the types of information that the investors are seeking in an intuitive manner.
Information on financial topics can be delivered on advisor websites, but more likely is available on the advisors’ blog sites.
There is an opportunity to deliver free information on websites that require registration. eBooks that solve financial problems are the best free offers.
Registrants are automatically added to the advisors’ CRM systems.
eBook titles have to be compelling enough that visitors will give-up their anonymity and register to get them. The best eBooks address financial pain points for large numbers of investors.
