According to a survey by Paladin Registry, 83% of advisors said their websites do not produce leads for the firm. If your website is not generating leads, there may be a few causes. A common one is ineffective web copy.
If you look at the giants of the financial services industry, they invest in great web copy. Jump on their sites and there’s compelling text that captures your interest. Then go to the average independent RIA’s website. Does the copy jump out and grab you? Probably not.
Most advisor web copy suffers from a few common problems. The biggest one I’ve seen is a focus on the wrong party. They are trying to attract new clients, but all they do is talk about themselves. In today’s crowded digital world, that comes off as dry and boring.
Compare this:
We are an independent wealth management firm dedicated to helping professionals and small business owners achieve their financial goals.
To this:
Investing isn't just about money – it's about your future
Notice the difference? The second one (pulled from a Fidelity Investments site) is primarily about them (the future clients), not about the firm. In other words, it’s about them, not you. We need to talk directly to the prospect, not at or about them.
The second line of copy also successfully appeals to our emotions. Nothing boring about that.
Think of your web copy as your virtual sales rep. For this critical position, would you rather hire Cindy the salesperson, or Joe the numbers guy? No offense to Joe—after all, he’s smart, skilled and he’s who we trust to handle the all-important financial work. But we –and he—are smart enough to know he shouldn’t be the ones greeting visitors at the door.
Cindy, on the other hand, knows how to talk with prospects. She can engage them in a friendly conversation. Your web copy should sound like Cindy…a welcoming, caring salesperson…not like the no-nonsense numbers guy.
Later, you can and should provide the facts about your firm. But just not first thing. And it always should be through the lens of talking to the prospect and not just rattling off facts. In fact, you should be the interpreter as well:
- Why should a prospect care that you are independent?
- What will you being a fiduciary mean in terms of their financial well-being?
- What can your collective years of experience do for them?
Yes, we should spell it out and do so in a casual, conversational tone. That’s the style that works best to engage a digital audience.
Fortunately, developing good web copy doesn’t require the budget of the big dog firms, it simply requires finding the right team to help (unless you’ve got a copywriter in house). Plan on participating in the process to get an authentic result. Resist the temptation to cut corners or rush through this process. If you do, it may cost you magnitudes more in lost revenue if your visitors never turn into leads.
Web copy is critical, so I’ll have more tips in future blogs. In the meantime, remember: you’ve only got one shot when someone visits your website. You’ll never get a second chance. Prioritize your website copy accordingly.
Jeanne Klimowski is the Founder of Wavelength Financial Content Inc. and also serves as a Paladin Digital Marketing partner.
