There’s no question anymore whether an online presence is required to be competitive as a financial advisor. More and more people are looking online to find the right financial advisor to manage their investments and ultimately, their financial future.
Perhaps even more important than finding advisors investors are using the Internet to research financial advisors and maintain their anonymity until they want to be contacted. This is a major shift in power from the days when financial advisors controlled this information.
Having the right digital marketing strategy can make all the difference whether your website is easy to find online or not. At a minimum, investors who already know your firm will be able to find your website and learn more about your firm and the professionals who work there.
While there are many important pages on your financial advisor website, the “About Us” page is arguably the most impactful for potential clients who visit your website. It’s important not to underestimate the importance of a personal touch and let website visitors know who – both as a relationship and a qualified financial advisor that they will be trusting to manage their assets.
What is the bottom line? When investors surf the web seeking financial advisors the content on your website has to be competitive with the other sites they are looking at.
Introduce Yourself
While this may seem obvious, some financial advisor websites don’t properly introduce the key players in their firm. Some “About Us” pages strictly stick to the history of the firm itself, i.e., location, years in business, etc. But what people really want to know is who exactly is behind this firm, and what they want to know extends beyond the combined credentials of the professionals who work there.
Include your name, and a headshot so they can place the face with the person. Without this, you risk becoming lost in a sea of impersonal financial advisor websites without any memorable information for the visitor to retain. For this reason, you may want to add a 30-second video to your firm bio that enables you to communicate your personality at a much higher level.
Introduce the Entire Team
Whether you’re a one-person shop or have multiple employees - it’s important to introduce your entire team. If there’s someone who will be greeting your clients in reception or scheduling meetings and answering calls, let people know who they are.
There is a twist. If you are a one professional firm you may want to publish an Our Founder page instead of an Our Team page.
Showcasing your staff as valuable members of your team will help showcase to potential clients that they will be in great hands if they choose to use your services. Plus, it can help your firm appear more professional and deep with multiple staff members taking care of your clientele.
Give Details on Your Experience/Expertise and Achievements
While your “About Us” page shouldn’t read like a resume, it should showcase your most important accomplishments during your career including your: Education, years’ experience in the financial industry, certifications, designations, and any other relevant credentials.
What are investors seeking? Financial experts they can trust. And, in the final analysis, they want someone they would enjoy working with. This makes the selection of financial advisors relatively subjective processes.
While there’s no need to mention previous jobs or companies by name, you can use a general expression such as “Joe Smith has been providing financial advisory services for more than 20 years”. When it comes to experience, let your website visitors know if you have a special niche or are especially qualified in a specific area. For example, you specialize in working with 401k rollovers from previous employers, or perhaps you are a retirement planning expert.
Regardless of your experience, highlighting where you excel is another way to show more about who you are and how you can help clients on their financial journey.
And finally, if you have achieved any special designation or award or certification, don’t be shy about sharing! This can go for professional accomplishments as well as impressive personal achievements. If you have completed a marathon – let people know! This type of dedication and determination can demonstrate who you are as a person both professionally and personally. Plus, it will appeal to investors who know the dedication it takes to run a marathon.
Be Authentic
It might be tempting to portray yourself to appear like the person you think your website visitors and potential clients want to select, but you run a major risk of giving off an unauthentic vibe that doesn’t fit the rest of your website’s feel. It is hard to be humble when you are great, but it pays to stick to the facts.
At the end of the day, investors want to perceive you as a human being with a life outside of your professional career. For example, if you have hobbies or interests outside of your financial advisor career, touch on those in your “About Us” page.
A word of caution. The internet is still a source of public data, so keep personal details vague and don’t include any information you don’t want to be shared all over the internet. By showing some personal attributes, you’re reminding your visitors that you are a real person, not just a financial advisor, and can be trusted on multiple levels. Consider, in addition to your professional headshot, including a more casual photo in your bio. This also helps you appear less buttoned-up and more relatable.
Share What Motivates You
Your visitors and clients want to know what makes you tick. Why and how did you end up as a financial advisor? Was there a singular moment where you decided this was the career path for you? How about helping your clients achieve their financial goals?
What is it about your clients that motivates you to show up ready to work each day? If you have a favorite part of the job, share it. Your website visitors want to see the side of you that is passionate about your career and will likely translate that into how hard you’ll work to plan their financial futures and manage their assets.
What’s Your Value Proposition?
In a nutshell, your value proposition is why the website visitor should choose your firm over all other financial advisor firms. Is there something you can offer them that you believe no one else can? If so, your “About Us” page is the place to show it.
You may even want to dedicate a page to your value proposition.
While it shouldn’t read like a sales pitch, it should clearly show the benefits of having your firm look after that person’s financial future. If you have followed the steps above, you will have already clearly outlined your value proposition without coming off as too self-serving or boastful.
Let People Know How to Contact You
While this may also seem obvious, this goes beyond the standard listing of your phone number and email address and maybe a “Contact Us” form. Everyone has a preferred method of contact, perhaps yours is email.
Contact means investors have to give up their anonymity. You should make this a very safe process for them. For example, refer to the Privacy Policy that should reside on your website.
Let your visitors know that they will get a fast response if they send you an email. Or perhaps you prefer a phone call. Regardless of your preferred method, it’s important to remember that some of your visitors will still choose to contact you via the method they are most comfortable with.
So even if you prefer email and check it multiple times a day, be sure to check your phone messages at least twice per day to make sure you don’t leave too much of a gap in your response time. By reaching out promptly, you reduce the chances of a competitor responding quicker and scheduling an interview.
