Websites play a unique role in any financial advisor digital marketing strategy. They disseminate information about firms and professionals, but their primary role is to convert visitors into qualified leads. This is no simple task because most investors who are replacing previous advisors or are first-time users of financial advisor services are naturally cautious.
When investors visit your website they have already found you. That is step one for most financial advisor sales funnels. They are visiting your website because they want to learn more about firms and the professionals who work there.
It is imperative that your website delivers the information that investors are seeking. Missing information may be the reason investors are contacting other financial advisors and not you.
What About Competitors?
Google says investors are going to visit six to eight websites when they use the Internet to find, research, and contact financial advisors. What they see on the websites determines who they contact to schedule interviews. In general, they will contact the three or four that they like the best.
This means your website has to be competitive with the other sites that are visited by investors. This could range from a one professional RIA to a brand name firm on Wall Street.
What About Transparency?
Financial advisors use a variety of strategies for practicing transparency on their websites. Fee schedules are a perfect illustration of these strategies.
One advisor publishes its fee schedule because it believes the schedule creates a competitive advantage. Another advisor describes how the firm is compensated but does not publish its fee schedule. A third advisor makes no reference to compensation on its website.
A word of caution. Transparency can be a factor when investors are viewing multiple websites. That is because increased transparency can have a significant impact on trust. Perhaps, even more important, transparency can impact who the investors contact for interviews.
Semantics
Another word of caution. A lot of advisors have a Why Select Us function on their websites. But, that misses the mark. This may seem like a small point, but investors are not making selection decisions based on what they see on financial advisor websites.
It would be more intuitive to ask Why Interview Us. That is the next step in the sales funnel. They found advisors on the Internet. They learned more about financial advisors on their websites. The next step is the introductory interview to determine mutual interest. Which advisors made the cut?
Following are the five most important categories of information for financial advisor websites.
About Us
It all starts with background information about the firm. When was it established? Why was it established? Who are the principals? What is the size of the firm (AUM, staff, clientele)? Who owns the firm? Have there been changes in ownership? Do any third parties impact the quality of the advisors’ services? Who is the custodian for client assets? How about access to ADVs or FINRA information, if applicable?
A significant percentage of financial advisors also use this page to describe why they went independent or how their current structure benefits their clients.
Our Team/Founder
One of the most visited pages on any financial advisor website is this one. It stands to reason investors would like to learn more about owners, key staff, and the professionals who will be advising them.
Each professional at the firm should have a bio that describes their education, experience, certifications, and other credentials that confirm they are financial experts. A little personal touch can also be valuable. For example, years in the community, memberships, activities, family, etc.
What if a firm only employs one or two professionals who also own the firm. At this point, you may want to convert from an Our Team page to an Our Founder(s) page. This is consistent with the characteristics of an independent boutique that has limited staff. There are other features that also benefit clients. For example, the advisors are also the principals.
Affiliations are a way to expand your firm’s services and staff. For example, you affiliate with a local CPA, estate planning attorney, or another type of professional that does not compete with your economic interests. Their bios would appear on your Our Team page with a disclosure indicating they are not employees of the firm.
What We Do
This is an important page on any financial advisor website. As the title implies, this is where you describe the services that you provide to your clients. Just about everyone provides investment advice and services. That is where the money is - no pun intended.
A very high percentage of financial advisors also provide various types of planning services: Financial, College, Retirement, Estate, Charitable, etc. And, a smaller percentage sell a variety of insurance services: Long-Term Care, Life, Health, Disability, etc.
Warning: Do not spend a lot of time talking about your processes. This is very confusing for most investors. Every advisor has them. They are all different. Investors do not understand them. It is a risky proposition to confuse investors who may use this as a reason to interview other advisors.
Who We Serve
It stands to reason, investors are seeking financial advisors who have experience working with clients just like them. They believe the advisors’ specialized experience will benefit them.
Think about the other extreme. What if your primary market happened to be baby boomers who are in the process of retiring. Would they be inclined to interview advisors who specialize in working with millennials?
The content on financial advisor websites should target the advisors’ ideal types of clients. This can be tougher than it sounds when advisors factor in their minimum asset requirements. They do not want to waste time talking to investors who cannot afford their services.
Advisors who specialize in working for particular types of clients tend to have better online experiences than financial advisors who will work with just about anyone.
Why Contact Us
Without a doubt, this can be the toughest page on the website.
This is where financial advisors list the top five reasons why investors should contact their firms for interviews.
These should be the most important characteristics that differentiate their firms from competitors.
For example, if a firm is relatively small it becomes an independent boutique. Then the website describes how independence benefits the advisors’ clients.
Bigger firms use different tactics, but the purpose is the same. Provide compelling reasons why investors should initiate contact with their firms.
