You know the basic information that is delivered by 80% of financial advisor websites, but I bet you don’t know all of the more creative tactics that are described in this article. In particular, if your goal is to convert more visitors into qualified leads that you subsequently convert into active prospects and revenue-producing clients.
Suffice it to say you cannot be like everyone else and expect to produce exceptional results. That is not going to happen in a competitive environment like the Internet. Investors have too many choices and you have one opportunity to convert them into leads.
Remember the definition of insanity - keep doing the same thing over and over again and expect a different result.
It is tough for financial advisor websites to stand out when investors can visit large numbers of websites in a matter of minutes. You need tactics that will cause investors to spend more time on your website, give-up their anonymity, and submit their contact information.
Easier said than done? Not if you follow some of the tips in this article.
Is affiliating with other local professionals a good idea?
The answer is a resounding yes and the more creative you are the better.
Let’s use business owners as an example, or let’s take it a step further. Your ideal type of client happens to be an owner who is getting close to retirement and wants to sell his or her business. You want to help this type of business owner plan their retirement and manage their assets.
Unfortunately, typical business owners have a couple of priorities before they are ready to select financial advisors to help them manage assets that are currently tied up in their businesses. What services do these potential clients need before they are ready to hire financial advisors who provide planning and investment services? And, how can these services create a competitive advantage for financial advisors?
What if a financial advisor was affiliated with two types of professionals who can help the owners sell their businesses? One type is a licensed professional who can appraise the value of the owners’ businesses. The other is a licensed professional who can help the owners sell their businesses.
Both of these professionals could be profiled on financial advisors’ websites and are clearly identified as affiliated professionals.
Financial advisors benefit when they control referrals. And, this is a major value-add when financial planning is part of the process.
Why should financial advisors publish case studies with testimonials on their websites?
It is the rare financial advisor who has a marketable track record that can be published on their websites. In general, it is an expensive proposition to audit all of a financial advisor’s accounts and produce a GIPS-compliant track record. This creates a bit of a vacuum for both investors and financial advisors.
How can investors determine the quality of financial advisors when they are limited to the content on their websites?
How can financial advisors prove they are trustworthy experts who produce competitive returns for their clients?
Now that testimonials are legal on financial advisor websites they can be combined with case studies to help investors determine the quality of the advisors’ services. And, perhaps more importantly, the case studies describe what they can expect if they select the firms that provide examples of their advice and services.
Case studies work best when they solve serious financial problems.
Do financial advisors benefit from free offers on their websites?
Google says the more free offers that appear on financial advisors’ websites, the more leads that are produced by their websites. This makes sense when you consider you are not just asking visitors/investors for their contact information. You are exchanging something of value for the investor’s contact information.
Creating a simple exchange sounds easy enough, but many financial advisors create exchanges on their websites that do not appeal to the investors who visit their websites. In some cases, Google and others may classify these free offers as clutter. They distract investors from taking the action that financial advisors really want them to take.
For example, financial advisors may offer free financial plan reviews or free portfolio analyses. Unfortunately, these offers require investors to provide personal financial information to someone they may not know. This strategy rarely produces qualified leads for financial advisors. The main exception would be when the investor already knows the financial advisor. In this case, financial advisors do not need free offers to establish contact. This is a strategy for investors who do not know the financial advisors.
The best free offers are eBooks that address pain points for a financial advisor’s ideal types of clients. Investors must register to gain access to the content in the eBooks.
How can I help investors select the best financial advisors on my website?
Many investors are hesitant to contact financial advisors, based on what they see on their websites because they do not know how to determine the quality of financial advisors. They are the proverbial deer in the headlights. They visit financial advisor websites, but they do not give up their anonymity and contact the advisors.
This concern is exacerbated if they have had bad experiences with previous financial advisors. They thought they had selected trustworthy financial experts to help them achieve their financial goals. But, the reality was they had selected skilled sales professionals who knew how to market themselves as knowledgeable experts.
How does a financial advisor deal with this concern on his or her website?
How about adding a free eBook that describes the information that investors should use to select the best financial advisors. Ten free tips can greatly reduce the risk of investors selecting the wrong financial advisors. You create a competitive advantage when you are the source of the information that helps investors make better financial decisions.
How can video help financial advisor websites convert more visitors into qualified leads?
Video is being used by increasing numbers of financial advisors who see the benefits of investors being able to see AND hear information that compels them to contact firms for information and interviews.
Video has several marketing advantages when compared to all of the written content that tends to reside on financial advisor websites:
- It is easier to watch a video than reading text
- 62% of searches are launched from mobile devices
- Investors tend to watch the entire video
- Advisors can convey the personality of their firms
- It is a more personalized way to communicate
There are several applications for videos that can reside on financial advisor websites:
- A 60 second welcome video on the home page
- 30-second educational videos in a Resource Center
- 45-second marketing videos
- A 20-minute on-demand webinar
- 10-second introductions to website functions
- 30-second videos for email marketing
Conclusion
It will take some creativity to turn your website into your best source for high-quality leads.
