We talk to financial advisors every day about their current digital marketing results and we can tell you a large percentage are not satisfied with their strategies or results.
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These advisors are not benefitting from the vast potential of the Internet because they have flawed digital marketing strategies. Consequently, a substantial number of advisors are asking what they should be doing differently in the future to reap the extraordinary benefits of digital marketing.
This article will focus on advanced content marketing strategies and what it takes to use this tactic to build a presence on the Internet and website traffic.
Financial advisors’ top expectations for search engine content.
A good place to start is a review of the typical financial advisor’s expectations for content marketing - just one of several digital marketing for financial advisor initiatives.
First and foremost is online visibility which is based on the keywords that are used by investors to find and research financial advisors on the Internet.
Next is website traffic. What investors find on the Internet is intriguing enough that they will visit financial advisor websites to learn more about a financial topic, the firm, or a professional at the firm. This is where financial pain points come into play. A lot of investors are searching the Internet for solutions.
Third is online credibility which establishes an advisor’s authority in their market niche. Investors are looking for financial experts. More importantly, they are looking for financial experts they believe they can trust.
Tip: Paladin surveys show online presence and high-quality content are two of the best ways to build trust on the Internet.
How important are SEO rankings for financial advisor content marketing results?
SEO rankings produce visibility and the visibility that matters the most is page one ranks for keywords that drive the right types of traffic to a financial advisor’s website.
For example, your target market is pre-retirees with more than $1,000,000 of assets available for investment. So your goal is page one keyword ranks for affluent investors who are retiring in the next five years.
Tip: Produce a steady flow of high-quality content that targets baby boomers who are about to retire.
Why is page one so important? Google says 75% of its users do not scroll past page one and less than 5% scroll past page two. Rankings on page three, four, or five will not produce much in the way of visibility or traffic.
What are Google’s top five requirements for high-ranking financial advisor content?
If you want high page ranks in Google then you must be prepared to play by Google’s rules, which may also apply to the other search engines.
Google only ranks new content that it has never seen before. Therefore, the content has to be original and meet all of Google’s other requirements for higher visibility. Duplicate content from libraries has no SEO value.
Google’s algorithms assume longer blog articles go into more detail than shorter blog articles. Or, shorter articles may skim the surface of a topic and longer articles may provide more information. From Paladin’s experience, financial advisor blog articles should be 1000 words or more and there is no maximum. It is whatever it takes to cover a topic in adequate detail.
The content must be high quality. That is, investors must open and read the blog articles. Bland, generic, or duplicate content that has no relevance for investors will not get the rankings you aspire to in the major search engines.
Most of the financial advisors Paladin’s FCMO talks to have never heard of pillar pages. Paladin believes they are very important for the following reasons:
The rise of pillar pages stems from the move toward "topic clusters" in content marketing. Instead of having individual pages that rank for specific keywords, the idea is to create a single, comprehensive pillar page on a broad topic and then have multiple related but more specific pages (often called "cluster content" or "subtopics") linking back to that pillar page.
Pillar pages can provide comprehensive information on a particular subject. As a result, they can be a valuable resource for readers, keeping them engaged and reducing bounce rates. Since pillar pages are comprehensive and cover a topic in-depth, they can potentially rank for multiple related keywords. The internal linking structure also distributes page authority and can boost the SEO performance of subtopic content.
A well-researched and detailed pillar page can position your brand or website as an authority on a specific subject, making it more likely that other sites will link to you as a reputable source.
By providing relevant and interconnected content, you encourage visitors to spend more time on your site, exploring linked subtopics and deepening their understanding.
Pillar pages offer many advantages, but they require substantial effort and resources to create, especially if your goal is higher quality. They also require regular updating to remain current and relevant.
Tip: If you are downloading content from a library and you have no Internet visibility, now you know why.
How can financial advisors improve their digital marketing results using content?
This particular question requires a very strategic response. It all depends on the variables. Who are your ideal clients? What services do you provide? What pain points do you solve for investors? What is your minimum asset requirement? Are you willing to practice transparency on the Internet? What benefits do you provide investors? Do you have any differentiating characteristics?
You or an agency, like Paladin Digital Marketing, will launch a content marketing strategy that is based on your responses to the above questions. The strategy for improving your digital marketing results includes:
- The production of high-quality, original content
- Targeting the pain points of ideal types of clients
- The consistent production of new content each month
- Distribution of the content on blogs, social media, emails, webinars
Why does digital marketing continue to fail for so many financial advisors?
Digital marketing holds vast potential for financial advisors. However, despite its amazing benefits, not all financial advisors will realize its potential. The question is why not?
It takes a deep understanding of the Internet, online marketing, and the additional complexities that are unique to the financial service industry to be successful.
Paladin Tip: Consider using the services of a digital marketing agency that specializes in working with financial advisors.
- Digital marketing is a process that takes time to build visibility, credibility, and trust
- A substantial number of financial advisors have the same goals
- Content quality trumps quantity. Instead of frequent, shallow posts, advisors should focus on comprehensive, insightful articles that benefit the reader.
- If a financial advisor has high online visibility and traffic, but no leads, then the problem is most likely the website
- If the financial advisor has a well-designed, lead generation website, but no leads, then the problem is likely the SEO (Search Engine Optimization) or SEM (Search Engine Marketing).
- In general, specialized financial advisors are more successful than generalists - they are more relatable for particular investors on the Internet
- Consistency matters, so a consistent flow of new content builds credibility and trust
Paladin Tip: Make a commitment to digital marketing and stick with it. Consider digital marketing an investment in the future of your firm.
About Paladin
Paladin is a team of digital marketing professionals with more than 100 years of collective financial industry experience marketing our clients' services to individuals, institutions, and financial advisors. Paladin is a boutique agency that was founded in 2003 to provide game-changing digital marketing services to a limited number of firms and professionals in the financial service industry. Our services range from designing and developing custom websites to providing SEO, SEM, and Fractional CMO services. Want more information about our digital marketing services? Email your request to Paladin’s CMO: Jack@PaladinDigitalMarketing.com
