Jim has worked successfully as a financial advisor for the past thirty years. In the past, Jim met new referrals at networking events or through word-of-mouth advertising from his other clients. But in recent years, Jim has begun to learn that his old methods aren’t working so well anymore. When trying to connect with new prospects, Jim is often asked for his website address, his email, or a LinkedIn connection. Jim can see that this generation of clients wants to connect online, but he’s not sure how to get started.
Do you identify with Jim? If so, you may be wondering how to get started with an online marketing strategy. Luckily, it’s not difficult to connect with your audience online. The first thing to know is that your website is the hub of your online marketing campaign.
Financial Advisor Websites
Think of your website as your home on the internet. You should begin your online campaign by building a site that establishes your presence on the web, and serves as a lasting asset for your company. Remember that you own all of the content on your website. Once published, that content represents you, informs your leads, and continues to bring in new clients for as long as your site is present on the internet.
Clearly, the first thing you should do is build a quality website that accurately represents your company. But with so many options available to financial advisors, you may be wondering which ones to include on your site. Advisors may be offered a variety of calendars, calculators, and other impressive-looking tools. But often we find that those features clutter the site and make it difficult for viewers to find the information they really want to read.
In most cases it is better to keep it simple and clean. The following four components are necessities for financial advisors.
Blog. Offering valuable information to your target audience should be the cornerstone of your online marketing strategy. Build a library of material for your current clients and prospects, and offer it to them via your blog. Seek to answer their questions about financial planning, Social Security, Medicare, and other retirement concerns, and they will begin to view you as a knowledgeable expert.
Video. According to research, video is the most effective way to communicate a message online. Create a short, simple video introducing yourself and your services. Video will impact your audience more deeply than a photograph and written description, and will leave your prospects feeling as if they have already met you.
Lead generation. Your website viewers are in control of how often they interact with you. But if you can gather their personal information, such as an email address, this puts you back in the driver’s seat. Offer them something useful, such as a free seminar or white paper, in exchange for opting into your email newsletters. Now you can personally reach out to them and deepen the relationship.
Social media share buttons. When your viewers read a particularly interesting or helpful blog, they might want to share it with their online contacts. Make it easy for them to do this by including social media share buttons on your website. Not only will share buttons bring in new viewers via social media; they will also help to increase your search engine optimization (SEO).
Use the above four features as a strong foundation for your website. After getting to know your audience and analyzing their needs, you might decide to add one or two useful tools. But remember that a blog, video, lead generation, and social media share buttons are the website components which will drive your online marketing campaign.