Our checklist has the 11 things financial advisors can do to capture more online leads
Your website is likely the first “hello” a potential client gets from your financial advisory firm, so why not make sure that introduction is as memorable as possible? Your site might be missing these ten crucial things that visitors look for when they’re getting to know you.
❒ Clear calls-to-action
People skim more than read websites, so differentiated buttons that guide them towards actions you want them to take (e.g. “assess your retirement goals”, “start investing”, etc.) are a huge help.
❒ Jargon-free copy
Your prospective clients are not financial experts – that’s why they’re hiring you! Write copy with your audience in mind and make sure that you’re not using confusing, industry-specific jargon that may put them off.
❒ Easy-to-find services
A visitor likely landed on your website because they were searching for advisors offering a particular service, so make one of your navigation menu items say something like “How We Can Help” so they know right where to go to learn more.
❒ Contact information in all the usual spots
You should have your preferred method of communication – phone or email – visible right off the top of the page, as well as in the footer of your website and on its own “Contact” page.
❒ Contact captures
In addition to supplying visitors with your contact information, have ways to collect theirs. A newsletter signup form or “freebie” (like a PDF checklist on mortgages, as an example) that’s free to download if they enter their email address is perfect for this.
❒ Rotating content
Your website needs to be “alive” – it shouldn’t look exactly the same every time someone comes to it (or they likely won’t come back at all). Have your most recent blog or podcast appear on the homepage, or embed your frequently-updated social media feed that lists money tips and advice.
❒ Thought leadership
While you might not have the capacity in house for a blog, have thought leaders in your firm contribute authored content to the website – it shows you off as experts in finance. Try topics that people will search for to attract them to the site, like “Why it’s never too late to start saving.”
❒ Original photography
Say no to stock photography! Your clients are looking to connect with their financial advisor on a personal level, so the feature images on your website should be high-quality images of your leaders and team to establish rapport and trust with them.
❒ Biographies
Just like original photos, well-written biographies highlighting your staff’s experience and specializations in the financial sphere are an opportunity to show how qualified you are, and how those qualifications will help your audience.
❒ Responsive, accessible design
You may hear the terms “responsive” and “accessible” thrown around with regards to website development. Responsive design means that your website displays nicely on all the different screen sizes that people use to access websites, including mobile phones, tablets, computers, Smart TVs… we could go on.
Accessible design means that users with sight or hearing disabilities can still access your content. This could range from things like using high contrast between text and background colours, to closed-captions on any videos you feature. A whole host of accessibility guidelines can be found as part of the WCAG 2.0 (AA is the current standard, but you can always try to do better).
❒ Security and privacy
Even if you don’t have any transactional elements on your site, confidential financial information may trade hands through your contact forms. Make sure you have an SSL certificate on your site, and make your privacy policy available to visitors through a link. If your firm does work overseas, you’ll likely need to include a consent pop-up as per GDPR guidelines (you can read more about that here).
How many did you check off? If you’re having trouble ticking the boxes, contact us to set up a free, 30-minute website consultation.
Photo from Distel. Model: @Austindistel Photographer: @breeandstephen