For the financial advisor, a professional website is the modern business card.
Client referrals and lead programs that perform are still gold, but these days producers still need to demonstrate that their business is a going concern, and show that they are up to speed on basic technology.
The bare-bones website should include a businesslike headshot, the name of your practice and all your contact details. You should also include the products and services you offer.
It is also essential that your page displays appropriately on all hardware platforms—particularly on smartphones and tablets. The cliche that you never get a second chance to make a first impression is particularly true here. If your page does not load properly on an iPhone, or if your headshot is out of proportion on a Galaxy tablet, your prospective client will be moving on to the next advisor very quickly.
The same goes for spelling, syntax, and grammar. Take the time to ensure EVERYTHING is correct. You are better off having no online presence at all than one that shows you in a bad light.
You will often see advice on optimizing your website for search engines (SEO) with the aim of getting your site on the first page of search results for popular keyword terms. This guidance is generally sound marketing practice, but the reality is that it is very difficult to rank highly on the first page of search results: it will be nigh on impossible to dislodge major corporate advisors and carriers from those top spots.
Advisor reservations at spending time and money on more complex websites—and indeed on any online marketing channel—are legitimate. Whether these are simply concerns over technical competence, or of overstepping regulatory or security rules, many advisors have been understandably reluctant to use the website as their marketing hub.
However, if you are looking to use your site as more of a marketing tool, it can become an effective cost-per-acquisition channel. Ideally, think in terms of what your ideal client would enter into a search engine. By adding appropriate keywords and phrases you can attract targeted traffic and people genuinely interested in your services.
To achieve higher rankings—which is basically commensurate with more eyeballs—your web content should also focus on the specifics of your expertise and your locale.
You might not rank highly for a keyword term like “fixed indexed annuities”, and it will be hard to get indexed for “financial advisors in San Jose”. However, if you were to use the term, say, “Financial Advisor selling Fixed Indexed Annuities for retirees in San Jose” to your website copy, you will have a better chance at getting some higher conversion rates and more qualified leads.
Should you choose to develop a more detailed, optimized website, it can establish credibility, showcase your expertise, and expand your reach. The key decision producers need to make is whether the time investment required matches the benefits of those more traditional networking and referrals. If you have a marketing budget, speak to local digital agencies to see how they may be able to help you.
Whichever path you choose, it is critical that your business has some digital footprint. Often the happy medium is to remember the business card analogy and to start with a simple, clean, well-designed site that displays correctly on all devices.