If a potential client wanted help with personal tax advice, chances are they would look for a Tax Planning expert to help them out instead of someone who specializes in Retirement Planning.
By focusing on a smaller audience and carving out your own niche, it not only helps you get ahead of the competition but also provides clarity for customers by allowing them to come to the conclusion that “this Advisor is for me”.
Having a deep understanding of your target audience will help you create magnetic content that’s engaging, interesting and, most importantly, provides value which positions you as a thought leader.
#2 Pay Attention To Website Design & User Experience
It’s no secret that first impressions have a huge impact on whether prospects stick around or bounce, which is why as a Financial Advisor you really need to start thinking about your website and your online presence as a translation of your physical space. Your digital presence represents your business just as much as your office space, and branding and will determine your prospect’s impression of your credibility as an advisor.
To be effective, your website design needs to be tailored to your target niche. The visuals of your website, including both images and graphic design convey to your prospects if you’re the right Advisor for their needs. For example, certain images may appeal to young families more than they would with retirees.
| DID YOU KNOW? That it takes about 50 milliseconds (that’s 0.05 seconds) for users to form an opinion about your website that determines whether they like your site or not, whether they’ll stay or leave? 1 |
Prospects that visit your website generally know what they want and are on the hunt for answers, which is why when it comes to your website design, you’ll want the user experience (UX) to be as smooth and streamlined as possible.
The more simple navigation is for users on your site, the better chance they have of exploring all that you offer!
When designing a website with good UX in mind, there are some key features that every designer should consider from the first page load:
- Logical call-to-action buttons (CTA)
- Clear contact information at each point throughout the site so visitors can engage quickly if needed or just browse without interruption
- Ensuring that your website has consistent and streamlined branding across pages. Including consistencies in all details like font-weight/style usage and color schemes
- Simplifying content by grouping similar items together within categories while maintaining an intuitive flow through various sections of your website
Let’s take the example of our Jericho Website Framework – the layout makes it easy for prospects in the retirement niche to navigate and get to the information that matters to them the most with consistent and well-placed CTAs.
In short, you want to:
Make it easy enough for your prospects to explore your website content without getting lost or frustrated.
Consider your target niche. For example, if your audience is older, you’ll need to make sure your text is large for better readability and overall UX.
Put clear CTAs so your visitors don’t get lost and leave without doing what you want them to do (e.g. schedule a meeting). A website without a clear CTA is like a car with no steering wheel.
Advisor Websites offers a variety of modern and practical website frameworks, with design and functionality best practices built-in. All of our frameworks are personalizable to suit your individual business. Browse our frameworks HERE.
#3 Invest In Content Marketing – Personalization of Content, Branding & Design
| DID YOU KNOW? More than 70% of consumers say they prefer to learn about a product or service through content rather than traditional advertising. 2 |
Prospective clients don’t want a sales pitch, they want insight. But how do they get it?
The answer: Through valuable content marketing that speaks to your audience’s problems!
Content marketing is a powerful tool for building brand recognition and establishing yourself as an expert in the niche, but it can be difficult to get started. For example, you’ll need time to plan out your strategy before creating assets like videos and ebooks that may never see any ROI.
Blogging is a great way to kickstart a scalable strategy for content marketing. Not only can you demonstrate your expertise, but also attract search traffic by including keywords in blog posts with an SEO strategy that maximizes visibility on search engines like Google or Bing for important terms relevant to your business – all while enjoying lower-maintenance content.
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DID YOU KNOW?
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Here’s a quick tip to pack the power of persuasion into each blog post so that it doesn’t feel like you’re fighting an uphill battle with generating leads:
Use REPETITION.
If a potential client doesn’t quite understand what you’re saying, it’s not possible for your core messages to hit home with your prospect. One way to use repetition without sounding like a broken record is to provide different ways to make your point by using examples, i.e. statistical facts, stories within your resources. Examples and case studies are helpful in communicating your core messaging and providing proof of your credibility as an Advisor.
Master The Basics
It’s evident that putting thought and intention behind your digital marketing tactics can be the difference between turning your leads into clients or unintentionally allowing the trail to go cold.
To stay digitally connected, and grow your lead generation opportunities remember to get the basics right:
- Understand your target market and niche
- Pay attention to website design and the user experience
- Invest in personalized content marketing
If you’re interested in learning how these principles work together for better results, watch our webinar on this subject featuring a successful advisor.
1 27 Eye-Opening Website Statistics [Updated for 2020]
2 Is Native Advertising The New Black?
3 31 Business Blogging Stats You Need to Know in 2021
