Let’s assume you are a successful business executive who just relocated to your city. Your only contacts in the city are the people you work with, but they are merely acquaintances at this point. You and your spouse decide you want a local financial advisor who can help you update your plan, documents, and portfolio.
Where would you go to find a financial advisor who can provide expert planning and investment advice?
Based on surveys there is a better than 75% chance you will start your search on the Internet for three reasons:
Someone who is relocating is just one example of to find and research financial advisors. There are several other types of investors who rely on advisors to help them achieve their financial goals:
It is important to understand that the Internet facilitates finding and researching financial advisors. In many cases, researching is more important than finding. For example, the executive is referred to an advisor by a member of his country club. Even though he did not use the Internet to find the advisor, he is using the Internet to conduct his research.
This is no different than researching a restaurant you were referred to before eating there. You want to minimize your risk of making a mistake.
You might even say the Internet is a source of power or control for the executive. He gets to decide who he contacts and not the other way around.
It is easy to see how investors benefit when they use the Internet to find and research financial advisors.
Digital Marketing for Financial Advisors
Digital marketing is the process that financial advisors use to make sure investors find them on the Internet.
There are five key reasons why more financial advisors are using the Internet to produce qualified leads for their firms.
Keep in mind investors are using the Internet to research financial advisors. What they see online will impact who they contact for interviews. The two most common forms of research are visiting financial advisor websites and Google searching advisor names – firms and professionals.
An important role of digital marketing is to make sure investors have a positive experience when they use the Internet to learn more about financial advisor firms and professionals.
You may be the best financial advisor in your market area, but that won’t matter if investors can’t find you on the Internet. Another role for digital marketing is to make sure you are visible on the Internet and easy to find.
Investors have to be able to find financial advisors on the Internet. The two most popular methods would the use of keywords to find financial advisors or financial information:
Regardless of which sets of keywords are used by investors, they have to find the advisor’s websites or the content that they produced.
Once investors find you on the Internet the next important step for your digital marketing strategy is to get them to your website or blog site.
If they are seeking financial advisors, they should enter keywords that take them directly to your website.
If they are seeking financial information, they should end up on your blog site. This creates a marketing opportunity for your website.
From a digital marketing perspective, your website has a one-time opportunity to convert a visitor into a qualified lead or contact.
In general, leads are investors who are seeking financial advisors. They contact advisors to schedule interviews that are the next step in their research process.
On the other hand, digital marketing and websites will also produce contacts. These are the information-seekers who read content on your blog and/or find something interesting (free eBook) that they will register to get. Most of the time, contacts will end-up in your drip system. You will stay in touch until they are ready to talk.
The fifth critical service of digital marketing is the nurturing of contacts until they are ready to talk when they become leads or prospects.
It stands to reason some visitors are just seeking information. That is their only need, at least for right now. So, providing information and getting nothing in return is an act of goodwill. Perhaps this digital marketing effort builds some goodwill that benefits you in the future.
The foundation of the digital marketing nurturing process is the CRM emails that keep your name in front of the contact.
You may also find that nurturing contacts may turn them into active prospects for your services. And these may be your best prospects because you have used digital marketing to build a relationship.