Christopher P. Wendt, President of Midstream Marketing, a digital agency that generates predictable leads for independent financial advisory firms says over the last 10 years, after auditing dozens of websites and spending hundreds of hours helping financial advisers market their businesses, he has seen too many firms struggle to communicate how they are different.
Having given an example of a website in part one, he continues.
Speak directly to the prospect
“On another website’s homepage, they have a series of rotating images called slides. The first slide speaks directly to the prospect as the hero of the story. When he or she comes to the site, they read the following: ‘maximum cash flow for the rest of your life. Throughout your retirement, we will help you maximise your every move’,” says Wendt.
“The background image is a 50s-something couple that is happy and looks like they are enjoying life. They are the focus of the page. Contrast that with the first site that put the team photo as the first image that a prospect sees. The brand statement ‘maximum cash flow for the rest of your life’ is an actual statement of fundamental need that your ideal prospect might say. We can easily imagine them thinking that very thought, ‘I need maximum cash flow for the rest of my life’,” continues Wendt.
“So, we can see here that the prospect is the hero. And we also see that the offer is the guide that will help lead them to fulfill that need. The statement communicates a unique product that only they can offer, and it is wide open enough to account for many different issues that could affect maximising revenue for retirement. The second slide also does a great job of making the prospect the hero: ‘Welcome to your retirement. From social security to 401K rollovers, we’re experts at every aspect of retirement planning. We’ll guide you through all of it.’ Here the prospect is invited to reach out and hold the goal that they desire - a well-planned retirement. The website is painting a picture to the prospect by welcoming them to their retirement,” says Wendt.
“The visual argument of the background image again speaks to the prospect. We see a 50s something couple running in a beautiful field with their dog. An obvious dream scene of many prospects who plan for retirement in their 50s,” continues Wendt.
“We need to lead the prospect through every scenario and twist and turn they might face with retirement planning. Contrast this again to the first website mentioned above, where they don’t make the connection to the prospect in any way, but just speak about being in business for over 20 years,” emphasizes Wendt.
Part of your strategy
“You want to grow your practice. Part of your strategy must be making sure that your brand statements, especially that first sentence on your website’s homepage, speaks to the needs of your future clients,” says Wendt.
“Your website should sell your firm and your service offering as good, if not better than you can do in-person. You shouldn’t settle for anything less,” concludes Wendt.
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