One of the biggest untapped opportunities for financial professionals today is leveraging all the technological advances available to you such as social media marketing, video production services and web-based leads. To be successful in today’s technology driven world, you need to have a compelling online presence for your financial services business.
One of the best and easiest ways to market and grow your business is by using social media. For many, leveraging social media accounts can be difficult as it’s not just about posting “content” to your feed. Converting leads into clients is more complex than simply posting stuff online.
Is Your Practice Going Places?
Imagine you have a pot of water and the temperature is 211 degrees. Let’s assume the laws of thermodynamics are not at play and the water will remain at that temperature and neither increase or decrease, what do you have? It’s not a trick question. You have a really hot pot of water and maybe you could make a nice soup. That’s essentially where your practice is today.
But what if you increase the temperature of the water by just one little degree? You create steam. And as we all know, once you have steam, it can be used to power engines to take you places. In fact, the first automobiles were powered by steam. That’s the power of utilizing a professional website, video production and social media in your practice. If you elevate just one little thing it can make a tremendous impact and take your practice to new heights.
Where do you start?
You can't just start posting online and hope to get more prospects to contact you. Before you can use social media to drive interest in your financial services business, you need a way to share your content with the world and capture leads who want to engage with your content. That’s why it’s imperative to have a professionally designed website for your business. The modern financial services firm can’t have a website that was designed in 1999, or even 2009 for that matter. Websites have changed in the last few years, and you need to work with a graphic designer who can build a modern-looking website.
Have a Professionally Developed Website
Unless you are a professional graphic designer, it’s best to have your site professionally developed. There are many important characteristics such as using space wisely to create a simple and clean look. Visitors have to be able to easily navigate your website. They should be able to get wherever they want to go within one or two clicks, and good graphic designers know how to do this. A professional designer anticipates where the visitor wants to go. There are companies out there that build compliant and compelling websites for financial advisors.
Why a Facebook Page Isn't Enough
Let’s get real for a second. Simply having a company Facebook page is not a replacement for or an equivalent to a website. The most successful and professional businesses have websites and social media accounts. If you want to be considered among the best in your industry, having your own website is a critical part of your online marketing strategy. It will be one of the best ways you can capture leads from social media.
Guide Your Prospects
If you’re going to do it alone and not work with a graphic designer, then you’re going to need to create a website that is easy to use. Think about what your client or prospect would want to achieve by visiting your website. What do you think they are looking for? How can you get them there in one or two clicks? Make sure to clearly define the best ways to contact you and highlight any offers you are featuring on your website.
A Website is Just the Beginning
Creating an easy to use website is just the first step in using social media to generate leads. You need to have systems in place to help your prospects navigate from social media posts, to your website, and to ultimately contacting you to set an appointment. If you’re asking someone to trust you with their life’s savings, you need to demonstrate that you take your business seriously. Every website page, offer form, video, photo, and sentence needs to be skillfully designed. Every step of this process, from clicking on a social media post, to receiving a follow up email, needs to work smoothly. Reducing quality at any one of these steps could impact your first impression on a prospect.
