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Financial Advisor Marketing

Financial Advisor Marketing: Practical advice – Forget the Internet

By Jeffrey Dobkin

Article Synopsis:  As a Financial Advisor, why struggle with Internet marketing.  Quit spending time and money – and more time and money – and trying like hell to get onto the first page of Google. It ain’t happening. And if you’re on page 5… who cares?  No one keeps searching to page 5.  Mission: Your website only has one function: to get someone to call you.

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There are a dozen slots on the first page of Google for financial advisor firms.  With the entire financial advisor marketing community vying for them.  Getting on the first page of Google for your free listing is a nice dream but isn’t the reality.

Here’s the solution:  Let other financial advisors waste time and spend tons of marketing money trying to get on the first page of Google (unless you have tons of money – then gimme a call and we’ll talk!)  You can still have an effective web presence.

Here’s what I’d do if it was my firm:
My own Financial Advisor Marketing Template —

Use your company name or your name as your URL (that’s your web address, as in: JeffreyDobkin.com, or JeffreyDobkinFinancialServices.com). Whatever is available.

The very beginning of your site should start with your name, then a few words about your products and services… and use your name a few more times.

The first line of your website (H1 tag for you geeky people) should read “Financial Services from Jeffrey Dobkin” or “Candid Financial Advisor advice from successful Financial Advisor Jeffrey Dobkin!” or similar.  This will make sure Google knows your website has relevancy in the financial services arena.

The initial words in a title are weighted heavily in search.

Mentioning your name a few times early on your website will make sure when people type it into Google, you’ll come up.

Then…

Then go back to the real world and make money like you used to, and stop worrying about the web, Google updates, and SEO stuff and how it isn’t happening for you.  The geeks and nerds have taken it over.

Stop whining, honestly – you have more complaints than a baby with a heat rash.  And stop wasting so much time and effort online.  Except for, you know, this article.

The Most Important Part of Marketing Your Financial Advisor Services on the Web is…

People will now be able to find you on the Internet when they look up your name.  If you type Jeffrey Dobkin into Google I show up on the first page.  It’s easy with just a name, unless it’s Smith or Cohen or Jones!  Then you’re in trouble.

Jeffrey Dobkin on Motorcycle

Jeffrey Dobkin, at jeffreydobkin.com

With a small but clever website, people who search for you will find your web address and your phone number right away.

And that’s really what you want from your web site:  People to find you.  And call you.

In fact, that’s ALL you want from your website: people to call you.  Nothing more.  If people call you: complete success!

People searching for your business will find you in Yelp, yellowpages, and any of the multiples of shitty review sites that will describe your business by name and location and give you good reviews if you pay them – like The Better Business Bureau.

As long as you have your company name and a big phone number on your website landing page, you’ll provide an easy way for potential customers and clients to find you and call you – which is what you wanted in the first place, isn’t it?  It should be.

Recognize: Generating a phone call should be the ONLY objective of your website.

Here’s how this works: the ONLY way you generate business – and clients – is by speaking with them.

Every business relationship starts out with one word: “HELLO!”

If you didn’t speak with them, they didn’t become a client. 

So a phone call is the first step—and “Hello” is the first word in any business relationship.  Any arguments?

So really… No, you don’t need a great Financial Advisor website.

Getting More Referrals:
Here’s an interesting article for Financial Advisors:  Referrals – a Short Technical Article on Getting Referrals

What jerk told you that you did?

Sure, lots of people live on the Internet: Geeks. Computer nerds. The skinny geeky, computer nerd kid in school you wouldn’t let sit at your lunch table who now drives a Bugatti Chiron.

Large companies live on the internet.  They have the time and personnel.  And… some of your buddies live there too – they all hope to one day make a lot of money on line, somehow.

And you? You’ve spent thousands of dollars and thousands of hours online and… and…nothing. Nada. No money – or not enough for you to live on and keep your cat well fed at the same time.

Is the web even a viable way to earn a living?

Sure. If you have the time and the talent. Then, add more time – because everything changes rapidly.

Every time Google draws a line, you’ll need to jump over it.  Don’t worry – they’ll tell you how high.

Then once you have a website, be prepared for every pundit in the world to tell you how to succeed online and get onto the first page of Google. (Wait…  I mean, except for me.)  Unfortunately – they all point in different directions. You have to separate the truth from fiction. The good advice from the bad. Good luck with that.

And now, just like everyone else, I’m going to tell you what you’re doing wrong: 

I’m also going to tell you what to do about it.

Here’s what I’m not going to tell you: how to get on page one of Google because you can’t.

(Well, not with this article, anyhow.  If you want to know that, you’ll have to read this article here: How To Get On the First Page of Google By Lunchtime. It’s just for fun and funny, but it’s reality based on what you can do: get on page one of Google, but just for an afternoon!)

Here in reality…

where I virtually think we live, this financial advisor marketing article has prudent advice from the heart because there’s no bullshit involved and I’m not trying to sell you anything.

Oh, wait…!  I almost forgot!  If you need some awesome financial advisor sales letters to make people call you… buy them here!

Handy Practical Internet Marketing Advice:  

First, go back to your old ways of marketing.

You were making money before, weren’t you?  You still can.

Remember how you made money the old fashioned way, you earned it… offline?

Yea, that still works. Head back there.  Good news: it still works!

Do it that way:  Mailing and calling.  Seminars.  Meetings. Referrals.  Dinners and Networking.

I didn’t say you liked it, I just said you were making money that way.  Head back over there.

So what about the Internet – and Internet marketing – because it isn’t going away.

OK, here’s the lowdown.

Yes, get a website.

There, I said it.

Even get a small one. One page, two or three pages.

It doesn’t need to be big.  It’s OK, really.

You actually do need a website.  You just don’t need a great Financial Advisor website.

A one pager will do fine. More pages if you can, but if not, that’s OK too.

It should be nicely written and designed.  It’s a reflection of you, your firm.  And ixna on the typos and poor writing.

If it’s lousy, visitors will think less of you.  So make your financial advisor website short, attractive, well designed and well written, a bit prestigious and nice.  If you’re really not a geek and can’t do it, I can create it for you.  I’m what my clients call, “Expensive, and worth it!”

But give it a shot yourself first.  I’m always here if you need me.  Phone: 610-642-1000 — rings on my desk.  But this isn’t a selling article – it’s instructional.  So…

List your company name and address, and your phone number on your website.

Show a hint of your products and services or a complete list. Offer a special report, a white paper, a FREE booklet or two with a GREAT title (it’s the title that makes people call you!)  Make it simple. Keep it simple.

Financial Advisors Letter Graphic

View Financial Advisor Sample Letter

Show a big phone number.

Go back to the basics. Highlight your company name. Offer a few helpful articles on your financial specialty so you have some credibility and gain some SEO possibility.  Because today, you actually do need a web presence. What you really need even more on your website is a big phone number.

You need to be on the web, so you can be found.  You need a big phone number so people can call you.

What you don’t need: Flashy stuff, multi-pages, order pages, video, rotating images, screaming ads that won’t shut up, and a huge SEO budget.

You can have an email sign up list, but that’s not a dire necessity if you’re not mailing clever things on a regular basis to those people like myself that don’t care to get more email.

Really.

What you do need?

You need to show a big phone number because that’s the goal: have people who visit your website call you.

It’s old fashioned, but… so am I.

I believe the way you get clients is to speak with them.  Live and in-person.

And that’s the way you keep clients.

You have conversations with them.  On the phone.  In person. Over lunch or dinner.  Any or all the above.

You see, your website has one purpose: when customers or prospects need to find you, they can look you up on the web, find your name and address, and call you.  

That’s the purpose of your website: to be in the phone book.  

The phone book called The Internet.  

And to get someone to call you. 

You can still build credibility with a small site… and actually that’s all you need.

Credibility so that people can find you, see you there, see you are a real firm, find your phone number — and call you.

You’ll have better credibility with a small well-written and tightly designed website than with a big website that’s mediocre.

Turns out the web is a pretty good telephone book.

And that’s what most people use it for – to look firms up.  Then… if your website works well, they’ll call you.

That’s why you need a big phone number. Because the real number one “Objective” of your website is to make people call you. It’s actually the reason your website exists. To generate a phone call.

The phone call is the start of every client, and the start of every serious inquiry.

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Every person who wants to do business with you calls you. No one looks at your website and sends you a check or an order.

All business starts with a phone call.  Any arguments?  Any questions?

Thanks for reading.  Written by Jeffrey Dobkin,    ©2019

Hope you have enjoyed this article, written specifically for financial advisors and senior insurance agents.  I know I get a little wordy at times so thanks for reading down to here.  If you liked this article, you may enjoy these other marketing articles and find them helpful as well:

Here are a few more effective marketing articles for Financial Advisors and Senior Insurance Agents:  Referrals – a Three Part Technical Article on Getting More Referrals

View our Free Sample Letter: “Thank you for your referral” Letter. Written for both financial advisors and insurance agencies.

And now a word from our sponsor:

Now – for the Financial Advisor Community:  Jeffrey Dobkin has just personally finished writing a series of
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To see a SAMPLE LETTER WRITTEN SPECIFICALLY FOR FINANCIAL ADVISORS, CLICK HERE.

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Jeffrey Dobkin

Jeff Dobkin will now take your questions.  Really, he will.  Write him at jeff@dobkin.com  Call him at 610-642-1000.  Ask Jeffrey about writing articles for you, or the custom letters he writes for clients.  And did I mention he’s a damn good writer specializing in letters, print ads, direct mail packages and web content.  Dobkin has written 5 books on direct marketing and two on humor.  Please buy his books — he needs the money.  Just kidding!  You don’t have to buy his books.  Just send the money.

For the Financial Advisor Community: View FREE SAMPLE LETTER!

Our Job as a marketing agency: Make readers call you.  Your job as a Financial Consultant: when they call it’s up to you to create a client. Our financial advisor letters make that introduction.  To see a sample letter please click here.

To purchase our Financial Advisor Sales Letters, Click Here!  While we joke around a lot (it’s fun), we’re very serious about our set of goal-oriented letters, designed and written specifically to make people call you.

We are a real firm, and not just a shallow internet presence.  We bring over 30 years of direct marketing strategy and experience to this site to help you in every way we can.  Our goal is your success.  Your questions are always welcome, and we are as close as your phone:  610-642-1000.  This phone rings directly on Jeffrey Dobkin’s desk.  Thanks for your consideration.