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This Christmas we had an ugly sweater party. In honor of that event here are the most unattractive things I consistently see on advisor websites. Just like the tacky sweater, let these five unbecoming blights collect dust instead of allowing them to appear on your website.
1. Generic downloads
A point about the number of downloads: any more than two prompts to download and you’re a nuisance. I can miss it once and maybe I’ll take you up on if it you ask me again, but the third time is a strikeout.
Secondly, if you’re going to ask someone to trade their contact information (and hence give you permission to bug them for the rest of their life), make it worth their while by actually offering something of value. Take a moment to set yourself apart. Make it unique and branded by including your company’s specific take on things. There is a lack of branding in the advisor marketing space, and this is your opportunity to take advantage of your competition’s shortcomings.
Don’t offer one of those mass-produced e-books created by some marketing company who doesn’t take the time to incorporate any of your messaging. You know what I mean: the e-book about the five best retirement tips. Generic, thoughtless, and phony. It’s as cheesy as that re-gifted sweater you got from your sister-in-law.
2. Boring and excessive discussions of the fiduciary standard
The RIA community has had nothing new to say on this topic in months. It’s become insipid.
It’s not that I disagree with the idea of being objective, independent and transparent about fee structures. But make the point in two sentences and then leave it alone. Don’t make it your entire brand.
There are over 15,000 RIA firms. They could all profess to be fiduciaries and most say it over and over because they can’t think of anything else better to say about what sets them apart. It’s mere jargon and #financialcliche. Get creative.
If you’re a broker-dealer rep, make the point that you accept commissions for recommendations. The RIA community has made “commission” a four-letter word, so just state the word clearly and use it to your advantage. If someone doesn’t want to do business with a commission-based rep, then so be it. Most reps are dual-registered anyways. As much as I don’t like seeing RIA firms overindulge on this point, I also don’t like seeing b/d reps fail to present clearly in plain language the fact that they get paid commissions.
3. Tacky stock photos
You know what I mean: the one of the retired couple on the beach, the lake or on a boat. This is the number-one thing that makes every advisor website look the same: the degradation of visual identity.
Get those stock photos off the site and pony up for a professional photo shoot. Take pictures of your staff in your office. If you’re the only person at the firm, then have someone pose as a client (or ask one of your actual clients) and take pictures of you working with someone, sitting down face-to-face and explaining a graph.
Images make a site memorable or forgettable. Unfortunately 99% of the time it is the latter.
4. Contact forms with no contact info
I despise it when I visit a website and I have to enter my info into one of those impersonal contact forms. I don’t like spending the time. Who are you? You’re asking me for my precious cell phone number?
Most of the time I never hear back.
You have a website and you can use it to capture leads. And Hubspot has us all convinced that this can somehow be automated. I get it. But if you’ve captivated your website visitors enough with engaging content and brand, the leads will take care of themselves.
If you must offer the contact form, please have mercy on us and offer an old-fashioned email address so that I can send you an email directly if that is my preference.
5. Bland video
I love the concept of a nice video to engage the visitors on your site. But where most advisors go wrong is they make it one of these animated whiteboard videos instead of using it as an opportunity to introduce themselves on a personal level. Here’s what I despise: “Are you worried about retirement?” wording flashes with voiceover. Elevator music in the background. Diagrams, arrows, moving shapes.
These videos are antiquated and make it seem like your website hasn’t been updated since Michael Jackson had his first hit single.
You may have to pay a few bucks to have someone come to your office and videotape you, but why not present something that truly introduces the viewer to your brand? If you have stage fright, then keep it simple. Smile and say your name and that you are president of XY Firm, and then introduce your staff one by one. The whole thing should be two minutes or less, or nobody will pay attention.
Summing it up
Now that I’ve knocked down my pet peeves of advisor websites, here’s what I like to see: a crisp, professional picture of the CEO/president of the firm along with a nicely written biography that states why the company was founded and its mission. I like social media buttons clearly displayed and the phone number on every page. It’s great to have an engaging blog post or two that discusses something atypical and is not a #financialcliche.
If you want my opinion on your website then send me an email or post a comment on AP Viewpoint and I’ll give you the lowdown. I hope you enjoyed my festive ugly sweater article.
Sara Grillo, CFA, is a top financial writer with a focus on marketing and branding for investment management, financial planning, and RIA firms. Prior to launching her own firm, she was a financial advisor and worked at Lehman Brothers. Sara graduated from Harvard with a degree in English literature and has an MBA from NYU Stern in quantitative finance.
Read more articles by Sara Grillo
Advisor Perspectives welcomes guest contributions. The views presented here do not necessarily represent those of Advisor Perspectives.
