Financial Advisor Website Content: How to Build Credibility Online

To compete in a crowded online marketplace, financial professionals need to build credibility.  While that can sound like a decades-long effort, financial advisor website content can do that effectively for you, far faster.

This is great news since building up your visibility and company name took a significant amount of work in the past. First, you probably needed to get out and do a lot of public speaking.  You also needed to get your work published or be personally interviewed in places where potential clients would come across your name.  All these tasks required hours of legwork to secure opportunities followed by often intense preparation.

In today’s online world, it is far easier to get your name in print.  You just need to develop content and publish it on your own financial advisor website.  Then, today’s search engines do much of the heavy lifting for you by indexing your content so millions of people can easily find it.

One thing hasn’t changed over the decades, however:  quality matters.  Search engines can get you noticed, but what people read when they find you must be enough to make them stick around.

This article provides content marketing tips so you can build your authority where it counts:  in the eyes of potential clients.

Build Credibility by Answering Questions

Many financial advisors think they need to write long formal articles about technical topics to get anyone’s attention.  Surprisingly, adopting that strategy may backfire on you.

When it comes to money, today’s consumers are primarily looking for one thing:  to get their questions answered.  And they want these answers written in a way they can quickly grasp, so the writing must be easy to understand.  That’s key as it makes you seem approachable and easy to work with while still positioning you as an expert.

What should you write about?  Well, just look to the most common questions you get from your clients and prospects right now:

• How can I generate income safely in retirement?
• What should I invest in if inflation keeps rising?
• Should I take social security immediately or delay filing?
• How can I lower my taxes next year?
• Should I add Bitcoin to my portfolio?

As we all know, there is no lack of questions when it comes to financial matters.

Simply answering these questions on your financial advisor website in a professional manner has the potential to position you as an authority on the topic.

Types of Financial Advisor Website Content

Building visible credibility is essential in today’s world, where people do online research on financial advisors before they will consider contacting you. Writing articles is a core component of your strategy, but you shouldn’t stop there.

Content comes in many forms. The following content types are perfect for building credibility and trust.

Financial Blog Posts

A blog post is a casual, engaging article and precisely what most people want to read when searching the internet for answers to their questions. You can have short-form or long-form blogs written to provide insightful information to readers.

Once written, you can share these posts on your blog, social media accounts, and even in newsletters.

Readers that come to your website and read your blog will begin to trust in your voice, making you a more credible expert. In fact, the reader will often be comfortable with you without even meeting you.

Financial Articles

Articles and blogs are very similar, but articles often are longer and include more information.  For example, an article may consist of a more detailed discussion on the pros and cons of buying a fixed annuity, while a blog may just talk about one aspect, such as how fixed annuities work.  While not overly technical, you can expect articles to be less casual than a blog post and filled with more detail.

Financial EBooks or Guides

EBooks, or guides, are an excellent tool for financial advisors and can help you gain credibility fast with your target audience. You can sell these eBooks, but most financial advisors give them away for free as a “lead magnet” on their website. This helps turn a website visitor into a lead by requiring them to provide you with their email address before downloading the document.

For financial services, eBooks play an instrumental role; they provide a potential client with a way to get to know your firm without having to pick up the phone.  That’s a necessary step since there’s a wide gap between checking you out on your website and finally signing up for a free consultation. The eBook essentially provides an easy way to see if your firm is a potential fit.

Here are a few key points on eBooks:

• A conversational tone usually works better than a formal tone.
• They are usually most effective on the shorter side but should delve enough into a topic to add value.
• The topic needs to be educational, not sales-oriented. You can include a call to action at the end that encourages the reader to contact your firm, but don’t do it until after you have provided educational value.
• Invest in attractive graphic design and add plenty of white space, so the eBook is a pleasant and attractive read.

If you want to create an image of authority, eBooks are a great option.

Financial Whitepapers

A whitepaper is meant to provide extensive details on a particular subject. These papers can span 1,200 to 3,000+ words, and they’ll usually focus on one technical aspect of your service or your approach.

Whitepapers are an excellent opportunity to build credibility and influence decision-making if appealing to a more technical audience.  If you primarily work with individuals and families, usually eBooks are a better fit.

Financial Videos, Webinars and Podcasts

Reading is great, but many people prefer video or audio. Webinars and podcasts are other excellent options.  When you’re in front of the camera (or microphone), you can humanize your content and use your personality to build trust.

Plus, you can build your email list and allow users to download the video or share it with others after the live event.

But many financial advisors prefer to stick to writing.  The good news?  You can build significant trust through blogging, articles, and eBooks, so if you prefer not to go on camera or microphone, you can still build credibility very effectively.

Alternatively, you can also use explainer videos to do the talking for you, quite effectively, without having to appear on camera yourself.

Employ the Power of Guest Posting

As a financial advisor, another way to build credibility is to have your work appear in different publications.  In today’s online world, that means on other high-quality websites. You can do this by guest posting, meaning you write an article that then appears on another firm’s blog.  That article will identify you as the author and should also provide backlinks to your website.

This has multiple benefits for you:

• You get exposed to other website’s readerships, which can generate new traffic to your website
• You build “backlinks” to your website, which are necessary to help you improve your search engine rankings
• You can build a list of “as seen on” websites or publications that can be added to the home page of your website

You can find guest posting opportunities by reaching out to editors and journalists, or you can work with a firm that helps financial advisors secure guest post opportunities.

Save with White Label Content

Creating original content in any of these forms is ideal but more time consuming and/or expensive.  And it can take time to develop, whether you do it yourself or hire a financial advisor writing service.

White label financial content can provide cost savings and faster results.  White label involves getting your name on an eBook or video that’s already developed.  You can use this content anywhere you don’t need original work:

• Lead magnets
• Explainer videos
• Webinars
• Seminars

You can usually personalize the content, so it’s a great way to get a professional, polished base that you can then adjust to fit your needs.

White label content is ideal for building your email lists.  In the online marketing world, 81% of marketers state that their most used form of content is email.

Putting Your Financial Advisor Website Content to Work

Once you build up your financial advisor website content assets, it’s time to share them with the world. You can begin by sharing content on social media.  You can also run ads on Facebook to promote your eBook or webinar as a start.  Once you begin, you’ll find it easy to branch out to other avenues.

Over time, you will create a content marketing library that works 24/7 to attract readers looking for the solutions that you provide.  It’s an investment today that has the potential to pay off long into the future.

Looking for help with financial website content or financial copywriting?  At Wavelength, we’ve developed engaging, effective content for many clients, including over 100 Registered Investment Advisory firms, hedge funds, private equity, family office service providers and fintech firms.   Contact us for a free consultation.