FROM THE BLOG

We get it. Technology can be daunting, and we’ve heard countless times, “Why do I even need a website for my business? Half of my clients don’t even have an email address!” But we’re here to tell you, websites are your friend, and these days, you don’t need a fancy web developer or coder or guru to give you an online presence. There are options out there for financial advisors who want to have a website without the hassle of constantly keeping it updated yourself. So what should you look for when thinking about a website provider? Well… here are 4 features you might want to consider when shopping around.

1. Automated marketing. This “set it and forget it” option helps the busiest of professionals stay on top of their game and keep communication out there for their clients and prospects. Look for a provider that can allow you to turn on and off campaigns that automatically post to social media on the days you choose with the topics you choose. Sending a monthly email automatically is also a great way to keep you top of mind for your clients.

2. User friendly interface. And not just for what your clients see – though that is so important! You want to make sure the back end of your website is intuitive and clean, so when you or your staff are making updates or changes, it’s simple for you and not a frustration point. You shouldn’t have to click around for hours trying to figure out where your bio is. The back end should be streamlined and effortless, so you can go back to doing what you do best – talking to your clients!

3. Analytics and reporting. If you’re spending all this time and money on a marketing and website provider, you want to make sure you’re seeing that ROI. A good website provider will show you detailed reporting on how much traffic your site is receiving. You also want to know when you’re sending an email or a social media campaign, how much traction are you getting? Being able to run a report on who opened, clicked, or responded to your campaigns is invaluable in helping you plan for the next one and attract more leads.

4. A platform that integrates with your CRM is key. It saves you time in not having to upload new clients and update your email lists. Providers should also seamlessly connect to your social media accounts so you can have a “one stop shop” for all of your marketing tasks. And lastly, this goes without saying, but having your website integrated with your broker-dealer’s compliance department is so important.

Honorable mention goes to a provider that has great content. Being able to access compliance approved content that your readers are interested in helps save you time and effort, especially for those of us who experience some major writer’s block.

Hopefully these points give you something to look for if you’re in the middle of considering what website and marketing provider is best for you and your firm. There are lots of great vendors out there, but your website says a lot about you and is the basis of your online presence, so give this some thought and keep those features above in mind and you can’t go wrong.

Take care,

Katie Wengler Mohan
Account Manager – Corporate Branding & Events

Posted by Prospera Financial