There’s no doubt that the financial services industry can be lucrative. However, just having a website for your business isn’t the best way to bring attention to your services. You have to engage in online advertising to stand out from the many other firms out there who do what you do.
Likewise, marketing to high-net-worth individuals takes a certain amount of skill and finesse to do the job right. You have to not only understand the basics of Digital Marketing but also how these very specific clients find consultants that they trust.
Not sure where to begin? Our team of experts put together a quick guide to help financial service professionals understand search engine optimization and search engine marketing.
Why are SEO and SEM Important for Financial Service Providers?
Before we dive too far into various tips, it is important to understand why search engine optimization (SEO) and search engine marketing (SEM) are essential for financial service providers.
Search engine optimization includes making sure your website ranks well on Google. Often, this brings in what is called organic traffic, which does not cost anything each time someone visits your site. This is usually done through both on-page and off-page methods.
Search engine marketing is essentially paying money to run campaigns that put your listing at the very top of Google and other search engines. Obviously, the upfront cost is higher as you pay-per-click or impression, but the process usually yields results much more quickly than simple SEO.
Together, these two methods offer a comprehensive marketing strategy that can help financial service businesses bring in more website traffic and better qualify potential leads. After all, high-net-worth individuals tend to utilize technology and search platforms a bit more than everyone else, and it is important to capitalize on their use.
Tip #1: Understanding the Importance of the Right Keywords
Just as engaging in the overall process is essential, having the right keywords can make or break your SEO/SEM efforts. This takes a bit of research and effort, but it makes a big difference in your results.
Choose keywords that best describe your business. Add local tags to help narrow down the search and improve local rankings. For example, the keyword financial planning might become CT financial planning or financial planning in CT. The key here is to think like your target market and speak to their needs.
Tip #2: Building Trust with High-Quality Content
Building out your website with high-quality content is crucial for both search engine optimization issues and customer trust. According to the World Wealth Report by consulting firm Capgemini, there are over 5.3 million high-net-worth individuals in the United States alone. You want to make sure you’re catering to their needs by consistently adding new content to your website.
By creating blog posts and articles on your site that answers some of your client’s most pressing questions in an honest and informative manner, you are positioning yourself as a leader within your industry. You’re also showing that your team is knowledgeable about the topics that matter—which is what anyone would want when it comes time to finding a professional to discuss investments.
Furthermore, if you’re looking to cater to the top 10% of these high-net-wealth individuals, you can choose topics that really speak to their niche in a manner that few others on the web are attempting. Just be sure to keep the information concise—high-net-worth individuals (HNWI) generally are on a time crunch and don’t have the patience for long-form content.
Tip #3: What You Need to Know About Backlinks
You will also want to pay attention to building quality backlinks. In simple terms, this means other websites linking to your site to create a better search engine ranking. Sounds easy, right?
One of the fastest ways to do this is to pay attention to quality blogs about financial planning topics. Most allow submissions of posts from outside sources if the information is good, and the majority of those enable authors to place a backlink or two to their own websites. If you’re able to find any sites that specifically target high-net-worth individuals, and that is your target clientele, it is especially important to work with them directly to create these backlinks.
Best of all, showing your stuff on another website is a great way to build your reputation and earn trust with potential clients who otherwise might not have heard from you. What a win-win situation!
Tip #4: Improve Speed and Mobile Usability
Another area you need to consider when marketing your financial services business is the speed at which your site loads and how it looks on mobile. Google monitors this and can mark down your search engine ranking if it takes more than a few seconds. And, as we already touched on, HNWIs are already crunched for time. They don’t have the patience to sit and wait while your website loads on your screen.
This is also two-fold. These clients are also incredibly tech-savvy. They have the newest iPhones, iPads, and Android devices, and enjoy the ease of finding information by using them. Make sure your website is more than just responsive—it has to be easy-to-navigate and should look beautiful on mobile.
Bonus Tip: Add Your Business to Google My Business (GMB)
This might not seem like a typical SEO/SEM tip, but it is still quite important. Most clients looking for local financial service advice want to work with someone they can meet in person. Adding your business to google my business (GMB) for free can help show them who is local to their area and gives you the chance to respond to reviews. You’ll also want to build business citations across the web, such as on local sites like Yelp, YP.com, Superpages, Facebook, Bing, HomeAdvisor, etc.
Ready to learn more about how Zero Gravity Marketing can help you improve your visibility as a financial services provider? Please contact our knowledgeable and media-savvy team today to discuss your project.
