Aligning Your Website to Your Target Audience

Advisor Perspectives welcomes guest contributions. The views presented here do not necessarily represent those of Advisor Perspectives.

With over 20 years of experience in web design and development, I’ve seen firsthand how the right web site can transform a financial advisor’s business.

Many advisors struggle to determine how to effectively position their services in a way that draws in their desired level of web site engagement with potential clients.

Although your web site is not a complete replacement of your sales process, it's also more than just an online brochure. Rather than filling your site with confusing industry jargon, templated pages, and generic content, use your web site as a qualifying tool that speaks directly to the types of people you want to serve.

Understand the client journey

One of the first steps to a web design project is to define the types of people you want to work with. Perhaps you specialize in plans for retirees, physicians, or high-earning families.

Starting with a definition of your target audience will allow you to tailor every part of your web site to their needs. Consider their journey as they navigate your web site by defining:

What led them to search for a financial advisor. Are they facing a significant life transition such as buying a home or retiring? Are they unhappy with their current advisor? Are they establishing a financial plan for the first time?
How they found your web site. Did you appear in a Google search or on social media, did they meet you at an event, or were they referred to you by an existing client?
What level of financial knowledge and experience they have. Have they worked with an advisor before, or is this all new to them?

Understanding this journey allows you to align your web site with their circumstances and mindset.

For example, if most of your clients are new to financial planning, you may not want to delve into the details of your strategies or investment approach.

Focus instead on the benefits of your services and the support your team will provide. Entrepreneur Aligned, a wealth management firm that helps entrepreneurs navigate their unique financial complexities, does this with a custom Service page that shares the challenges their clients face with a direct correlation to the firm’s solutions.

The page is not crowded with long paragraphs or confusing language, and instead makes it very easy for web visitors to recognize the value they would receive should they choose to work with the firm.

Identify goals, objectives, and challenges

Web visitors are likely landing on your web site because they have specific goals or questions. While often overlooked, most people also have pain points, such as stress about making a big decision or unfamiliarity with financial planning.

Acknowledge these pain points, goals, and questions on your site to build trust and reaffirm that you understand what your visitors are going through.

Retirement Solutions, a firm focused on helping women with their financial plans, addresses the top questions and concerns of their ideal clients directly on the home page.

Visitors who share these concerns will recognize that Retirement Solutions has the right experience to help them, thus encouraging them to get in touch with the firm.

Tailor content to your target audience

With a better understanding of your ideal clients, you can effectively align your site’s content with their situation.

One of the most critical aspects of this is vocabulary. Avoiding industry jargon is crucial because it can confuse potential clients who might not be familiar with such terms.

Instead, use language that aligns with the knowledge and experience of your target audience. This is especially important if you work with a niche that has unique financial options or complexities.

Wrenne Financial Planning’s web design and content are tailored toward their ideal clients: physicians and their families.

From the images to the videos and tone, every aspect of the web site is aligned to the mindset and unique needs of physicians. By catering your content to your ideal client’s level of knowledge, your web site will be a more accessible and informative resource.

Establish your firm’s tone of voice

In addition to aligning your content to your ideal clients, you also want it to match your firm’s tone.

If your client base is primarily young families, they are likely looking for a personable and approachable advisor. Alternatively, retirees may prefer a team that feels more sophisticated and professional.

By establishing a tone of voice aligned to both your firm’s values and your client’s preferences, you will be able to connect better with your audience.

Approach Retirement is dedicated to establishing trusting, long-term connections with their clients, and their web site’s content aligns with this. The home page is filled with personable content that speaks directly to the visitor, which represents their team’s approach and makes visitors feel heard and valued.

Use imagery and design that resonates

Imagery and design also play an important role in resonating with ideal clients. People are naturally drawn to visuals they can relate to, so it's important to use images of people at similar life stages as your ideal clients.

Additionally, incorporating branding elements and colors that reflect your prospective clients’ emotional values can strengthen a visitor’s sense of connection with you.

Ignite Financial works with executives in various stages of their career. As a woman-owned firm, the majority of their clients are also women. The bold style and high-quality images reflect their ideal client type, allowing web visitors to feel a sense of resemblance to the design.

Define your calls to action

Finally, timing is everything. Recognizing that different prospective clients will be in different stages of their decision-making process provides you with an opportunity to guide them toward taking the most applicable next step.

Some visitors might be ready to reach out, while others are still in the research phase. Ensure your web site caters to both types of prospects by having clear calls to action and plenty of informative content or lead magnet opt-ins.

The ultimate goal is for Medicus Wealth Planning web visitors to schedule a consultation with their advisor. With a “Start the Process” button in the main navigation and call-to-action sections throughout the web site’s key pages, visitors can easily take the next steps and schedule the appointment online.

For those who aren't ready to book and/or are looking for educational content, Medicus offers a gated retirement guide that requires people to share their contact information in exchange for access.

These two primary calls to action address two different stages of the decision-making process. By providing different options for different people, the web site serves as a more effective lead generation tool.

Final thoughts

By implementing these content and design changes, you can transform your web site from a static brochure into a dynamic, client-focused hub tailored to your ideal clients, which will significantly improve your engagement and help you establish more meaningful connections with visitors.

Mikel Bruce is the CEO of TinyFrog Technologies, a San Diego web design agency specializing in WordPress web design & development and secured hosting & maintenance. Founded in 2003, TinyFrog offers a conversion-based approach to web design and has built over 1,500 websites. TinyFrog also has extensive experience in designing and building websites for financial advisors.

A message from Advisor Perspectives and VettaFi: To learn more about this and other topics, check out some of our webcasts.