When you strive to be the best professional you can be, clients come knocking at your door. Right?

If that were true, every financial advisor would be an authority by now, bringing in dream clients day after day.

In reality, it can be hard to find the right clients online. Yes, even if you put your clients' interests first and even if you're stellar at managing money and relationships. 

That’s because what separates good financial advisors from industry leaders isn’t experience or skill. Hopefully, all financial advisors have those. 

If you’re looking for a true standout attribute, try this: knowing and reaching your ideal audience, while using the right tools to attract, engage, and delight them. 

Acquiring leads is one thing. Attracting ideal clients who are willing to say "yes" to your offer is a whole other story. So, if you're wondering how to attract your ideal clients, here are some financial advisor marketing ideas to help you stand out in the field. 

How to Attract Your Ideal Client Online: Financial Advisor Marketing Ideas

1. Break Through The Clutter

The "clutter" refers to the 200,000+ financial advisors already out there in the US… and counting.

This upsurging number can also increase your online competition, particularly because a lot of these professionals follow a "do-it-all" approach. As it turns out, several advisors aren't part of a niche because they’re casting a wider net.

This tends to dilute their messaging to suit everyone's financial needs. 

As the saying goes, trying to cater to everyone means you'll be catering to no one. This jack-of-all-trades side of the market is already saturated, and it's up to you to go in a different direction.

Your first step should be to focus on a smaller audience. While this suggestion would make some financial advisors panic, you already know that carving out your own niche will help you make headway.

Here's an example:

A troubled couple is trying to financially prepare for a challenging divorce. In searching for financial advisors online, they come across two headlines on two different websites.

Take the first steps toward financial freedom.

Navigate the financial consequences of divorce with ease.

Which of the above better demonstrates that the advisor knows what they’re going through? The answer is quite clear. 

Your goal is to help visitors see themselves on the page and see you as a provider of the solution to their problems. This way, you'll be the firm that they decide to go with. Not the person who claims they can do everything.

Of course, your personalized messaging should change according to the market segment you'd like to attract. That's why you should keep your ideal client in mind at every stage of the marketing process.

2. Get to Know Your Target Audience

If you don't know your target audience well, not even the smartest marketing strategy could help you reach them. 

When it comes to knowing their audience, most people think analyzing demographics alone will suffice. Demographics include data like:

• Age
• Gender
• Occupation
• Income

While demographics provide essential information for a complete picture of your target persona, a lot of financial advisors forget all about psychographics.

In other terms, the analysis of people based on their pains, aspirations, and attitudes. 

Essentially, what keeps these people up at night?

What are their pain points?

What are their ultimate goals?

What made them want to look for financial help?

Having access to this data can help you dig into their true motivators and develop more compelling messages.

Although it may be tempting to message something like "we help divorced and separation clients navigate financial trouble," you need to dig deeper. The question is: what does "financial trouble" mean to them? 

Does it mean hopelessness? Anger? A quest for freedom?

Customer surveys, interviews, and testimonials will help you pinpoint those emotions. Next, you can leverage them to sharpen your messaging. 

What's more, identifying the channels your potential clients visit online can tell you which platforms to focus on when reaching new prospects.

Analytics platforms can help you understand whether visitors are coming from Instagram, Facebook, search engines, or other channels.  

Combining demographics and psychographics will bring you one step closer to developing a deeper understanding of your target audience. Besides, of course, increasing your chances of making meaningful connections.

If you'd like more tips on identifying and attracting your target audience, check out our How-To Guide for Financial Advisor Marketing: Identifying Your Target Audience & Personalizing Your Online Presence. 

3. Make A Great First Impression

From the moment a potential customer lands on your website, every element will influence their decision to either get in touch or move on.

For example, certain professionals may treat a new customer as "just another sale." Yet, according to Salesforce, 84% of consumers would rather do business with those who treat them like people, not numbers. 

That might sound obvious. If that's true, then why do so many financial advisors still put sales over experiences? 

As we've mentioned in one of our previous articles, "prospective clients don’t want a sales pitch, they want insights." And they'll only get those insights if you foster positive, trust-building experiences with them. You can do that through personalized content marketing that speaks to them. 

In other words, you should meet your prospects where they're at. 

If you use an analytics software to track where your visitors come from, you'll most likely know how they're finding you.

Depending on the software you use, you'll even have access to the keyword phrases they're using to find you.

Ideally, you should use this data at your disposal to get to know your prospects.

Here's another example:

A person who's just browsing for financial help through her divorce doesn't need a blatant sales pitch at the beginning of an article. What she needs is help. She needs actionable tips before she can be interested in who you are and what you do. 

With that in mind, providing value that meets visitors where they're at increases your chances of creating a great first impression.

4. Own Your Differentiators

When you niche or specialize, you go from doing a bunch of things to doing one thing very well.

You have a differentiator. 

So own it. 

Even if you're not specializing, there are several ways you can differentiate yourself. You'd be surprised at how many successful financial advisors focus on "X years in business" as their primary message on their website. 

Is that wrong? Not necessarily. But with so many advisors making their years of experience a differentiator, that’s barely a differentiator anymore. 

On typical financial advisor websites, you'll often see:

• The company's name as the headline. Which isn’t great. People won't see themselves on the page if they land on your company's name. 

• "Welcome to (insert the name of your company here)". The hero section of a website is precious real estate. Avoid filling it with placeholder text!

• Bad web copywriting. Don't assume visitors will understand what you do. Speak their language, and avoid business jargon.​​​​​​​

Here's what you can do instead:

• Make it clear who your services are for. Who exactly do you help? And how do you do what you say you'll do? 

• Don't focus on yourself from the get-go. Instead, focus on what you can offer your clients. Instead of saying "We have helped customers with financial problems for 10+ years," say "Navigate the financial consequences of divorce with ease." Your experience can come as proof later.

• Invest in good copy. Copywriting is salesmanship in print. Your ability to attract ideal clients depends on it. 
  
  

When they land on your website, customers want to see what's in it for them – not how great you are. They want to see what makes you different, and how that differentiator makes you the ideal financial advisor for them.

5. Make Getting In Touch Easy

Your website is one of the most important assets in your marketing toolkit. A conversion-friendly website will guide people to the right places while offering a great user experience.

With that in mind, every element on your website should guide visitors to the action you want them to take. This includes your website's copy, visuals, content, and buttons. 

Whether you want them to download a lead magnet or get in touch with you, that action should be clear from the start. 

At Glownnia Financial Group, the primary goal of the homepage is to lead users to book a meeting. That's why it's outlined in a dark navy box above the fold. They've also included their contact number right beside the CTA, in case any client would prefer to phone and get in touch right away.

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Aiming for clarity will help your website to do its job: capture qualified leads.

Pair this with additional marketing strategies such as email marketing and personalized web copywriting, and you'll have a powerful client magnet. 

Putting It All Together

Attracting your ideal clients is a process. It requires your marketing strategy and personalized website to work in unison to create exceptional experiences with:

• A customer-centered approach
• A great first impression
• Relevant messaging
• An effortless user experience

To get there, you first need a custom website designed to attract your target audience.

Next, use personalized digital marketing solutions to turn them into happy, paying customers.

Following these tips can put you two steps ahead. Primarily because you won't be taking a leap in the dark: you’ll be laser-targeting the people who need your services, right now.