Kitces article: prospects want the firm's fees and minimums, testimonials on websites

The overwhelming majority of referred prospects will leave a financial advisor's website if it cannot answer their questions, according to a marketing report cited in an Oct. 12 article by Kitces's Nerd's Eye View. If a site cannot answer a question, a referred prospect will go to another firm that can.

Senior financial planning nerd Sydney Squires writes that prospects use two rounds of criteria. They first look for firms with must-have traits, such as the CFP designation; they then eliminate firms using personal criteria like location and pricing.

Most prospects are looking for the firm's fees and minimums, demonstrations of the advisor's expertise, including reviews and testimonials, the nature of the investment strategies, and an overview of the discovery process. A few pages on a firm's website can cover all of it, Squires writes; the work is presenting it in a clear, prospect-friendly manner.

The article also suggests advisors use basic website analytics—who visits, how long they spend and which pages they open—so they can evaluate marketing beyond the prospects who book a call.