Think of it this way: you need an office to conduct business, but would you invite your clients into an office that was disorganized, hard to find, had minimal décor and most importantly didn’t paint an accurate picture of your professionalism?

Having a basic web site might give you a presence but is it a presence that portrays who you are and what you do? Is it as professional as you’d like to appear? Is your goal simply to have a presence or to make an impression?

A big part of marketing is making an impression; let me rephrase that, making a good impression! It’s about getting a message across to the right audience that makes a meaningful impression of you, what you do and how it will benefit them.

Building an effective web site can be a daunting task. There are so many vendors and so many variances in price, value and approaches. But, making an effort to appropriately impress your target audience will be money and time well spent.

Although many financial advisors are missing the opportunity to impress their target audience, it’s not all their doing. Leading financial services marketing companies have been focusing on mass produced web sites, financial content and tolls. Mass produced cookie-cutter web sites, along with generic content and tools have led to little differentiation and even less impact for financial advisors hoping their web sites will help their businesses.

The question is:

“How do you break free and create a meaningful and impactful web site that engages your target audience in your message and your services?”

The answer is:

Build a web site that clearly expresses who you are, your point of differentiation and how it will benefit them. Give them options to learn more about you such as attending seminars, reading your eBook(s) and targeted articles, and signing up for your email or print newsletter.

You’ll want to ensure your message (brand) is appropriate, clear and positions you as the professional you are and want to be know as.

Make sure the décor (design) is well suited for who you are. A cookie-cutter web site will position you as just that, just like everyone else.