Sponge Project Blog

This should apply to all companies, but is particularly relevant for financial advisers, when a recession looms invest in your website beforehand.

Turbulent market conditions make investors nervous and want to withdraw to a safer place, however the right thing to do in many cases is to leave well alone. As consumer confidence drops they’ll start looking to the internet for bargains as well as reassurance from their financial adviser. But how do we get the message out there and help reassure people, yet still manage your costs? Simple answer is via your website.

Low cost, high spread

For existing customers that use your website as a trusted source of information they will gain reassurance and building the page on a properly managed website is child’s play that only costs you the time to do it (maybe an hour). This kind of low cost activity is just the thing if market conditions squeeze you own margins as well as consumer confidence.

Also the cost of seeing clients face to face, which may not equate to new business, means you have to engage with your clients in other ways. Why not use your website to host webinars discussing the market conditions? What about a simple leaflet or news article offering some clear reassurance?

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)

Getting the right place in the search results for the right keywords will help drive traffic to your site and in turn build your reputation as a customer-focussed firm. SEO in an evolving thing and as the market changes, so should your SEO strategy.

Combined campaigns

Just sticking a note on your website isn’t enough though. The key is to target customers on many fronts. Why not combine the message with an email campaign to existing customers and prospects? It’s a good reason to target prospects who were in touch previously but perhaps didn’t place any business with you.

Not just financial advisers

All of the is applicable to financial adviser websites, but is just as relevant for other websites. Recessions breed more cautious customers who tighten their belts. The growth in internet usage and prevalence of high speed broadband means consumers are more prone to searching the internet for the right deals for them. Without a website or at least a website that can be changed quickly to capitalise on any short term consumer trends, means you could be missing out just when every customers an penny counts.

Spend now to save later

For financial advisers, by investing in an easy to update site now whilst market conditions permit, you’ll make it easier to recoup costs during tough times by positioning your site as a prime source of reassurance for consumers. For other companies the same applies, but being able to adapt to market changes in a short space of time is essential, so easy to update sites are a must.

Contact Rob Mason for details on website design and build services in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire.