A website is a great tool for attracting prospects and retaining clients.

A properly established and consistently maintained website acts as a base for your marketing efforts and gives you credibility as an expert, says Russell Vance, digital director with Wickware Communications Inc. in Toronto.

Here are a six tasks your website should be performing:

1. Send a message
Establish a message you want to send to your ideal clients and display it front and centre on your website.

“You need to state clearly who your ideal clients are and what you can do to help them,” Vance says.

Display your message prominently on the home page. It doesn’t have to be in supersized font but it must be easy to find.

2. Show who you are
People are accustomed to being able to see and contact one another on social media sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn. Your website doesn’t have to be a social media site, but it should reflect some of these features.

Visitors expect to see photos on websites, says Loic Jeanjean, online marketing manager with Advisor Websites in Vancouver. So, include a team photo to make a strong visual impression on visitors, Jeanjean suggests. High net-worth clients often prefer to work with a team, he adds, because a team approach offers more support for their accounts.

In addition to your photo, list your contact information and your credentials. Provide as much information as possible so you’re easy to reach, Jeanjean says. Include all phone numbers, fax numbers, email addresses and office locations.

A website’s “About Us” section is important, Vance says, but put it on a secondary page. The home page should be dedicated to addressing client concerns.

3. Engage visitors
Keep visitors’ attention by including a call to action on the website.

Prompt all prospects to do something — whether it’s to schedule a meeting or to download a brochure, says Jeanjean — to arouse interest in your services. These actions will also encourage prospects to stay on your site longer, increasing the likelihood they will contact you.

A call to action also helps you gather personal information. For example, if a prospect clicks on a link for a brochure, ask them to provide their name and email address, says Jeanjean. The information can then go to your CRM system so you can follow up later.

4. Inform and educate your visitors
Boost your credibility and keep visitors returning to your site with new and relevant information.

You can either run a blog or provide a page with up-to-date articles and links. Include relevant information for your target market, such as RRSP tips or the latest economic news, Vance says.

“[Consider] anything that’s really relevant and gives potential or existing clients a reason to come back and visit the site,” he says.

You can also link to external articles or sites that would interest your visitors, says Vance.

Jeanjean suggests placing tools such as retirement calculators on a “resources” page.

5. Show your success
Provide testimonials to give your web visitors proof of your capabilities.

Demonstrate how you help clients by providing comments from members of your target market, says Jeanjean.

For example, if you specialize in retirement planning, include a testimonial on how you helped a couple reach their retirement goals. Testimonials boost your credibility and relevance while capturing the attention of prospects.

It’s event better if you can include photos of happy clients, Jeanjean says.

6. Monitor web traffic
Keep track of who visits your website.

Use a tool such as Google Analytics to measure, analyze and research your traffic, says Vance. Doing so will show you how to make your website more effective and more searchable.

IE