Marketing for
financial advisors

Why most advisor websites look the same

Marketing for financial advisors suffers from caution. Many practices take the template their broker-dealer or a vendor provides, publish generic market commentary and hope referrals carry the business. Referrals still matter most, but almost every referred prospect checks you online first. If the site says nothing about who you serve, how you work and what the first meeting looks like, the referral cools.

A site that works is specific. It names the people you help best, describes your planning process in steps, explains how you are paid (fee-only, fee-based, commission) in plain words, and shows real photos of you and your team. That is information, not promotion, and compliance teams usually approve it without trouble.

The rules, in short

This is not legal or compliance advice, but every advisor knows the shape of it. Registered investment advisers follow the SEC Marketing Rule (Rule 206(4)-1), which allows testimonials, endorsements and third-party ratings with disclosures, and sets strict conditions for performance figures. Broker-dealers and their reps follow FINRA Rule 2210 on communications with the public, including principal approval for many retail communications. State-registered advisers answer to their state securities regulator. Insurance agents follow state insurance department advertising rules, and Medicare plans have their own federal marketing requirements.

In practice that means: no promises of returns, no cherry-picked performance, no "guaranteed" anything unless it is literally a guaranteed product and described correctly, and every piece reviewed and archived. I write with that in mind and leave the final word to your compliance officer.

Content that converts without predicting markets

Educational content works best: what to do with a 401(k) when you change jobs, how Social Security timing works, what a business owner should know about retirement plans, how much life insurance a young family needs. Calculators turn that education into a conversation; the Adela Strycharz case shows how seven calculators keep bringing inquiries without ads. A guide download or seminar sign-up feeds a simple email sequence, set up through my email automation work.

Paid ads with restrictions

On Meta, financial products and services are a Special Ad Category: no targeting by age, gender or zip code, and limited detailed targeting. That makes retirement-focused Meta campaigns harder than people expect; read more in Meta Special Ad Categories. Google search ads work well for specific needs, like "fee-only financial planner" plus a city or "rollover 401k advice". Text reminders for seminars need written consent under the TCPA and a working opt-out.

Insurance agencies

For local insurance agencies, the order is different: Google Maps and reviews first, quote pages for each line (home, auto, life, business), and fast follow-up on quote requests. Seasonality matters too. Medicare's annual enrollment period runs from October 15 to December 7, and hurricane season brings questions about coverage on the Gulf and Atlantic coasts.

I work remotely with advisors and agents across the US, for example in Boston or Phoenix. Calls are on Zoom in your morning; accounts and the website are registered in your name.