Building a professional website takes less time and money



For a financial adviser, building a strong marketing capability via social media needs to start with a professional website, something that is now cheaper and takes less time to build.
Speaking at Synchron's NextGen7 conference, First Step Communications chief executive Gihan Perera said that a website is most often the very first point of contact that a potential client will have with an adviser - and the foundation on which social media marketing must be built.
Without an associated blog, regular updates and client newsletters that feed into that online portal, any social networking effort will have been wasted, he said.
"People think creating a website takes a long time and a lot of money," he said.
"The truth is that it used to take a long time and a lot of money, but with the creation of online web content solutions - and there are many great solutions available now - it doesn't have to."
For around $8 a month an adviser can have a website up and running, with the option to "upgrade" to a more sophisticated offering, according to Perera.
Synchron director Don Trapnell said the NextGen7 conference was aimed at providing financial services professionals aged under 40 with the skills to better utilise technology in order to increase business.
Recommended for you
Digital advice tools are on the rise, but licensees will need to ensure they still meet adviser obligations or potentially risk a class action if clients lose money from a rogue algorithm.
Shaw and Partners has merged with Sydney wealth manager Kennedy Partners Wealth, while Ord Minnett has hired a private wealth adviser from Morgan Stanley.
Australian investors are more confident than their APAC peers in reaching their financial goals and are targeting annual gains of more than 10 per cent, according to Fidelity International.
Zenith Investment Partners has lost its head of portfolio solutions Steven Tang after 17 years with the firm, the latest in a series of senior exits from the research house.