Building a best-in-class website

Brand Strategy, Digital Marketing

September 13, 2017

It is safe to say that pretty much every financial services business has a website. But it is also safe to say that not all of them have a website that helps generate new business, engage with clients, or build their brand.

Too often we see websites in this sector that would not have been out of place a decade ago. It might be that they are restricted to a fixed width, have flash animations or use overly “stocky” stock photos. In some extreme cases, it may even be that the last news story was posted in 2009!

It is easy to criticise, but building a website that really adds value is not a straightforward exercise. It requires your organisation to make some big decisions – from choosing the right agency to work with to establishing what it is actually for and setting some objectives to measure success, and from picking a design to deciding which CMS you are going to use. Every one of these decisions, and the 100s of others you will have to make during the process, will impact the final result.

What should your website do for your financial services organisation?

It is our opinion that, in the world of B2B financial services, it is not enough to see your website simply as a passive alternative to a brochure, because clients don’t purchase your products and services through it.

We believe that your website should work much harder than that. It should be part of your business development team, starting the conversation and reporting back on what prospects are interested in. It should be part of your communications team, distributing content and getting your brand in front of journalists and influencers. It should be part of your marketing team, communicating the values of your business and building your brand. It should be part of your HR team, attracting talent and reducing reliance on expensive recruitment agencies.

What are the fundamental aspects of a modern website?

Be mobile: Your clients and prospects use their phone over 150 times per day. Your website simply has to provide a good mobile experience.

Make human connections: Your website should be built for your target audiences and echo the tone and messaging that your partners use when face-to-face.

Track everything: A website is never finished. It can always be improved, but you will only know what needs improving if you track and analyse.

If you are looking for a website that you can be proud of, get in touch with us to discuss our approach and we can show you some examples of our recent projects.

For more information around our approach to financial services websites you can learn more here.

Alternatively you can contact Craig Freeman our Innovation and Development Director via LinkedIn.

SHARE ON

RELATED POSTS