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To quote Ricky Minor’s clever book title, “There’s No Traffic on the Extra Mile.” One way you can go that extra mile is by using your website as more than just a calling card, incorporating creative calls to action to more proactively invite site visitors to be in touch with you.
Coffee and a contact
The call to action can be something as simple as a fill-out form, like this one on my own site. It seems there’s something about filling in blanks that people find inviting, and entering a few basic pieces of information gets people to take that first small step on the path of engaging with you. (Plus, replacing an e-mail link with a form may help minimize the likelihood that your otherwise publicly posted e-mail address becomes a phishing or junk-mail victim.)
Along with your fill-out form, post invitations to receive free material or to schedule a complimentary get-together. You can offer free materials without asking for anything in return, or you can request a quid pro quo by requiring visitors to provide their basic contact information, sign up for your ongoing e-newsletter or perform some other action that helps you stay connected to them going forward.
The best solution is a balance. You want to provide enough worthwhile, no-strings-attached material to impress and inform but also to secure name and e-mail opt-in information whenever possible, so you can remain in touch when you’ve got news to impart. In other words, use some of each. And make the sign-up content particularly worthwhile, lest a visitor feels cheated in the exchange.
Offering a complimentary second opinion and/or cup-of-coffee get-together is one of the main strategies I see advisors using to invite that initial contact from prospects. For these, consider how easy or difficult you want it to be for someone to accept your invitation.
My two cents: Most advisors aren’t likely to get more calls than they can comfortably manage, and plenty will ultimately pay for themselves in new business, so typically there’s not a huge need to be too guarded with your offer. (And of course you can always tighten it up if it does get burdensome.)
