A website doesn’t equal an effective website.

To put it more bluntly, just because you have a website doesn’t mean it’s any good.

To be truly effective, there’s something all advisers/planners should feature on their website. Unfortunately, only 7% do.

What is it?

Your clients.

To understand why your clients should feature prominently on your website, see what Donald Miller says in Building a StoryBrand.

In his book, Miller emphasises the importance of positioning your client as the hero and your brand as their guide in your marketing efforts.

The hero is on a transformational journey, and your service is the tool they’ll use to ensure they achieve their objectives, goals and aspirations. Miller, therefore, argues that the customer should always be the hero of the transformation story.

However, many brands mistakenly position themselves as the hero rather than their customers, which can alienate potential clients. For example, we see advice/planning firms showing off their qualifications, client numbers, or AUM instead of highlighting the transformations they’ve helped their clients achieve.

Massive implications for your website

Client testimonial videos are the absolute best way to position your client as the hero and to tell others about their transformative journey with you.

And it’s here we come to the problem.

Our research of 500 adviser/planner websites shows that only 7.4% include client videos on their homepage, where most visitors will enter the site.

Not all marketing experts get this

There are two key reasons why more advisers/planners should make clients the heroes of their websites and wider marketing.

Firstly, it’s because, like us, you buy into Donald Miller’s work.

Secondly, because fewer than 1 in 10 of your peers and competitors are doing it, you’ll stand out from the crowd by having client testimonial videos.

So, I get rather angry when I hear some so-called marketing experts tell advisers/planners what makes an effective website while failing to mention showcasing clients through videos.

I get why they don’t; it’s a tricky conversation and can be a barrier to selling the website, but it’s the right thing to do.

It’s really simple for me: if your website isn’t making your client the hero, it’s less effective than it could be.

And when a box set of three client videos can cost as little as £747 plus VAT (assuming you engage with us, of course!), there really is no excuse not to have them.

Free resources to help you showcase your clients

One of our core values is that we freely share our knowledge to help financial advisers and planners improve their marketing. So, as you’d expect, we have plenty of free resources to help you develop client testimonial videos.

• Free webinar: Join us at 10 am on Wednesday 18 September, when we’ll teach you everything you need to know about client testimonial videos. Click here to book your place.
• Explainer: There are two ways to record client testimonial videos: face-to-face and remote. This blog explains the pros and cons of each option.
• Free template: Many advisers/planners don’t like asking their clients to appear in a video, but this free template helps solve that problem.

Finally, if you’d like to learn more about how we can help you create client testimonial videos, simply email hi@theyardstickagency.co.uk or call 0115 8965 300. We’d love to chat with you.