A stellar online reputation is one of an advisor or agent's most powerful marketing assets. Sadly, so many advisors take it for granted.
If you've been in the financial services business for more than a minute, then you probably realize that the process of engaging prospects and getting referrals has dramatically changed.
In the 21st century, people of all ages spend time researching products, businesses, and service providers long before making contact. Social proof, such as ratings and reviews, provides shortcuts in the decision-making process and helps give a business more authority more quickly.
Articles, blog posts, videos, and podcasts contribute transparency and create greater trust.
Asking for outside help with money issues is already difficult for many older people. Reputation management and what I call "internet credentials" are particularly beneficial to financial advisors and insurance agents who work with retirees and pre-retirees. But when a prospect searches your or your firm's name and finds nothing, the conversation has pretty much ended before it even began.
That's why advisors and agents who want to have more positive interactions with seniors and would like to increase their closing ratios must put online reputation management on the front burner.
The COVID-19 Factor
In the past, financial professionals were somewhat dismissive of the idea that they needed to be found online. They believed that because they generally encountered their clients live and in-person, it didn't matter whether they had an online reputation or not.
The pandemic proved this thinking to be very short-sighted. Financial services went digital in a big way, and getting found online became essential. So did making sure that what people found online was accurate and enticing.
Tweezing the Web
Hiring someone to do a quick fix that pushes adverse reports and reviews down the search results is a temporary solution that often backfires.
Peeling off one negative review or unflattering article about you is akin to pulling out a gray hair. As soon as you remove it, another one takes its place.
Bill Broich, co-owner of 
