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When it comes to building trust with prospects, many financial advisors have created valuable content, such as blogs and videos, to serve this purpose. If you’ve published resources on your website to help prospects get to know, like, and trust you faster, it’s important to recognize AI is changing the game. AI search tools like ChatGPT and Gemini often prioritize content found on third-party websites when generating answers to consumer questions about a business over content published on its own website.
What does this mean for you? It's more important than ever to consider what people are saying about you rather than what you're saying about yourself.
This doesn’t mean you should stop publishing content on your own website, as it remains incredibly important to demonstrate your knowledge and expertise when people visit your site.
However, this does put a spotlight on your off-site content strategy, which includes getting quoted by local or national media outlets, publishing content on reputable third-party websites, earning awards, and maintaining visibility in popular find-an-advisor directories. These are all forms of third-party validation that signal legitimacy to AI tools.
How To Get Started With Third-Party Validation
Gaining recognition in the media and on third-party websites can feel daunting. However, you can learn from financial advisors who have established a strong off-site strategy that increases the likelihood of appearing in AI-generated answers.
Start by evaluating your team's capabilities. If you have a marketing-savvy associate who's been itching to spread their wings, have them evaluate local and industry recognition programs and take the first pass at preparing award submissions. If someone at your firm has a relationship with a reporter, set aside time to learn what topics they cover, where you can add value, and establish a plan to get to know them and become a trusted source.
Getting To Know Reporters
Reporters for local newspaper and TV stations might seem elusive and difficult to reach, but the reality is they’re constantly looking for fresh story ideas. Depending on the media outlet and the reporters themselves, each may have published protocols for submitting article ideas or making contact — though you’ll often find direct outreach can pay dividends.
Building relationships with reporters takes patience, and you can expect to often find your emails unanswered or receive polite rejections of your ideas. However, in areas where you have unique knowledge, can add value, and respond promptly, you can become a trusted source over time by consistently showing up and offering your expertise.
Gathering Online Reviews
If you're not currently asking your clients for testimonials, doing so may feel like uncharted waters and get placed on the back burner. But for businesses interested in appearing more frequently and prominently in AI answers, online reviews published on reputable third-party platforms represent one of the most impactful trust signals to validate if a business’s credibility.
A recent Wealthtender consumer study showed over 80% of respondents planning to hire a financial advisor in the next few years will look for online reviews — even after receiving a referral.
Therefore, it’s not just AI tools that rely on online reviews to validate businesses. If you don’t have online reviews, another financial advisor with reviews is much more likely to be a prospect’s first call —- and possibly only call.
Fortunately, it’s easy for financial advisors to get started with a compliant online review and testimonial marketing strategy. Regardless of which platform you plan to use to source reviews, Wealthtender prepared this Testimonial Marketing Playbook with the information you need to get off to a great start.
Gaining Visibility in Find-an-Advisor Directories
An easy and impactful way to bolster your off-site content strategy is to ensure you maintain up-to-date profiles across popular find-an-advisor directories frequently referenced by Google, ChatGPT, and other search tools increasingly used by consumers.
In addition to considering popular directory websites like Wealthtender and Fee-Only Network, make sure you take advantage of directory listings offered by credentialing organizations (CFP, for example) and professional associations (NAPFA, FPA, among others) that may be available as part of your membership.
Your Next Steps
Tackling all of these avenues for third-party validation at once isn't realistic or necessary. That's okay — the key is to start somewhere.
Pick one area where you feel most comfortable as a starting point. Maybe that’s inviting your clients to write reviews, or perhaps you know a local reporter covering personal finance topics. Start there. Get one win under your belt — then keep going.
The reality is many financial advisors will remain set in their ways, publishing content periodically on their own website and hoping prospects find them. But as consumers increasingly use tools like ChatGPT in their everyday lives, and AI continues to reshape how people discover and validate financial advisors, the firms that invest time in building third-party credibility today will be the ones prospects call first tomorrow.
Brian Thorp is chief executive officer of Wealthtender, a testimonial marketing platform designed with compliance in mind.
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Advisor Perspectives welcomes guest contributions. The views presented here do not necessarily represent those of Advisor Perspectives
