Financial Advisor Website Showcase: Verity Wealth Partners

Based out of Detroit, Michigan the Verity Wealth Partners site uses our Iris framework to provide a single-page layout.

This layout combined with diverse services and an emphasis on personalized financial planning helps the Verity Wealth Partners site create an immersive experience for a larger audience

Below is our Q&A with Will Hullinger, covering the design process, features and marketing of the Verity Wealth Partners site. Read on to learn more, and discover inspiration for your own website. 

Verity Wealth Partners Q&A

1. Can you tell us a bit more about your services and the history of your firm?

Verity was started in February 2020 after I left a large ($1B) regional RIA to open my own practice. I wanted to have the ability to work closely with my clients on all aspects of the relationship. At a larger firm, I was beginning to see an evolving role that focused only on facetime with clients and very little time on the planning/investment/tax/strategy side. Consequently, our offering is very in-depth, and I am able to engage on all levels.

Verity offers comprehensive financial planning through an onboarding fee/subscription model and investment management for a fee. We are fee-only by design and encourage all clients who we manage money for to engage in financial planning to see the greatest value from our relationship together. Through planning, my perspective on a client’s financial situation expands and consequently, the advice I provide has a much greater impact.  

2. Each of our website frameworks offers users a different experience. The Verity Wealth Partners site uses our Iris Framework to create a memorable, single-page experience. What went into the process of deciding which framework to use? 

Verity’s first website utilized a more traditional web framework with a topline menu and individual pages. It was a great transition site so that any clients interested in working with me from my old firm would see a lot of similarities.

However, as our clientele expanded organically, and I started to see who we did our best work for, I really wanted the website to reflect this. I told my design consultant that the single-page scroll of Iris was a must-have. It presents a modern look and feel and works well with mobile.

I wanted our website to become immersive so that when someone landed there, they were compelled to just keep scrolling if what we were saying felt like a fit to them, rather than forcing a user-decision to click a menu and investigate more.

Social media has conditioned us to simply keep scrolling if we like what we see and want more. I want that same sort of engagement to be encouraged if someone comes to our site and feels a connection to our approach.

3. Your site recently launched but already has an active blog through your “Insights” page. Could you share some of your current plans for your blog and content strategy?

I was an early adopter of blogs… VERY EARLY in the 2000s for personal stuff. I see the value of having a collective place to share thoughts and craft a body of work. And I get a ton of value by reading others’ blogs. There is certainly a powerful connection that can happen when someone reads your words, and they resonate with them. You get to have a powerful voice and help shape that person’s perspective on a topic. 

The strategy for our blog is twofold. First, we want to create content that is speaking directly to our niche clients: Employees with equity compensation, suddenly single women and more traditional pre-retirees. We have been utilizing blog posts generated in-house around topics related specifically to our target clients. The Twenty Over Ten content library has been invaluable for supplementing our own posts about more timely topics that are relatable to a broader set of prospects. We will continue to our current cadence of posting 1-2x / week.

The second part of our strategy is to leverage social media to expand our reach so more potential clients see our posts. Ultimately, we want to drive engagement back to the main website so an interested party can get to know the firm better. That second part is often overlooked. It’s also our job to raise awareness through social media channels that we are creating relevant content on topics that people find valuable, so we must regularly provide links to our posts on social media.

Taking the if you build it, they will come approach no longer works. I believe we should give prospects a reason to engage with us before the planning and advice stage. It is our job to prove our value upfront and at no cost to them by providing valuable content that communicates our areas of expertise. 

4. The Verity Wealth Site does a fantastic job of emphasizing personalized service, allowing the site to attract a wider audience. Alternative fee structures, case studies and custom roadmaps all highlight the unique nature of each individual’s financial situation. In terms of marketing, what other strategies has your firm used to emphasize personalization?

We have not done anything additional at this point, but have a few fun things in the works. 

5. Social media is integral to the growth of your online presence and overall marketing strategy. We noticed you’re active on the big three (Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter) as well as Instagram. Could you share a little bit about your choice of channels and approach general to social media?

Social media appears to be a must-have presence at this point. Thankfully regulation has provided additional clarity so we can remain compliant in our outreach efforts. We are beginning to focus more and more on LinkedIn because we can focus our reach on those we serve best like the employee with equity compensation.

They’re likely already on LinkedIn and have used it to help their upward mobility and job search efforts. Seeing content on a site they’re already on is an easy touchpoint to keep us top of mind when the need for an advisor presents itself.

That is really the beauty of social media, it allows you to be constantly present in the subconsciousness of a person so when they realize a need for your service the company, your face, or your name are that much easier to recall as the solution to their problem.

6. If you could give other advisors looking to redesign their website just one piece of advice, what would it be?

I would encourage others to look at the websites of other advisors. What are some of the best folks in our industry saying to prospects and clients in a compelling way? Take a small risk in redesigning your website. It’s unlikely to be a critical point in the decision-making process of a prospect, but a well-designed and thoughtfully engaging site COULD tip the balance in your favor if it differentiates your firm and clearly communicates who you do your best work for.

7. Was there any part of the website design process that you were not looking forward to or thought might be difficult that turned out to be better than you initially thought?

I was a bit unsure how we would create two essential sections of the site and keep it minimalistic. I wanted there to be information about our process and our pricing on the site but wasn’t sure how to present this.

My design team had a body of work from past sites for me to look at and we created our How it Works section based on aspects from all of those previous designs. I’m really happy with the simplicity and clear cost information we have on the site. Folks can see that upfront and decide if they would find value in the work we do at the price we charge.

8. How would you summarize your experience working with Twenty Over Ten? 

My experience working with Twenty Over Ten was great. No project of this size and scale goes flawlessly, but this was much smoother than I anticipated. The tools for review and communicating with the design team were great and typically got us the results we wanted.

I also appreciated the number of ideas they generated from a rambling 1-hour intake interview. I thought I was just sharing about our firm a bit and developing a relationship with the person who would oversee the process… What I realized as I read our website is that MY VOICE is all over the copy of each section. They did a great job of making my disconnected ideas a coherent and seamless website clearly communicating the great work our team does for our clients.