BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--New Fidelity research finds that emerging affluent investors are nearly twice as likely as millionaires to find a new financial advisor through internet research and more likely than millionaires to find a new advisor through social media.1 In response to those findings, Fidelity Clearing and Custody, the division of Fidelity Investments® that provides clearing and custody to registered investment advisors (RIAs), retirement recordkeepers, broker-dealer firms, banks and insurance companies, today announced two new offerings designed to help advisors improve their online presence through effective social media strategies and compelling videos. The first is a strategic alliance with GuideVine, a digital platform which features a website for investors who are looking for a financial advisor online and gives them the ability to “meet” advisors by watching videos of them, viewing their firm’s profile and digitally interacting with them. The second is an expansion of Fidelity’s Office of the Future on its Smithfield, Rhode Island campus: the newly opened Video Lab features all of the components an advisor needs to create videos for their firm’s website, social media channels and client communications.
And recent Fidelity research finds that 58 percent of emerging affluent investors have a significantly more positive impression of financial advisors who have a good website. In addition, 38 percent of those investors follow their advisor on social media sites and 30 percent of them say that they’re more likely to relate to a financial advisor that has a social media presence.2
“Advisors need to know that if their firm doesn’t have an online presence and isn’t communicating with clients and prospects through video and social media, they could risk becoming irrelevant because they’re not connecting to the next generation of investors,” said David Canter, executive vice president, practice management and consulting, Fidelity Clearing and Custody.
“Our goal with providing advisors this information is to make it easy for them to get started. These tools are a natural extension of what they’re doing in the real world every day: educating and engaging with clients and prospects.”
New Alliance with GuideVine Can Help Advisors Showcase Their Firms Online to Prospects
Recognizing the increasing number of investors who look for a financial advisor online, Fidelity is announcing a strategic alliance with GuideVine, an online platform which gives advisors the opportunity to showcase their practice to potential clients. Through this strategic alliance, advisors who work with Fidelity will have access to a discounted rate to share their firm story through videos produced by GuideVine. GuideVine will conduct a review of the firm and the firm’s digital platforms and online presence; following that analysis, GuideVine will help advisors create compelling videos and a comprehensive firm profile that will be featured on GuideVine’s website. The goal of this offering is to help enhance an interested firm’s online presence, help drive prospects to the firm through GuideVine’s platform and help improve the firm’s search engine optimization.
“We’re excited about the opportunity to collaborate with Fidelity, and to help support the advisors they work with,” said Raghav Sharma, co-founder and CEO of Guidevine. “Our intuitive platform, with its deep array of tools and site features, helps demystify and personalize the process for investors, highlights advisors' experience, expertise and personal style, and allows investors to confidently gain insight and comfort with potential ‘fits’ and the right financial advisor for them.”
Fidelity’s Office of the Future Introduces Video Lab
To help advisors that may want to take a DIY approach to creating videos to communicate with clients and prospects online, Fidelity has expanded its Office of the Future with new video technology capabilities. The Office of the Future is a physical space on the Smithfield, Rhode Island campus, as well as an online interactive experience, for financial advisors to experiment with some of the latest technologies poised to transform the financial advice industry. The office opened with the promise of constantly adding new technologies to the space. The new Video Lab offers advisors
a look at what it requires for a firm to get up and running to create videos in-house. The basic equipment and software, including a video camera, sound-enhancing microphone, green screen, lighting equipment, iPad™ compatible teleprompter and editing software, can be acquired for less than $10003.
For additional insights on online marketing strategies, download Fidelity’s whitepaper Building a Strong Online Presence: Best Practices for Advisors to Consider. And click here for tips on how to optimize your website for viewing on smartphones and tablets.
About Fidelity Investments
Fidelity’s goal is to make financial expertise broadly accessible and effective in helping people live the lives they want. With assets under administration of $5.2 trillion, including managed assets of $2.1 trillion as of June 30, 2015, we focus on meeting the unique needs of a diverse set of customers: helping more than 24 million people invest their own life savings, nearly 20,000 businesses manage employee benefit programs, as well as providing nearly 10,000 advisory firms with technology solutions to invest their own clients’ money. Privately held for nearly 70 years, Fidelity employs 41,000 associates who are focused on the long-term success of our customers. For more information about Fidelity Investments, visit https://www.fidelity.com/about.
About GuideVine
GuideVine is a platform, built for the evolving digital/social world in which consumers and financial advisors live. The investor matching service, available since March 2014, at no charge to the general public, gives consumers a better way to find the right advisor. GuideVine also helps empower the financial services industry, allowing independent financial advisors to better position themselves with consumers. In the short time the service has been available, GuideVine has amassed more than 150 advisors who manage more than $30B in assets. The founders are former McKinsey & Co. consultants and software entrepreneurs, with extensive experience in financial services, investment banking and retail. For more information, visit www.GuideVine.com.
The content provided herein is general in nature and is for informational purposes only. This information is not individualized and is not intended to serve as the primary or sole basis for your decisions as there may be other factors you should consider.
Third party marks are the property of their respective owners; all other marks are the property of FMR LLC.
The third party service providers listed are independent companies and are not affiliated with Fidelity Investments. Listing them does not suggest a recommendation or endorsement by Fidelity Investments. The opinions expressed are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect those of Fidelity Investments.
Content provided and maintained by any third-party web site is not owned or controlled by Fidelity Investments. There is no form of a legal partnership, agency, affiliation, or similar relationship between GuideVine Technologies, Inc., or its affiliates or agents, and Fidelity Investments, nor is such a relationship created or implied by the information herein. An introduction to GuideVine by Fidelity does not constitute an endorsement, recommendation, or opinion as to the appropriateness of any relationship between any financial advisors and GuideVine, or its affiliates or agents, or any advertising, marketing, social media use, or communications as a result of a financial advisor’s decision to work with GuideVine.
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1 The 2014 Fidelity Millionaire Outlook was an online, blind study conducted by Bellomy Research, an independent firm not affiliated with Fidelity Investments, from July 14, 2014, to July 28, 2014. It was held among a target sample of 1064 respondents of all affluence levels, $50,000 – more than $10 million in total investable assets. The 2014 Fidelity Millionaire Outlook defines emerging affluent investors as ages 21-49 with investable assets of $50,000 to less than $250,000 and household income of $100,000 or more.
2 The 2014 Fidelity Investor Insights Study was an online, blind study conducted by Bellomy Research, an independent firm not affiliated with Fidelity Investments, from July 14, 2014, to July 28, 2014. It was focused on understanding investors’ attitudes, behaviors, and preferences related to investing, wealth management, and advice usage. It was held among a target sample of 1064 respondents.
3 Prices are approximations.
