Why the book-an-appointment tab is high-stakes for financial advisors

"After clicking it and seeing a calendar with available dates and times, visitors realize that they actually have to find 30 minutes out of their day - and it has to be worth their time, said Nate Hoskin, the co-founder of advisor video marketing firm SageContent."

"Hoskin first learned the importance of the booking link when an advisor he was working with discovered that 62 visitors had clicked on it without following through to set up a time to talk. So Hoskin now compares the appointment button to an e-commerce payment tab requiring the purchaser to enter credit card information to make the order - and its accompanying price tag - official."

"“This is the pivot point, this is the moment of highest risk. Think about it that way,” Hoskin said. “That's the same experience that they're having on that booking link.”"

"Wealth management growth marketing firm Ficomm Partners builds those booking buttons for its clients and refers to them as “meeting one offers,” founder and CEO Megan Carpenter said. Ficomm coaches advisory practices to let prospects know “what the meeting will entail, what they'll talk about, what questions to ask and what we hope you will leave with” in a way that is “quite specific to each firm and the types of clients that they serve,” she noted."

A booking button on a financial advisor website creates a major decision point for online visitors. After clicking, prospects must select an available time and commit about 30 minutes, making the meeting feel like a meaningful investment of time. Marketing experts compare the booking step to an e-commerce payment tab that turns interest into an official transaction. Advisors can lose leads when visitors click but do not schedule. Firms build “meeting one offers” that clarify what the meeting covers, what will be discussed, what questions to ask, and what outcomes to expect, tailored to each practice and client type. Conversion can drop when fewer people reach the final booking step.

Read at American Banker