As a financial advisor, ranking on the search engines is an important marketing tool. You may be spending a good amount of time developing a website and blog to bring in organic search results. That’s a good thing. However, the Google Map Pack is another very valuable tool that can help you increase calls to your office or sign up for services on your website. Utilizing the Google Map Pack for financial advisors is critical to converting leads.

Note the difference there. From the Google Map Pack, a prospective client looking for the specific services you offer can click on your phone number and call you. They do not have to go to your website, navigate the information there, and fill out a form.

The second key valuable feature of the Google Map Pack is its placement. It’s a set of three financial advisors and services within the closest proximity to the person searching. It’s very evident and easy to see. It’s where many people will click to get help. You need to be there.

In this guide, we’ll discuss the steps to get featured in the Google Map Pack as a financial advisor. You’ll still need to do the other work of establishing a website and building your brand, but your feature in this pack can greatly enhance your ability to get leads for the services you offer.

What Is The Google Map Pack?

The Google Map Pack is a listing of three businesses in Google’s search results that provide the key services the searcher is looking for within a short distance of that person’s location.

Search for a business you need to visit, such as a local urgent care. You’ll notice Google presents a set of three providers close to you. It shows you who is nearby that can meet your needs. This listing will include the name, contact information, description of your services, and your placement as Google Maps sees it.

Being in the map pack is powerful because it helps people learn about your financial services office right away. They can then decide to choose you over the other two parties listed.

How to Get Into the Google Map Pack as a Financial Advisor

Take a moment to Google your financial advisory business by name. Use an incognito mode or use someone else’s phone to do it, so you have an authentic result. The map pack displays those financial advisors that Google deems most valuable for the services that you offer within close proximity to where you are located right now. To get into that position for your business, you need to show the search engine the value you offer.

To do that, follow three key steps:

Establish your Google Business Profile.
Get reviews and interact with your customers.
Build the citations for your business online.

Let’s break down each of these areas so you can start working on ranking in the Google Map Pack for financial advisors.

1. Establish Your Google Business Profile

Your Google Business Profile (GBP) is a free listing service provided by the search engine. It allows you to alert the search engine of your business’s existence so it can start sending people your way. In reality, it becomes a tool that allows you to rank in the search engines, including in the map pack.

You can claim your business’s GBP through the search engine’s website. You will need to verify who you are and where your office is. Once you claim it, your office will be located on Google Maps, which directly provides access to the map pack for people searching for financial advisors near your location.

Establishing your GBP is a starting point, but there is quite a bit you need to do to actually get it to rank in the map pack. Luckily, you can do most of it yourself by following these key steps:

Complete your entire profile

Ensure you fill out your entire profile to include all information about your business. This includes:

Your business’s name: Spell your business the same every time, including across all social media and other listings of your company online.
Use the same physical address: Be clear here, too. Small differences in your address can cause Google not to associate all of your mentions online
Use your phone number: This should be your local phone number, not a 1-800 number, and it should also be the same across all platforms

Be sure you outline the services you offer, including more than just that you are a financial advisor.

What type of advising do you do?
Who do you help?
What services do you provide?

Use the description portion in the “About Us” portion of your profile to include this information. Be sure to include a list of the cities you serve, too. That should list your current physical address as well as small towns, neighboring areas, and other areas in which you also provide services. These work as keywords for you and help the search engine.

Make sure you properly categorize your business. You want to be sure that the search engine knows exactly what you do so that it can help you bring in customers.

Add photos to your GBP

The photos you add here help people familiarize your business with where they are. However, they also add a level of branding that is also important. Use photos of your office building and meeting spaces. You can also include your photo or photos of your team. Photos bring your listing to life and create a real connection with the user.

2. Get Reviews for Your Business

The second step in ranking in the map pack is to get reviews on your Google Business profile. Reviews are Google’s way of determining not just that you exist but that your business provides quality services to your clients. As a financial advisor, you’ll find this to be critical. People want to know what you do and how well you do it.

Reviews can be left in various ways, but the most important location is your GBP. This profile allows people who have worked with you to leave a note about the service they received and, in some cases, a full-blown testimony of what you did for them. Encourage your current clients to leave a review for you today.

One way to do this is to send out an email to your recent clients. Encourage them to keep up to date on your GBP for updates to your hours, services, and other changes at the office. Ask them to leave a review for you while they check out the profile. Encourage honesty.

Another step is to use text messages to encourage your clients to leave you a review. After they come in for an appointment, for example, send a follow-up text message thanking them for their time. Then, include a link within the text message asking them to leave you a review.

For a financial advisor, the goal is not to include details about how well a person’s portfolio is doing or to shed personal information. Instead, ask your clients to leave a note about their experience talking to and working with you.

Now, engage

Once you have a profile with reviews, it’s time to start engaging with it. That means you need to thank people when they leave messages and notes about your service. Use their name and be sincere.

If you receive a less-than-desirable review, that’s okay. Leave a note saying you’re sorry about their experience and ask them to contact your office for help figuring out what you can do for them.

3. Build Citations for Your Business

Citations are mentions of your financial advisor business on other areas of the website. There are no real citations that are bad for you, but those that are in key locations can help increase your prominence in the map pack. To get the best results, focus on the following:

Social media: Create social media profiles for your business. Be sure these are for your business, not just your personal needs. Then, include your business contact information, an email address on your site, and your address.
Professional websites: Use websites that list local businesses to help you build additional citations. That includes sites like the Better Business Bureau, your local chamber of commerce, and local news sites.

Each of these services creates a notation about your business that Google will find. That adds credibility to your site and helps you get into the Google Map Pack as a financial advisor.

Building Your Success in Google Map Pack

There are a few more things to do to increase your visibility as a featured business in the map pack:

Keep your GBP up to date. That’s key. Even just updates to your services can help.
Incorporate a comprehensive description and update about what you’re working on whenever possible.
Make sure your website is loading fast and ranking for key search terms related to your business.

By taking these steps, you build your business’s credibility. Now, manage it consistently over time: routines and constant monitoring to ensure that you’re doing your best to stock.

That’s where Surefire Local can help you. Learn how financial advisors can automate their marketing efforts to save time and rank higher, including in Google Map Pack. Get a free Surefire Local demo now to learn more.