At Indigo, we’re constantly searching for innovative ways to improve financial advisor digital marketing. Over the past few years, we’ve seen a surge in advisors wanting to use a YouTube channel to advertise their services—so much so that we’ve decided to offer YouTube channel setup and optimization as part of our onboarding process for advisors who already have video content or want to add it.
At the same time, we understand that some tech-savvy advisors would rather set up a YouTube channel for their firm themselves. If that’s you, you’re in luck! Our team has put together examples of good and not-so-good financial advisor YouTube channels—so you know what to do and what not to do—followed by a handy step-by-step guide on how to set up your own.
Examples Of Financial Advisor YouTube Channels
Looking for some inspiration on what to do—and what not to do—when setting up your financial advisor YouTube channel? Let’s run through some examples.
Good Example 1: Indigo Marketing Agency
We just finished overhauling our Indigo Marketing Agency YouTube channel. As you can see from the screenshot below, we have an eye-catching cover photo that runs across the top of the page, along with links to our other social media profiles.
If you navigate to our About tab, you find more information about who we are and what we do. There are also several calls to action inviting visitors to sign up for our free webinars, connect with us on social media, take our exclusive online courses, and email us questions.
Good Example 2: Worth Asset Management
As I mentioned earlier, Indigo offers YouTube channel setup and optimization for financial advisors who don’t want to do it themselves. Here’s an example of a YouTube channel we recently set up for a financial advisory firm, Worth Asset Management.
We created an attention-grabbing cover photo that showcases their logo, as well as links that go out to their Facebook and LinkedIn profiles. When you navigate to the firm’s About section, you get a quick snapshot of who they are and what they do, along with a call to action on where visitors can go if they want to learn more.
Good Example 3: Attitude Financial Advisors
Good Example 4: Interchange Capital Partners
Good Example 5: Michael Vaughn CFP®
Good Example 6: Dorsey Wealth Management
“Needs Work” Example 1: Community Foundation of Central Georgia
Wondering what not to do when setting up your YouTube channel? Some firms make the mistake of creating a channel but not taking the extra steps to make it marketable. Here’s an example of what I mean.
This YouTube channel was set up by someone who only did the bare minimum. As you can see in the screenshot, the channel is missing several key pieces of information:
- It doesn’t have a cover photo.
- There aren’t any navigation links at the top to send you to the firm’s website or other social media profiles.
- The name of the firm isn’t spelled out; It’s only abbreviated, so you’re not quite sure whose page you’re on.
- When you click on the About tab, the only thing listed is a link to the firm’s website (as seen in the screenshot below). There’s no context or background information on why the visitor should click the link.
“Needs Work” Example 2: American Financial Advisors
Here’s another example of someone who created their own financial advisor YouTube channel. At first glance, it looks like they did a decent job. They have a cover photo. The About tab gives information on what they do.
But when you dig a little closer, there are two key pieces missing:
- They don’t have navigation links at the top of their page, so visitors can’t readily visit their website or connect with them on Facebook or LinkedIn.
- When you click over to their About tab, there’s no call to action. Visitors don’t know where to go if they have questions or want to schedule an appointment.
These examples are proof that a few small changes can put your financial advisor YouTube channel heads above the competition.
Steps For Setting Up Your Own Financial Advisor YouTube Channel
If you decide to set up your own financial advisor YouTube channel, it shouldn’t take more than an hour. Here’s how to do it:
- Log in to YouTube with your Google account. If you don’t have a Google account for your business, take 5 minutes to set one up.
- Once logged in, select the drop-down menu from the top right and choose Your Channel.
- Select the button to Customize Channel.
- Hover over the Profile Photo space and an Edit Pencil icon will appear in the top right corner. Upload your square logo.
- Hover over the Cover Photo space and an Edit Pencil icon will appear in the top right corner. Upload a nice background image. If you’d like to create a branded background image, you can find an easy template to do so on Canva.com.
- Once these two images are added, click on the About tab of your channel.
- Click the Edit Pencil icon in the Description Section, then copy and paste the text from the About page and contact info page from your website.
- In the Links section, click the Edit Pencil icon and add your links for your website, Facebook company page, LinkedIn profile, LinkedIn company page, Twitter profile, and any social media links that your company has. Then click Done. This will make your social media links appear over the cover image on your channel.
Now that you’re done customizing your channel, it’s time to change a few of your YouTube settings.
- Go back to the YouTube homepage by clicking the upper left corner logo.
- Go back to your YouTube channel by selecting Your Channel once again from the top right drop-down menu.
- Select the button for YouTube Studio.
- Near the bottom of the left menu, select Settings.
- Select the Upload Defaults tab.
- In the Description section, add your bio from your website, as well as your website link and a call-to-action sentence stating how viewers should contact you if they would like to take the next steps (e.g., schedule a call here) with a hyperlink that sends them to your contact page.
- Change the Visibility default to Private so you can send an individual link to your compliance officer to review before the video goes live, if applicable. (Once approved, you can change the video status to Public in YouTube Studio’s Videos tab.)
- The last default to change on this tab is to add any tags relevant to your services and industry. For example, if you specialize in 401(k) planning, or estate plans, or Roth conversions—list all services that apply here. Make sure to hit Enter after each separate phrase.
- Next, go to the Community tab on the pop-up screen, then select Defaults. Select Disable Comments from both drop-down options, if required by your compliance officer.
- Remember to click Save on this Settings pop-up before closing.
There you have it! Once you’ve followed these steps, you’re ready to start uploading your videos. To do so, you can simply use the Upload icon at the top of your screen (it looks like a video camera with a plus sign). We suggest adding a few more sentences to the top of the description (above the default text we added) that describe what the viewer will learn in the video.
Bonus Tip: Once you pass 100 subscribers on your YouTube channel, you’re then eligible to claim your “Vanity URL”—meaning a custom YouTube URL that includes your business name.
If you’re eligible for a custom URL, here’s how to add it to your YouTube channel:
- Select Settings in the bottom left corner of the main YouTube screen.
- In the center, find View Advanced Settings.
- Find the entry for Custom URL and follow the steps to claim.
We suggest replicating your main website URL. For example, our website is indigomarketingagency.com, so our custom YouTube URL is youtube.com/c/IndigoMarketingAgency.
Whether you decide to set up a YouTube channel yourself or outsource it to a financial advisor marketing agency like ours, we hope you enjoyed this article! Simply follow the steps outlined above, and you’ll be on your way to having a professional YouTube channel that establishes you as an industry expert and hooks visitors into learning more.
If you’d like Indigo Marketing Agency to take marketing off your plate for good, schedule a free strategy call with our marketing specialists today!
Want to find out how you can create stellar content at home? Check out these tips for recording your own videos.