Pete Matthew CFP^CM, Financial Planner at Jacksons Wealth Management in Penzance, has talked to Financial Planner Online about his new Advisertech website which will help advisers make the most of the Internet. .

Advisertech, which was launched this week and has already signed up its first 10 subscribers, will aim to educate financial advisers, on how to optimise the Internet for business use and help with content marketing and social media. The site will be a subscription site and Mr Matthew, a leading Financial Planner and experienced user of social media and the internet, said he would initially have an early-bird introductory fee of £25 per month. This would last until around the end of October when the price would likely rise.
He said: "I'd like to have 100 members, that's my internal goal, but obviously it's a subscription site so I have to make it worth people's while to sign up."
Mr Matthew also runs the 'Meaningful Money' videos which help consumers understand finance. "The podcasts are going great, we're seeing rocketing numbers. I've done 25 so far and we have 1,000 downloads a week. I've already got four new clients from them and they're actually more effective than the videos, " he said.

We asked Mr Matthew this week about the Advisertech site and his plans for it:

Q: What's the aim of Adviser Tech and why have you launched it?
A: The aim is to share what I have learned over the last three years of using online marketing and social media to grow my business. MeaningfulMoney.tv is now the second largest source of new client enquiries to my Financial Planning practice, after personal referrals, so I know that it works. Hopefully by sharing what I have learned, members will be able to avoid many of the mistakes I have made along the way. It also answers a need - I get asked to speak at conferences and consult individuals quite often, but the fact that I live five miles from Land's End makes that difficult. Hopefully by leveraging the internet, I can help more people at once.

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Q: What gap does it fill in the market and who is it aimed at?
A: It is aimed specifically at advisers who may be looking at social media and online marketing and wondering how to succeed at that, while jumping through all the compliance hoops. Many advisers think they don't have time to engage with the their prospects and customers online and that the results are inconclusive at best. There are very few other advisers using rich content like videos and podcasts to get their message across. I am doing this, while still an active adviser and MD of my practice. So the gap in the market is for advisers who don't have the money or inclination to hire a consultant, but who want to learn this stuff, not in theory but in practice from someone who is actually doing it.

Q: How many people have signed up for it so far?
A: It only launched this week! A handful so far, but I hope that numbers will grow over the coming days and weeks. I'd like to form a community of like-minded advisers learning this stuff together.

Q. What does it cost and what do subscribers get?
A: Membership costs £25 per month. I will likely put the price up in a few weeks, so this is an early-bird special. Members get access to the site for as long as they maintain their membership, and the site will be be updated with in-depth content each week. They get to look over my shoulder to see how I do what I do, using video screencasts. Each month there is a video masterclass interview with an expert in a particular field of online marketing or social media. I'll be reviewing the best resources available to advisers to help them with their online efforts, and each month there will be a live Q&A call where members can call in and ask questions live or pre-submitted. Plus there are bonus content items, the member-only forums - loads of good stuff planned.

Q. What are your plans for the service?
A: We'll see how it goes! But in the future I have a vision for a live event of some kind. It will be interesting to see how the community develops over time. I'll take my lead from the members as to the future shape of the site.