Unbiased.co.uk’s iPhone application tops 1,000 searches

Unbiased.co.uk's ‘find an IFA' iPhone application has been downloaded more than 500 times since it launched just four months ago - with over 1,000 searches by consumers looking for a local independent financial adviser (IFA).  The app was the very first ‘find an IFA' iPhone application to be launched for consumers and is an extension of the popular online ‘find an IFA' search.

The ‘find an IFA' iPhone application is the latest in a number of online initiatives and unbiased.co.uk continues to tailor its online programme in response to the rapidly changing digital space and the way consumers are now accessing and demanding information.  Utilising the online space is central to its long-standing campaign in promoting the benefits of independent financial advice to consumers. 

Unbiased.co.uk's Twitter profile has now attracted almost 1,000 followers across a range of audiences, including consumers, IFAs, mortgage advisers, solicitors and journalists.  Its LinkedIn profile has over 500 members using the group as forum for debate to discuss the latest issues affecting the IFA market and giving advice to professionals on how they can best promote themselves online.  These platforms have enabled unbiased.co.uk and its media IFAs, who last year generated over 3,000 positive comments in the online media alone, to continue promoting the benefits of independent financial advice to consumers.

In the last 12 months unbiased.co.uk has dealt with around 450,000 consumer searches through its online ‘find an IFA' and ‘find a mortgage adviser' searches.  There are now over 60 white label versions of these searches across national news websites, personal finance websites, trade bodies and product providers.

With fundamental changes to the IFA market on the horizon, unbiased.co.uk continues to educate consumers about the choices they have when seeking financial advice.  The professional advice website encourages all IFAs, mortgage advisers and solicitors registered on its database to add their social media profiles to their consumer-facing listing on the database.  Advisers are able to add links to their Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook pages, giving consumers the opportunity to continue their search for information on their chosen advisers. 

Karen Barrett, Chief Executive of unbiased.co.uk comments, "Unbiased.co.uk has always been at the forefront of online technology and our social media strategy has formed a key part of our cost-effective marketing programme.  It is important that unbiased.co.uk - and individual IFA firms - respond to the changing ways people are using to search for information and to engage with consumers and clients in a way that is best suited to them.  It is no longer enough to just have a website but by embracing social media and new digital technology we have been able to cost-effectively reach a wider audience.

"Currently generating around 450,000, high quality and well-matched consumer leads for IFAs, mortgage advisers and solicitors each year, unbiased.co.uk's ‘find an IFA' application now also caters for those who are using their smart phones to access information.  Our iPhone application is the most recent addition to our digital strategy and we are continually looking at ways to make ourselves and our IFAs even more accessible." 

Those wishing to download the free ‘find an IFA' iPhone application can find it both under the Finance and Lifestyle categories of the Apple Application Store.