Everyday demands for advisors have multiplied in recent years, handling financial planning, investment management and client services. But for many RIAs and Independents, thereās one more task on your plate that you might not have planned for: the role of Chief Marketing Officer.
For many advisors, finding new prospects, engaging with existing clients or growing these relationships involves a large and growing part of the day. Most advisors know what to do or say when meeting with clients and advising them on any number of financial needs. After all, this is your specialty. However, getting your clients and prospects to the meeting and in the room (real or virtual) with you can be a challenge.
In the same way that 55ip uses intelligent automation to power our Active Tax Technology, there are many digital platforms that advisors can use to communicate with prospects and clients. These tools are great resources that can automate many of the aspects of marketing, but they still require people to create the content.
Content creation can seem like a daunting task, but it doesnāt have to be if you are approaching it strategically. Here, we offer tips to help streamline the content process and create collateral that inspires action among your clients and prospects.
- Start with the end in mind ā What is the goal of your communication? What is the action you want the reader to take?Ā What are the objections you need to overcome to get that person to act?Ā Before you begin writing, answer these questions for yourself in short, bulleted statements to inform your narrative.
- Know your audience – Is this for a prospect or an existing client? Are they just getting started or experienced investors?Ā The answers to these questions will help you determine not only the depth of information you need to provide, but also the tone of your messaging. Consider this: you wouldnāt talk to a stranger the same way you would a friend. That same mindset applies to content creation.
- Know yourself ā This is where your personal brand comes into play.Ā Nothing kills a personal client-communication quicker than having it feel like a canned marketing solicitation.Ā Are you known as a fun-loving storyteller? Then let that be part of your writing style.Ā If you are a ājust the factsā person, then a more professional tone is for you.Ā
- Keep it simple ā Good marketing often fails when people try to do or say too much.Ā Resist the urge to throw everything into your marketing piece.Ā Choose one major point and stick with it.Ā If you say too much, the reader wonāt remember it.Ā But if you say one thing and say it well, it will have an impact.Ā
- Look for inspiration ā The famed screenwriter Aaron Sorkin once said: āGood writers borrow from other writers.Ā Great writers steal from them outright.āĀ While I am not advocating plagiarizing, you can gain a great deal of inspiration from reading other peopleās blogs and books. Perhaps a certain tone appeals to you, and you can mimic it in your own writing, or youāve seen other professionals tackle certain topics that are of interest, and you can lend your perspective.
- Have someone else proof it ā Nothing kills a well-crafted and persuasive argument faster than having a typo or grammatical error.Ā Have someone else read your copy before you hit send.Ā If you donāt have someone you can trust to check your work, at the very least, step away from it for a while and read it with fresh eyes; you would be surprised what you find after stepping away for a bit!Ā
Writing and content creation is a skill ā one that requires āmuscle memory.ā Write often and keep at it. But I also recognize that itās a skill not everyone is comfortable doing. If you donāt have the time or the interest in creating content, however, there is no shame in turning to a professional. Even having someone create some foundational statements that you can start with may be just the thing to jump start your process.
At 55ip, we support our advisors with marketing collateral that they can brand for use with their clients and client letters that they can modify for a variety of use cases. If you need help getting started, contact your Advisor Success Manager to learn more. Or, if youāre new to 55ip and would like to learn more, we are here to help.
For information on partnering with 55ip or leveraging our tax-smart transition technology, contact our Advisor Success Team at (617) 960-9559 or at info@55-ip.com.