Some of the best RIA websites have the best financial blogs. Savvy financial advisors know that a great way to advertise their financial planning and investing expertise is by using a blog attached to their website. They know that in addition to providing new and relevant content, blogging helps drive traffic to their website. More traffic = More Opportunities and More Opportunities=More Conversions. Here are 5 reasons why smart financial advisors blog:
Blogs Promote Discovery
A good financial advisory blog has the potential to drive copious amounts of traffic to your website. Creating a blog post adds another indexed page to your site, which increases page rankings on search engines like Google and Yahoo. Posting frequently tells the search engine that your website is updated often and thus merits prioritization. This is how all companies establish domain authority and wind up appearing earlier in search results.
Some companies and marketers stop at the blog post, meaning they write, post, and move onto the next one. Don’t make this mistake. Instead, promote your blog on social media. Doing so extends your reach to potential clients who would otherwise not have heard of you. In addition to providing more content, this increases traffic on your site and social media accounts. Additionally, it gives readers a chance to share your content on their own social media pages, potentially amplifying your traffic even further.
Convert Intrigue Into Leads
Having a surplus of new visitors on your site provides ample time to generate leads. Here, a simple Call To Action (CTA) button goes a long way. CTAs are the perfect means of guiding visitors through your website in order to promote engagement that could eventually lead to a purchase. Some of the best CTAs provide options to “download now”, discounted services, free stuff, mailing list subscriptions, and more. CTAs can also be integrated into financial advisor blog posts to promote tactile navigation.
Additionally, blogs are a great way to share a case study with your target audience. Believe it or not, clients and prospects are more interested in seeing how your product is used by others as opposed to hearing you talk about it yourself. Here, the phrase “the proof is in the pudding” rings truer than ever. Successful financial advisor content marketing includes the use of case studies.
Generate Long-Term Engagement
Blogs remain in search engines long after they are indexed. This is good for you because it means they can promote web traffic and generate leads well into the future. In this regard, it is important not to expect instantaneous results; rather, focus on creating content that will generate intrigue years down the line. This is why it is essential to know your target audience and actively engage their interests.
One of the most important aspects of capturing your targeted client’s engagement is making them feel like the focus is all on them. Assuming their perspective and focusing on how they benefit from your services will only increase your bottom line in the long term. So rather than writing from your own perspective, try focusing on how your services have helped your clients. Don’t be one of those businesses that consistently demonstrates their self-obsession through constant bragging. Turning the focus away from yourself and onto your clients will increase future prospects and make you seem like the client-centric advisor you are.
Blogs Are Your Company’s Mouthpiece
In addition to sharing information about your business, blogs give you a platform to share your opinion on specific topics. It is a great way to give your company some character while simultaneously lending an air of approachability to your firm. So when creating content, be sure to be authentic and honest so you can attract customers who truly believe in what you do. In this regard, it is always good practice to write a blog with a target audience in mind.
In addition to serving as a general mouthpiece, blogs tell a story. Narrativizing the benefits of your services is ultimately beneficial to those purchasing them and saves you precious time and energy that would otherwise be spent explaining yourself ad nauseam.
A good story will give your services a life of their own. Plus everyone loves a good story. Psychologically, humans are naturally attracted to narratives. In addition to providing a means of relating to your service, a good story will help people remember you. Several studies have shown that the human brain becomes more active when engaged with a narrative.
Blogs Are a Cost Effective Way Of Becoming An Authority In Your Industry
Your blog is an opportunity to interact with potential clients, in a cost effective way. Marketing costs depend on whether you are using your own time or outsourcing to a firm to write the blog for you. You may find that outsourcing some of your website and blog marketing efforts will free you up to spend more time where it matters: with prospects and clients. Using a company like Paladin Digital Marketing, an expert in content marketing for independent RIA’s, is a great option.
Using your own knowledge base you can craft a considerable amount of content oriented around a particular set of products or topics. By publishing articles you will be working towards establishing yourself as an authority within your particular industry. This is a win-win for you and your clients, as they will have a great resource to engage with, while you will have more opportunities to convert intrigue into revenue.
Perhaps best of all, you will never stop learning about your field and your clients. Writing or reviewing posts about your services will force you to examine them in an entirely new light. You will also gain insight into how real-world clients feel about your work. Essentially, you will be communicating the fact that you are more focused on what your clients think is important rather than your own interests.
Learning more about your industry will help facilitate stronger, more effective marketing tactics and communication. All of this feeds back into a positive loop that helps generate more intrigue in your services, establishes your domain authority, establishes your industry authority, and helps build trust between your clients and your brand.
