Some of the best financial planning articles online have been written by financial advisors. Read Nerds Eye View if you don’t believe us. Michael Kitces has used content marketing to position himself as one of the premiere thought leaders in our industry.
You’re not Michael, nor should you try to be. Every advisor has their own style. Some have a knack for expressing themselves through written word. The challenge is coming up with ideas to maintain a steady content frequency. RightCapital can help.
Overcoming Writer’s Block on the Opening Line
Professional writers will tell you that the first line of any piece of content is the hardest to write. Everyone wants to grab their audience with something clever or compelling. It’s hard to do, so save it for last. Write the body of the article first.
Visit the RightCapital Help Center. There’s a wealth of content there that you can use to draw new ideas from. If you’re not a user on our platform yet, try the Resources page on our main website. There are videos and flyers there to share with clients.
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Choose a topic and write a paragraph about it. Expand that into two paragraphs, then add a new section. It may not look cohesive in the early stages. That’s okay. Keep writing.
The opening line will come to you as the piece develops. Read this Scribe Media Article if you need some help with that. They assume you’ll be writing the opening line first, but they are not in financial services. We believe in facts before flash.
What does your audience want to read about?
Are your clients the audience you’re writing to? Assuming that is a common mistake many advisors make. Clients don’t read your blog unless you’re emailing them the links. Most of your readers are prospects or one-time visitors.
Don’t look at that as an obstacle. It’s an opportunity to express how you think about finance and maybe even demonstrate what you can do with your technology. Visitors to your blog are looking for something. Give them the value they need to come back.
A good example of this is an article we recently published titled “How to Optimize Social Security in the New Normal.” We highlight SSA insolvency and show some examples of how RightCapital can be used to show clients the impact of it.
Another article you’re welcome to share is “7 Key Differences between RightCapital and MoneyGuidePro.” You could insert it as a link to explain why your current tech stack gives clients the best user experience. Prospects want to know that.
Assembling Multiple Pieces to Create Your Content
Content creation isn’t all about writing. Images and videos are just as important. If you’re planning on publishing regularly, open an account at iStock or Canva to get top-quality images that will capture the reader’s attention and draw them in.
You can also use our prospecting videos. There’s one on tax-efficient distribution that can be downloaded and embedded into a blog post. We published an article on Roth Conversions a few weeks ago that could be a valuable resource for that piece.
If your audience is other financial advisors, you could also add a link to a webinar or podcast link. We have a library of webinars you can choose from and several of our integration partners do podcasts. We’ll get into that in more detail in next week’s post.
An image, a video, a resource article, and a webinar or podcast link should give you the tools you need to create something your readers will find valuable. Go through our website and match some of the pieces that go together. We’re happy to share.
Basic Rules and Potential Pitfalls
Don’t copy content. It will be tempting at times when the ideas aren’t flowing, but it’s not worth it. Putting aside the implication of copyright infringement, you’ll be using words that you did not write. That nullifies what you’re trying to do.
Don’t copy other people’s images. Photo sites aren’t that expensive. Fines for using copyrighted or trademarked images are. Pay the licensing fee for images or use your own photos to add a touch of originality to your blog posts and articles.
Avoid taking time off from your regular posting to write articles for submission elsewhere. It’s great to be published on financial news sites, but you don’t want to disrupt the frequency of your content marketing. Everything else is extra.
Content marketing works. It’s more cost effective than PPC or media ads, requires just a few hours a week once you get into the flow, and provides you a platform to express your ideas. Stay consistent with it and you might just become the next Michael Kitces.