Content marketing is at the core of our marketing strategy. Why? Because content marketing is a relatively inexpensive way to get the attention of qualified prospects in your niche who are looking for help. The strategy uses the creation and distribution of content to earn the attention of prospects.
Once you have their attention, they can get to know you better and take the next step toward working with you. If you want to learn everything there is to know about content marketing, read Content, Inc. by Joe Pulizzi, which is a great resource with a plenty of business examples.
The goals of content marketing are to:
- Gain the attention of new clients
- Show them what you do and how you can help
- Position yourself as a subject matter expert
- Stay on top of mind
- Start a conversation
- Drive traffic to your website
The strategy can be effective with general or “canned content,” but is most effective when the content created is specialized and unique. You may be using a form of content marketing today if you’re sending out market commentaries, videos, or other third-party produced content to stay top of mind. However, there has been a backlash against generic content in recent years, as we all tire of the noise.
Have you received an obviously mass-produced health or lifestyle article from your real estate agent or dentist? That type of content is annoying, because if you wanted to learn about the “Top Ten Vacation Spots in Europe,” you would Google it yourself. Effective content marketing uses thoughtful, custom, original content that provides unique value specifically to your target demographic.
Here’s what I mean. Instead of sending out a newsletter on:
Ten Retirement Planning Mistakes
Try:
How to Maximize Your General Electric Benefits Package
Instead of:
Three Reasons to Use a Financial Advisor
Try:
Why I Became a Wealth Advisor Serving Single Women
Instead of:
Ten Keys to Investing
Try:
What Should You Do After Last Week’s Stock Market Decline?
People in your network don’t want to be bombarded with generic content, but they are interested in reading your expert opinion on a topic that affects them. High-quality custom content addresses this need!
Answer Your Prospects’ Most Pressing Questions
Content marketing, in general, is aimed at helping people find you when they need you most. One direct way to do this is to answer the questions they are likely to type into Google or LinkedIn Pulse. Oftentimes, I work with advisors to create posts that are the only answer available on the Internet for a common question their clients and prospects ask.
For example, my dad is an advisor who works with researchers and scientists at UC San Diego, where employees have both a 457 and a 403(b) plan to choose from. He is commonly asked about the difference between the two, so we created a blog post titled “What is the Difference Between the UC San Diego 457 and 403(b) Plans?” and another on “Making the Most of Your UC San Diego Employee Benefits.” Specific posts like these are likely to be shared among groups of employees and between your clients and their co-workers, fostering referrals.
Another advisor I work with serves widowed and divorced spouses, so we created a series of posts on “The First Financial Steps to Take When Widowed,” and “Five Financial Mistakes Widows Should Avoid.” Posts like these are effective in helping prospects who were referred to your website or LinkedIn profile get comfortable with your experience and expertise before they decide to pick up the phone and make an appointment.
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Our Monthly Marketing Package is designed to create custom, original content for you on a regular basis. To get started now, click here!