Financial advisor blogging really isn’t complicated, however, many advisors who are just getting started with their marketing know they should be producing content, but they have no idea what to write about. You want to cover the topics and questions your ideal clients are thinking about, but where should you start?
The key here is that you want to educate and provide value to your ideal prospects.
Today we’re going to answer the age-old question “Why should advisors have a blog?” and also give you 165 ideas on what you could blog about.
8 Reasons Advisors Should Blog Regularly
First and foremost, why should you blog? Your plate is already full enough as you juggle day-to-day business tasks, so what’s in it for you? Here are a few reasons why every financial advisor should have a blog.
1. A blog keeps you top of mind.
Your blog serves as a constant reminder of what you do best, who you serve, and what problems you solve. It helps you establish your online presence and answer your prospects’ most pressing questions. Then, when it’s time for your ideal prospect to choose an advisor or get help with an issue they’re facing, your firm is the first that comes to mind.
To stay on top of your financial advisor blogging, we recommend creating a marketing calendar for the year that lists out all of the blog posts you plan on releasing. If you’re not sure where to start, download this sample marketing calendar for financial advisors.
2. A blog creates “forwardable” content.
You know that long list of emails you’ve collected over the years? A blog is a great way to keep your list engaged and aware of what makes your firm different. But even more importantly, blogs make for excellent content that can easily be forwarded to your network’s friends and family.
We see this all the time with advisors who work with us. We send out a blog post to their email list on a topic like “Common Financial Mistakes Pre-Retirees Make.” One person reads the post and it reminds them of a dear friend or family member who is getting ready to retire. So what do they do? They forward that blog post to them via email, which generates another potential lead.
3. A blog builds SEO for your niche.
Blog post content that’s search engine optimized helps put your website in front of more people. When they Google a keyword that’s related to your service, your website has a higher chance of coming up in search results.
No one truly knows how SEO works because Google keeps its algorithms under lock and key. But what we do know is that consistent, high-quality content that focuses on a few keywords helps you rank better in search results.
What do we mean by keywords? We mean the phrases that prospects would typically type into Google to find you. For example, if your target audience is ExxonMobil, you could use the long-tail keyword “financial planning for exxonmobil employees” throughout your website and blog posts to increase your chances of showing up in search results.
4. A blog educates current clients.
Regardless of how many clients you have, you don’t have the time to share your personal insights and opinions with them all individually. Instead, you can create a timely and relevant blog post that helps educate them on a specific topic. Some impactful blog posts we’ve created for clients at Indigo include:
- Could a Donor-Advised Fund Save You Money on Taxes?
- You May Not Have to Take Your RMDs in 2020
- Social Security Claiming Strategies for Single, Divorced, & Widowed Women
- The Top 5 Financial Planning Challenges in the First 10 Years of Retirement
- What Business Owners Need to Know About the CARES Act
Whatever your specialty is, you can create compelling blog posts that speak directly to your clients and help them stay on track financially—all without ever having to pick up the phone.
5. A blog allows you to proactively communicate with clients during hard times.
Times of crisis—much like the one we’re in now—are the perfect opportunity to get in front of your clients and help them navigate the challenges they face. As an advisor, you know recessions and market declines are normal, but your clients may be panicking.
Gear up crisis-related blog posts to go out to your clients when the time comes. Not only will this help prevent your clients from selling when the market is down, but it will result in fewer phone calls and headaches for you.
Some common crisis-related blog posts we’ve written for Indigo clients include:
- What Should You Do During Market Volatility?
- The Small Business Survival Guide for the Coronavirus
- Does Your Portfolio Need a Second Opinion in This Time of Crisis?
6. A blog stays online forever.
Unlike that Facebook ad you’ve paid for, a blog post stays online forever. And the longer it sits on your website, the more traffic it could get over time. Studies show for every 10 blog posts you write, one could potentially compound (meaning it could increase in traffic due to organic searches) (1). If that happens, that compounded blog post could drive home 6x more traffic than any of your regular posts (2). That’s why blogging is more of a long-term strategy. You may not see the results right away, but it almost always pays off down the road.
After six years of financial advisor blogging about marketing, I get thousands of free visits each month and don’t have to pay for any ads or traffic.
7. A blog establishes you as an industry expert.
Your clients want to feel like they’re working with an advisor who specializes in whatever challenges they’re facing, and a blog gives you a way to establish yourself as the go-to person on a particular topic.
Even if you don’t have a specialty, you should be embracing one with your marketing. We recommend choosing one specific niche (such as Ford executives or women going through divorce) and one broader niche (such as families working toward financial freedom) so you don’t alienate anyone.
Need help choosing your niche? Join our workshop webinar where we help you create a radically relevant marketing message.
8. A blog generates more leads.
Studies show that businesses that blog get 55% more website traffic than those that don’t (3). And once a prospect has landed on your site, a strong call to action can be all it takes to get them to take the next step—whether that’s having them schedule a call with you, download a free report, or sign up for your newsletter.
What Blog Topics Should Advisors Write About?
Many advisors struggle to come up with good content for their blogs. But you’re in luck. Our team has put together a downloadable list of 165 financial advisor blogging post ideas. So go ahead. Download your free list now and use it as inspiration for your own content:
Don’t have the time or expertise to run your own blog? At Indigo Marketing Agency, we create fully customized blog posts with your ideas, investment philosophy, and personality in mind. We also share each post with your email list and social media channels—making that one less thing you have to deal with. To learn more, schedule your free marketing strategy session today or watch this exclusive webinar to learn what we do and how we help.
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(1) https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/compounding-blog-posts-what-they-are-and-why-they-matter
(2) https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/compounding-blog-posts-what-they-are-and-why-they-matter
(3) https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/business-blogging-in-2015