Attracting clients through blogging

With the number of social-media sites and other online avenues available to us, it often is hard to know where to put our energies. Fearing time constraints or compliance concerns, many financial advisers have shied away from making blogging part of their marketing strategies. Yet those who dive in are creating opportunities and acquiring clients.

When I was growing up and wanted to research a particular topic, I walked over to our set of World Book Encyclopedias and pulled out the corresponding A-Z volume that contained my subject. Aside from a trip to the library, that was the only place to get the information I needed.

Want to know about a particular topic today? Google it.

It is the same with financial information. When people want to know something, they go online.

And while they search for information from larger companies and established sites during their investigations, they also check out blogs and articles. This offers an excellent way for advisers to get noticed.

Ted Jenkin, co-chief executive of oXYGen Financial Inc., said that his firm’s blog, yoursmartmoneymoves.com, is great for attracting clients.

“All financial advisers want more customers,” he said. “To get a customer, though, you first have to get a consumer, meaning someone who is willing and able to learn more about your company.

“Traditionally, financial advisers would be able to do this through their websites, but a website is not where new customers are going to begin their search for financial information,” Mr. Jenkin said.

They are more inclined to obtain such information from other sources, including blogs, he said.

Blogging allows you to establish yourself as an expert. You can educate consumers, capitalize on media opportunities by making your voice heard and create an efficient path for people to find you.

If you have a creative mind, a gift for writing and a genuine desire to be viewed as an expert, it is time to start blogging.

Here are a few first steps.

Speak to your audience. By covering financial matters important to its Generation X and Gen Y clients, oXYGen has branded itself as an expert for those demographics. It tailors its content to what its audience wants and delivers it in plain English, avoiding jargon.

They have built relationships by communicating in a way their target customers find comfortable. With continued interaction and training, those relationships often result in consumers’ reaching out directly to the oXYGen team for personal consultations. As with other social-media tools, the relationship starts online, but the real interaction occurs offline.

Develop an editorial calendar. Catherine Maniscalco Avery, founder of CAIM LLC, an independent investment management firm that specializes in customized portfolios for advisers, women and baby boomers, has gained a tremendous following from her blog.

Focused solely on educational content, she outlines an annual editorial calendar for her blog, adjusting it based on feedback she receives from talking to and surveying clients. Ms. Avery recommends combining key topics and timely events with market updates and commentary.

Schedule time. There is no way around it: Blogging takes time. And between client reviews, paperwork and processing trades an adviser’s workday is already pretty full. Ms. Avery schedules time in her monthly calendar for developing and writing her blog content. This helps alleviate deadline pressures and ensures that she can deliver a product her readers will value.

Some advisers ease the time burden by having other financial professionals serve as “guest bloggers” on their site. This allows them to provide quality content and save time while forging strategic alli-ances within the industry.

Improve content and reach. Make your blog stand out by adding video to posts.

Both Ms. Avery and Mr. Jenkin stress the importance of multiplying a blog’s reach. Always add “share this” buttons so that readers can easily pass on your posts via social-media sites.

Kristin Andree (kristin@ andreemedia.com) is president of Andree Media & Consulting.