For RIAs and wealth management firms, content marketing might not seem like the most relevant topic. After all, your focus is on growing client portfolios and developing long-lasting relationships with investors who need financial advice. What does marketing have to do with those two goals?
The answer: everything. Content marketing is a great way to grow awareness for your financial services and the value you can bring customers. Like any business, following good marketing principles can result in increased lead volume, a healthy revenue stream, and longer-term clientele. Understanding and practicing basic content marketing strategies can position your firm in a favorable light, ultimately setting you apart as a trusted financial solution for clients.
Position Content To The Right Audiences
The top focus of any content marketing strategy should be identifying your target audience. Developing an ideal client persona — which can include anything from general demographic information to motivations for seeking out wealth management services in the first place — is a great first step in this process. Some questions to think through as you identify potential audiences include:
- What kinds of people would most benefit from your knowledge and financial expertise?
- Why might clients be in the market for a wealth management advisor?
- What is your typical client’s background? Are there specific demographic groups you’d like to tap into but haven’t?
- What questions might a potential new client have before working with your firm?
Once you know who you’re speaking to, you can tailor relevant content more easily. Having a well-defined audience in mind also helps you curate valuable and informative content. Rather than creating “fluff” pieces, focus on offering actionable advice, tips, and strategies. Content created with a purpose always performs better than content without any discernible value.
Good educational content can also position your firm as a thought leader. Don’t think of this strategy as “giving away secrets;” rather, know that freely sharing expertise establishes you as a trusted resource for customers. Web-based content that attracts a high amount of readership and keeps readers engaged on the page for a relatively long time also helps you rank higher in Google search results. Relevant keywords, meta descriptions, and links to other articles on the subject are good search engine optimization (SEO) strategies to keep in mind when producing content.
Create a Content Calendar
It’s important to remember that there isn’t any one right platform for generating content. What’s more critical is to release content on the platforms your target audiences are likely to frequent. For business professionals, you might want to focus on releasing LinkedIn posts or newsletters with links to blogs. In contrast, younger demographics might spend more time on Twitter or YouTube. Researching where your target audience finds information can ensure your content makes a measurable impact.
One effective strategy is to leverage the power of Google. When you search for a topic, pay close attention to the “People also ask” section. This section highlights common questions related to your search, providing valuable insights into what people are curious about. By creating content that answers these specific questions, you position yourself as a thought leader in the eyes of Google. When your content addresses these queries effectively, Google may feature your content prominently, driving a flood of traffic to your website.
Once you’ve identified a variety of content channels, aim for consistency. Platforms like YouTube and Google rank articles and videos higher when their creators post on a predictable basis — whether it’s monthly, weekly, or even daily. Content calendars are great for developing a posting schedule and sticking with it.
Similarly, make sure you track how your content performs. There are many ways to do this, but monitoring email click-through rates, engagement on social media posts, and video watch times are good places to start. Knowing whether your content is resonating with your audience — and, more importantly, whether it’s encouraging them to interact more with your firm — is key to developing even more valuable content in the future.
Don’t Be Afraid to Promote Your Content
Finally, don’t be afraid to share your content on social media. Whether you’ve written a long-form blog article or released a YouTube short, you’ll want to get as many eyeballs on it as possible. Creating and/or adopting hashtags can help make your content more discoverable and indicate to users its relevance to their needs.
Again, the key with social media is to go where your potential clients are. Ask your existing customers what kinds of social media platforms (if any) they use. Research the potential reach each platform has for your particular area of expertise. You might be surprised at just how broad that reach is.
Ultimately, content marketing allows your firm to reach new heights in generating awareness and encouraging users to take action. Online content is so prolific that it’s easy to get lost in the noise of advertisements and sensational news stories. Focusing on creating the best, most relevant financial content possible is your best bet to cutting through the digital chaos and attracting new people that find your insights valuable. And isn’t value what you aim to bring to your customers?
For more information about how Docupace can save you time (and create more bandwidth for building relationships with clients and creating valuable content), reach out for a free consultation here.
