Jorge's Thoughts: Content is Critical to Advisors' Marketing Strategies

"Content marketing entails understanding exactly what your clients need to know in order to supply them with the most useful resources without seemingly wanting to sell them something." 

-Attach Media

As advisors, creating and distributing content can not only help to inform your target audience about their financial concerns but it can also help you build a strong reputation as a trusted expert. And if your target audience includes boomers - which it most likely does - you're in luck; boomers spend more time consuming content that any other generation. 

So what types of content should you create? Think about what you find compelling, what prompts you to stop scrolling online and read further. 

Infographics: Brafton notes that this type of content is critical for the financial services industry to consider, as it focuses on "delivering valuable information to online audiences that love real-time information and interesting visuals." (See Attach Media's example above.) 

Videos: The Weidert Group notes that "the average person can retain 95% of video after 72 hours." 

Social media: CNBC notes that "an effective social media strategy can single-handedly create a following of thousands—and a flow of prospective clients—in just a short period of time." 

Podcasts: Business 2 Community notes that "while podcasts have been around for about a decade, there’s been a surge in listenership in the last couple years that’s getting a lot of attention from business owners, celebrities, advertisers, and consumers alike." 

I've created a series of podcasts on seminar marketing and how to reach your prospects. If you have suggestions for topics you'd like for me to cover via this type of content (or any type of content), tweet me at @JorgeVillarRME! 

By: Jorge Villar, President and Founder 

#finservcontent

3 Tips for Creating Targeted Video Content

“You might make a video with 89 views. But one of those viewers could be a producer at CNN. Undervaluing just that one view is a huge mistake.”

-Gary Vaynerchuck, C

EO of Vaynermedia and host of Ask Gary Vee

We all want to produce video content that earns a million hits, right? But if your videos don't go viral, are they less valuable, entertaining or informative? Absolutely not! 

They're likely more targeted. 

Video content is undoubtedly the most powerful medium in your marketing toolbox. When done effectively, it prompts interaction, it puts a personality with a name, it adds a layer of dimension to your content marketing and it's likely more interesting and more compelling than written content. While the financial services industry is heavily regulated, there is most certainly flexibility in how advisors can - and should! - use video content to market to targeted audiences. 

Consider these stats: 

• 64% of marketers expect that video content will dominate their overall marketing strategy. 
• 78% said video is the most leveraged medium of content. 
• 57% of financial brands want to increase their marketing investment in video. 
• 57% of consumer internet traffic will be from video content by the end of 2015.

So what should you show in your videos? What should your focus be? What content should you present? Here are some ideas to help you get started: 

1. Create a vlog to tell a story. 

A vlog - or a video blog - is a cost-effective, effortless way to share who you are, to establish a personal connection and to build your reputation as a trusted local expert. Show your audience what matters to your brand, how you became an expert in your industry or how you've helped past clients. 

2. Use behind the scenes footage to show how your brand operates. 

You have a team who collaborates with you, puts in long hours with you and helps you provide excellent service to your target audience. Use video content to show that to your prospects and clients. Don't give away your secret sauce, but do give your audience a sneak peek into your culture and what makes it, your products and your services unique. Think of this content as the bonus footage on a DVD. 

3. Create a themed series to share knowledge. 

Share advice on topics that your target audience is concerned with. Present information in a concise, easy to follow and entertaining manner. Show your audience how your advice on these topics has helped clients by including testimonials from them or sharing their stories. 

For instance, our The Marketing Minute series focused on providing quick marketing tips to financial services professionals. Here's an example: 

What would you add to this list? Tell us below or tweet us!

@RME360

             By: Susan Gail Taylor, Social Media Manager and Copywriter at RME360

The Do's and Don'ts of Vlogging for Prospects

Looking to add shareable elements to your content marketing? 


Vlogging - or video blogging - provides dynamic content that helps you develop connections and helps your brand earn more digital interaction.






















By: Susan Gail Taylor, Social Media Manager and Copywriter at RME360

Jingle All The Way to Successful Holiday Marketing

Black Friday and Cyber Monday have come and gone, but the holiday shopping season hasn’t shown any sign of slowing down. What does that mean for your business? Hold on to that marketing steering wheel; it’s time to drive those sales home! The end of the year is mere weeks away, so let your holiday marketing wrap up your brand's 2014 with a red shiny bow. 

Need help tying that bow? Check out these tips:

1.     Hark! The user-generated content sings

According to a recent MIT study, the human brain can process and identify images seen for as little as 13 milliseconds. According to our collective common knowledge about people, we love to post photos of ourselves. So why not combine the two for your holiday marketing a la Starbucks style? Take a look at the coffee conglomerate’s cover photos album on Facebook and you’ll find several photos taken by fans a*k*a brand advocates. These photos add a layer of authenticity to Starbucks’ marketing, a layer that prompts fans to feel more connected to the brand. Fans whose photos are used feel valued and appreciate the interaction. Fans who see those photos feel more motivated to follow a brand that pays attention to and interacts with them.

Here’s an example of one of their user-generated cover photos:

And here’s how popular it was:

2.     It came upon the holiday video

Not a Christmas goes by without me thinking of my beloved late brother. And inevitably during the holiday season, I run across the Folgers commercial online when big brother Peter comes home to visit for the holidays and his sweet baby sister bounds down the stairs to see him. The soft sell in this video stands in the shadow of the overarching tone of family and holiday cheer. That cheer is of course celebrated over Folgers coffee; after all, Folgers isn’t selling feelings and big brothers. But what makes that commercial memorable? (I’m 36 years old and still remember it from my childhood.) The sense of family and the opportunity Folgers took to showcase a special sibling bond to create a holiday moment fit for Hallmark.

3.     Deck the local halls

What holiday traditions, events and trends are popular in your market? What makes prospects and clients in your market different than other markets? Recognize how holidays impact your market and who your prospects and clients are; by doing so, you can create messaging personalized just for them so that you increase the likelihood of appeal.

4.     Carol of the call to action

So you’ve created effective holiday messaging via videos, direct mail, social media and/or other preferred marketing outlets, but what have you asked your prospects and clients to do after reading the message? Don’t leave them hanging like ornaments on a Christmas tree; provide them with clear instruction on how to interact with you. Of course you would like for them to call your office, visit your website or stop by to see you, but what other actions can they take that will immediately benefit them? Encourage them to download a piece of targeted content such as a white paper or an ebook. Or direct them to a personalized landing page with more information about their particular need. 

By: Susan Gail Taylor, Social Media Manager and Copywriter at RME360