Marketing is impossible without great content. Regardless of the type of marketing tactics you use, content should always be at the center. Content marketing for financial advisors helps position you as a trusted authority for solving complicated financial challenges. Consistently creating and sharing informative blogs, articles, videos, podcasts, and infographics delivers the information your audience needs to make financial decisions.
Consumers use online search as a primary source of research before making big life decisions. Having well-written, clear, and relevant information at the core of your content marketing program reaffirms that you’re the right person to help.
More advisors are recognizing the old adage that content is king. Over half (53%) of financial advisors say that they regularly share educational content with clients, according to Broadridge’s 2023 Financial Advisor Marketing Playbook. Yet many also acknowledge that content marketing is a heavy lift. Some financial advisors are concerned about running afoul of Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) or Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) regulation. Others aren’t comfortable putting themselves out there on social media.
Not surprisingly, 37% of financial advisors say they don’t share content because they don’t know how to best go about it, our survey found.
Content marketing can be challenging to master. It takes time, skill, and expertise to develop content that resonates with your target audience. Those who get it right are often rewarded. Here’s how.
Content marketing helps in two ways: by positioning you as a thought leader in your professional space, and by helping you rank higher in search engine results. Both help you reach a wider audience, which can result in more leads.
Advisors can gain recognition and respect from peers and prospects by consistently sharing valuable insights, analysis, regulatory changes, and financial planning strategies. This amplifies your voice in the conversation, leading to higher referrals and conversions.
Content marketing also helps improve your search engine optimization (SEO) efforts, which can aid your visibility in search results. Incorporating relevant keywords in your content helps to optimize your content for search engines, improving your website’s search rankings. The higher you appear in search, the more likely you are to gain organic traffic that can turn into leads.
Finally, content marketing enables financial advisors to nurture their existing client relationships. Ongoing educational content allows advisors to keep their clients informed about important financial topics, market updates, and investment strategies.
Posting relevant and useful content drives traffic to your website — but only when it’s the byproduct of a well-thought-out strategy. Without one, you could be wasting time and money.
Ask yourself, “Who is my target audience?” Understanding who you’re speaking to will help you decide what type of content to create. If your target audience is pre-retirees, then your content marketing plan should include pieces on retirement income planning, Social Security, and tax strategy rather than articles about the financials of family planning.
The next question to ask is, “What are my goals?” Is your aim to generate more traffic to your site or is it to establish your thought leadership? Once you know your goals, establish quantifiable metrics to measure the success of your content marketing campaign. Begin by tracking visits, clicks, and the average number of pages a person reads on your site.
Blog posts are probably the first to come to mind when you think about content marketing. Although blog posts are important, they’re by no means the only type of content you can create. In fact, content marketing doesn’t have to include blog posts at all. Other options include:
Not all prospects and clients want the same thing: some may want dense financial analysis, while others might want snackable, short content. Consider how content complements your omnichannel experiences, too. For example, you could follow up on conversations by sharing relevant digital media or could encourage referrals by posting shareable content like quizzes and videos.
Variety helps you create a positive experience for a broader group of people, meeting them where their preferences are. Test out different content types so you have a good sense of what your target audience responds to the most.
The main complaint many content creators have is running out of ideas. That’s why it’s important to make your content work double or triple time by constantly repurposing it.
Let’s say you write a blog post about tax loss harvesting at the end of the year. Why not shoot a one-minute video outlining the main points or grab a certified public account that you refer clients to explain the strategy in greater detail on a podcast?
This way, you’ll be sure to appeal to clients and prospects who like to consume content in different ways.
Although content marketing for financial advisors has many benefits, it’s not without its challenges. Avoid these pitfalls to give your content marketing efforts the best chance of being effective.
Don’t let your content go stale. By regularly producing new pieces on what’s happening in the markets and the economy, you give your followers a reason to come back. Fresh content can also position you as a valuable voice in conversations that make sense of financial trends.
For example, when inflation is high and interest rates rise, investors want to know how it will impact them. Content that addresses investing strategies during inflationary periods and cost of living considerations shows that you’re attuned to what’s on their minds.
You don’t need to produce new content each time there’s a new market development. Evergreen content on topics like starting a family, education planning, and retirement savings is important too, and keeps clients and prospects focused on long-term financial planning.
Consumers expect personalization in every brand they interact with, and financial advice is no different. According to research from McKinsey, 71% of consumers expect a personalized experience. When they don’t get it, 76% of consumers get frustrated and are more likely to take their business elsewhere.
Broadridge’s advanced tools can help you make content that resonates with your audience. You can create personalization at scale, so your target audience feels that you really understand their challenges and have the right solutions to address them. Since 80% of consumers say they’re more likely to make a purchase when they receive personalized experiences, it’s critical to treat each interaction uniquely.
Content marketing may be outside your comfort zone. That doesn’t mean you can’t benefit from great financial advisor content marketing. Lean on artificial intelligence-enabled tools like those available from AdvisorStream to get the job done. AdvisorStream gives advisors a FINRA-compliant library of over 3,000 unbiased, advisor-centric pieces of original content by a team of in-house financial subject matter experts so you can showcase your knowledge. These include multi-media collateral, articles from top publishers like Forbes, videos, and interactive quizzes.
If you prefer to create your own content, you can make use of marketing technology that makes those processes more efficient. Scheduling tools can help you publish content regularly, so you have a consistent cadence of content production. AdvisorStream has scheduling built-in as well as “set and forget” campaigns that will keep advisors top of mind without the extra workload.
Content marketing for financial advisors is a powerful tool for building trust, positioning yourself as an industry expert, and attracting valuable leads. Choose the right content marketing partner to take your content marketing to the next level. Broadridge Advisor Solutions has the largest FINRA-reviewed content library with just a few clicks. Want to know more? Contact us today.
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