Trending
Blogging is a great way to keep your clients informed about financial issues, investment opportunities and money-saving strategies.
Unfortunately, financial advisors can make some blogging “bloopers.” Here are the three biggest mistakes financial advisors are making.
Over-sharing
We all know that person on Facebook who shares every single detail of his or her life, no matter how personal or inane it is. While oversharing is a rather common Internet phenomenon, many people don’t realize that sharing too much about your personal life affects your professional status. Financial advisors are not immune to oversharing either. When it comes to blogging, some financial advisors try to connect with their clients by providing personal information, often too personal of information. Keep your blogging professional by only mentioning the basics about yourself, such as your educational background, your career highlights, and your areas of specialty.
Of course, that doesn’t mean that your blog needs to be devoid of personality. You can still communicate your personality, just make sure that it’s your professional personality. In other words, use your blog to communicate that you are a highly professional, successful and serious financial advisor with insightful and informative advice to give.
Inconsistency
If you’re going to professionally blog, make sure that you do it regularly. One of the easiest ways to lose public interest is to be inconsistent with your posts. Make a schedule to blog and stick to it. That means you need to be realistic about how often you can reasonably post to your blog. Don’t over-post either, as people may begin to suspect that you spend all of your time on the Internet and not enough time on your clients and their financial needs. Aim to write one to two posts a week, and then make sure you meet that goal. Nothing says “unprofessional” like inconsistency.
In order to keep readers interested in your blog, it’s important that you stay on top of it. If you disappear for weeks at a time, you readers will not only lose interest in your blog, but they will also turn to other financial advisors who offer them regular and consistent advice. In addition, keep your blogs a consistent size. Don’t write four pages one week and then 40 characters the next. Aim to write about 2-3 insightful, well-written paragraphs on a regular, weekly basis.
Be Informative and Accurate
Another common mistake that financial advisors make when writing their blogs is posting information that they have not thoroughly researched. Your clients are looking for informative, accurate and professional advice, and your professional reputation depends on your giving it to them. Make sure that you check your facts when you post information, as you could lose clients due to misinformation. Remember, as a financial advisor, you are in a position of authority, as your clients trust you to provide them with accurate information and sound advice. Bad research equals bad advice, so much sure you know what you’re talking about before you post it online.