Trending
Not all content is created equal, and while it’s important to constantly put out good content on your advisor website, there are different types that financial advisors can use. Putting out original content is a great way to show your expertise and that you are a thought leader in the financial industry, but there are other types out there, as well.
Hierarchy of Content Types for Financial Advisors
Below are types of content that can be used on your advisor website.
Completely Original Content
When you create your own content, the thoughts are original and nobody knows your firm better than you and your employees. When you put out this type of content you can show that you are a thought-leader and that builds credibility and shows your expertise. When you create it yourself, Google will reward you by boosting your rankings in search engines.
When it comes to creating strong content, what are some ways to best do this?
Provide Answers in your Content
Your readers are coming to you for answers, so make sure you are providing them. What type of material is your niche looking for? Make sure that you are staying relevant by searching topics in the news and the industry so that you can provide the best answers. If you show that you are an expert in the industry, then people will continue to come to your site for answers.
Make Sure your Content is Thought-Provoking and Engaging
After they read your content, leave them thinking. When your work is thought-provoking, then it’s done its job. You don’t want your reader to just skim through it then forget. Maybe you wrote a piece that has you thinking about ways you could be a better leader at work. Or maybe they wrote a piece and you now want to try and apply this to you marketing strategy for a better outcome.
Make it Personal When Appropriate
In the sea of content that is out there, if someone can relate to one of your posts, then they will remember it more and it will have more of an impact. It can help to drive your point home while also teaching a financial story. This post from Zoë Meggert shows the importance of incorporating stories into your content as a financial advisor.
Include Images and/or Videos
According to HubSpot, 54% of users want to see more videos from a brand or company that they support. So, make sure you are including video and images in your content! This is a great way to get your information out there, rather than just producing pages of written content.
Additionally, it breaks up the material, can get a point across in a short amount of time, and it adds a human touch. Videos and images can be utilized in your blogs to supplement a point that you are trying to make, so try using images as examples, infographics, charts, etc.
In the above blog post from Twenty Over Ten client and Lead Pilot user, Tapparo Capital Management, you can see that they use an S&P Index Market Chart to better showcase their point.
Use Calls-to-Action in your Content
If you’re writing a post, then try including a link in the text of your post to a relevant ebook, whitepaper or webinar offering. When a visitor clicks on the link, then they will be taken to the landing page, which will direct them to take the next desired action that you want. If your content doesn’t include a call-to-action, then it is really missing the mark, as these are used to entice visitors to take that next step down the sales funnel.
In the above image, as the end of the blog “What Can a Financial Planner Do For You?” by Twenty Over Ten client and Lead Pilot user, Ankeny Financial Planning, they have included a link to schedule an introductory meeting so that readers can schedule a meeting and take the next step towards becoming a client.
Customizable Content
Customizable Content is just that. Content that has already been written and produced, but you can tailor it and customize it in the way that it will best serve your firm and niche. What’s great about this type of content is that you are accredited as the other, therefore making you the thought-leader of the article. You can choose to keep the content like it is, but it’s a good idea to tailor it so that it is unique to your brand. Lead Pilot offers completely customizable content as does Twenty Over Ten’s Content Assist.
Lead Pilot
Lead Pilot is an all-in-one solution for content creation and distribution for financial advisors. One of the aspects of Lead Pilot that’s great for advisors is that it offers a completely customizable library of editorial-style content.
- You can infuse with your unique voice, add in SEO keywords and promote your expertise in the industry.
- The blogs are optimized for the reader and current SEO standards.
- There is a full-size featured stock image and social media image for each topic.
- Identify content unique to your target audience with persona filtering for business owners, high-net-worth, millennials and more.
As you can see in the image above the title is “Best Tools To Keep Your Small Business Organized,” and the author changed it to say “In Kansas City’ to make it location-specific and also added in his name as the author, showing that he is the thought leader. The body of the blog is completely customizable, as well, as you can really make this content your own, however, it’s much easier to start with this rather than just staring a black sheet.
Content Assist
Like Lead Pilot, Twenty Over Ten offers Content Assist that has a one-click integration, is completely customizable and is tailored to your unique niche. It serves as a starting point and from there you can tailor the content based on niche, geography and just however you feel it will cater best to your audience.
Canned Content
So, when you say canned content, what does this mean. Simply put, it’s when a third party creates content that people can then buy. The types of content that are generally created are:
- Blog Posts
- Newsletters
- Social Media
Canned content can be used when you just don’t have the time or the manpower to create your own content. It generally is cost-effective, easy to obtain and adheres to compliance standards, which is useful in a highly regulated industry such as finance.
There are some cons to canned content, however, and they are:
It is Generic and Unoriginal
It may not cater to your specific niche, as this is written so that it can cover a broad audience. It might not be relevant to your business, which makes lead generation difficult.
It’s Not Coming From You
It will not have your unique voice, so the specifics of your business and what makes your firm stand out won’t be captured in this type of content.
It Won’t Boost Your SEO
Google only rewards websites with original content, so there is no SEO value to using canned content.
Curated Content
As we’ve mentioned, coming up with original content can be difficult especially when you don’t have a lot of time or you are short on manpower. So, what is curated content? It’s when you add your unique voice to a handpicked collection of content. It can be gathered from a variety of sources, around a specific topic, that you publish and share with your audience.
When trying to decide what type of content to share with your audience, ask yourself these questions:
- Who should I share this with?
- Why would this help them?
- Is this a trustworthy source?
- Is it unique and worthy of sharing?
You want to ensure the content is relevant and reliable so that you can be seen as a trusted source.
Now What?
Now that you know the difference between these types of contents, what works best for your business? While nothing beats original content and customizable, maybe what works best for your time frame and budget maybe some of the other options. Whatever it may be, we hope that this helped you understand the difference between each so that you can start better-producing content and seeing what works best for your firm!
Related: What Advisors Getting 11+ New Clients per Year Have in Common