Susan B. Weiner Investment Writing - Susan B. Weiner Blog

Advisors, which counts more for your potential clients–your personal chemistry or your process for helping them reach their financial goals?

Photo: Steve Jurvetson

Chemistry wins. At least that’s what an article about voters’ approach to the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary suggests to me. “Voters Examining Candidates, Often to a Fault” appeared in The New York Times on December 29, 2011.

Potential voters interviewed by The New York Times

…were hard-pressed to recall details of the candidates’ plans to reduce taxes, create jobs and shrink the government.

Yet they knew about the marriages and mannerisms, the faith and careers of the candidates, and they brimmed with unvarnished opinions about any trait that strikes them as admirable — or just as likely, annoying. (Emphasis added by me.)

For example, one interviewee “…is leaning toward voting for Ron Paul because of the Texas lawmaker’s unpolished speaking style….” Another “… is drawn to Mitt Romney because the well-coiffed candidate reminds him of his father, a business executive.”

Advisors’ personal chemistry counts

Personality is more memorable than plans. That’s the lesson I take away from this article. Anyone marketing to individuals should keep this in mind.

Blogging boosts personal chemistry

The importance of personal chemistry is another reason for advisors to consider social media, especially blogging. It’s a great way to develop chemistry before you meet or even speak with a prospect.

If you’d like to boost your financial blogging skills, sign up now to get the EARLY BIRD rates on “How to Write Blog Posts People Will Read: A 5-Lesson Writing Class for Financial Advisors.” I’ve recently updated the class FAQ.

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Does your writing suffer from this problem?

“…if your thoughts aren’t well organized, it doesn’t matter how large or varied your vocabulary is, how vivid an imagination you have, or how lyrically you compose a sentence; your writing, more often than not, will puzzle your readers.” –Barry Tarshis, How to Write Like a Pro, p. 63

Tarshis offers many ideas about how to write well.

You can whip your thoughts into shape with a five-step process.

1. Brainstorm ideas
2. Organize your thoughts before writing
3. Write a first draft
4. Edit–Consider hiring an editor if you struggle with this phase.
5. Rewrite

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Is starting a financial blog one of your New Year’s resolutions? You can lay a sound foundation for blogging success with “How to Write Blog Posts People Will Read: A 5-Lesson Class for Financial Advisors.”

Blogging class registration page at InvestmentWriting.eventbrite.com

When you complete the five lessons–including doing the homework–you will learn a step-by-step process that can

• Change the way you write
• Bring you new business

Questions?

Check the FAQ, post your questions below, or call me at 617-969-4509.

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Are you a financial professional, writer, or marketer with questions about whether “How to Write Blog Posts People Will Read: A 5-Lesson Writing Class for Financial Advisors” will work for you?

You’ll find answers to common questions below. Do you have questions I haven’t answered below? Leave them as a comment or call me at 617-969-4509.

Q. I can’t commit to a class that meets at a specific time. Will you work around my schedule?

A. I’ve tweaked the class format so you can listen to the class on YOUR schedule, not mine.

1. Lessons will be prerecorded. This way, you can listen when it’s convenient for you.
2. You can post your homework–and receive my individualized feedback–any time between the posting of the lesson and two weeks following the end of the class. Students who did their homework and then revised it following my feedback told me that doing the homework–and getting my feedback–was incredibly valuable.

You can save all the audio and handout files to give yourself a refresher course months or even years after your formal training ends.

Q. What if I don’t see myself as a “financial advisor”? Can I still take your class?

A. I use the term “financial advisor” as shorthand for my target audience, which includes employees of investment, wealth management, and financial planning firms as well as the vendors who support them. You could be a marketer or writer, not just a financial professional.

Q. Do we get any live interaction with you and other students?

A.  Yes, you can schedule a one-on-one phone consultation for me after you’ve registered and introduced yourself on the private website for the class. I have also scheduled three live conference calls for Feb. 2, Feb. 9, and Feb. 23 at 1 p.m. Eastern. These calls will focus on your comments and questions. They will be recorded in case you can’t attend “live.”

Q. Why is the class limited to 16 students?

A. You’ll learn more when you get the personal attention that comes with a small class. You’ll have plenty of opportunities to ask questions during our group telephone calls. Plus, you’ll get written feedback on your homework assignments.

Q. Is this a webinar?

A. No, it’s a relatively low-tech approach combining audio files, handouts, and a private website. Students told me they enjoyed not being tied to their computer during the lecture part of the class. This reinforced my instinct to keep the technology simple. You will have opportunities for interaction on the private website as well as in the three conference calls and a one-on-one phone consultation near the beginning of the class.

Q. How are classes taught?

A. Each of the classes consists of a recorded audio file (.mp3 format) and a handout (.pdf or Word file) for you to print or view on-screen, complemented by homework assignments and discussion posted to a private website. You’ll download these files from the private website, and then review the lesson at your convenience. You will post your homework assignment and any questions to the private website. You will receive my individualized feedback through the website.

Q. What do students say about your class?

A. Please read What students say about “How to Write Blog Posts People Will Read.” You’ll also find a brief selection of testimonials if you scroll down the registration form.

Register TODAY to learn a step-by-step process to

• Generate and refine ideas for blog posts that will engage your readers
• Organize your thoughts before you write, so you can write more quickly and effectively
• Edit your writing, so it’s reader-friendly and appealing

Updated Jan. 22, 2012

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Google Analytics revealed my most popular blog posts of 2011. Wordle.net created the image of the most popular words in this top 10 post. Enjoy!

1. Writing resources for equity research analysts–There are some specialized resources for analysts.
2. My fill-in-the-blanks approach for structuring articles–Bloggers can use this powerful technique to quickly produce a post.
3. Career strategies for wealth managers without a book of business–My CFA charterholder colleagues contributed valuable advice to this article.
4. White paper marketing: Walk a fine line–There are three key characteristics of white papers.
5. Quick check for writers, with an economic commentary example–An easy-to-use technique for checking whether your writing is easy to read.
   

   Image created using Wordle.com

6. The 10-postcard approach to financial advisor marketing
   
7. Mark Tibergien’s one thing for financial advisors’ business improvement
8. Best practices for institutional asset manager websites
9. Financial advisor prescription by Statman evokes strong response
10. Mind mapping technology for financial advisors

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I imagine a group blog run by financial advisors would face several challenges in producing interesting, high quality blog posts on a regular schedule.

Image: HikingArtist.com

These include the following:

• Coming up with mutually agreeable topics for blog posts
• Setting a schedule for publishing blog posts
• Getting posts written, edited, and approved

I have ideas about how to tackle the challenges.

Brainstorm as a group

Need topics that will satisfy your group as a whole? Try brainstorming topics in a meeting with the other blog contributors.

By the way, I’m assuming you need to satisfy the group because you’re blogging with other employees of your firm. If not, agreement may not be necessary, but group discussion is still a spur to creativity.

Create an editorial calendar

It’s easier for your team’s writers to contribute regularly if they have a schedule.

Here’s a sample editorial calendar for a group blog:

Notice how subject areas repeat on a regular schedule, making it easy for writers to know when their posts will run. Once they know that, they should be able to calculate dates by which their first drafts are due.

Create a process

You don’t want contributors to turn in their posts at the last minute. This is why you need a well-defined process with due dates. The process might include the following steps.

1. Submission of first draft for content review and proofreading
2. Rewriting, if necessary
3. Compliance review
4. Rewriting, if necessary
5. Publication on blog
6. Monitoring and responding to comments

Other tips for group blogs?

Please share your best tips for managing group blogs. I also welcome your questions.

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I’m thankful for the knowledgeable and talented professionals who have contributed guest posts to my blog this year.

Here’s a list of guest posts sorted by topic, including client communications, marketing, social media, and writing.

Client communications

• Math and the Gender Gap: Does it affect financial planning? by Laura Laing
• Why use a mind map with clients? by Alex Murguia

Marketing

• Articles You Publish in Financial Trade Publications Will Impress Prospects by Beth Chapman
• Blogging: why you want a better bounce rate by Tom Mangan
• Creating Pitch Books Without Losing Your Mind: Design and Content Management Tips by Margaret Patterson
• Easy SEO: How to Really Get Found on the Internet by Steve Tannuzzo
• Personalized Risk Management Planning–A Great New Business Opportunity by Michael T. Carpenter

Writing

• The ABCs of Creative Capital Rights by Wendy J. Cook
• Doctoring the Books – The Right Way by Laura Matthews
• A Magazine Editor’s Top Tips for Improving Advisors’ Writing by Ryun Patterson
• Subject Lines: Are you reading this? by Kristin Harad
• Using Clause Analysis to Fix Your Complex Sentences by Joe Croscup
• Using Story Telling to Educate Clients and Prospects by Chuck Rylant

Other financial topics

• What about China? by Annie Logue

I also hosted some wonderful guest bloggers last year. See “Guest bloggers: 2010 in review.”

This post was updated on Dec. 28, 2011.

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You want your posts to rank high in Internet searches.

Photo: artzubi

However, search engines don’t start exploring every new blog as soon as it’s created. Luckily, you can speed up this process by bringing your blog – not individual posts – to the attention of search engines.

There’s a one-time process to accomplish this. You submit a request for each search engine to index your blog. There’s no guarantee they’ll comply immediately, but your index request is likely to accelerate the process.

For instructions on how to get your blog – or any website – indexed, go directly to the search engine that interests you and check out ProBlogger.com’s 5 Ways to Get Your Blog Indexed by Google in 24 Hours.

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I have a solution if you

• Face a “use it or lose it” dilemma with your 2011 training budget
• Wish to boost your 2011 tax deductions for business or educational expenses
• Would enjoy buying a present now to unwrap in 2012–a present that will jump-start progress on 2012 New Year’s resolutions

Sign up now for the next session of “How to Write Blog Posts People Will Read: A 5-Lesson Class for Financial Advisors.” You’ll pay the discounted Early Bird Rate for the class starting on January 25, 2012.

You will learn how to

• Generate and refine ideas for blog posts that will engage your readers
• Organize your thoughts before you write, so you can write more quickly and effectively
• Edit your writing, so it’s reader-friendly and appealing

When you participate fully in this class, you’ll end up with one polished blog post–and a process you can follow to generate many more. Click here to learn more!

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Receive a free 32-page e-book with client communications tips when you sign up for my free monthly newsletter. 

Don’t flunk one of the most important tests for financial bloggers. Learn to write reader-focused posts by viewing the recording of my November 16 webinar.

Harnessing the power of “you, the reader” will boost your readership. In this webinar, you’ll learn how to analyze your readers and their WIIFM (what’s in it for me) as well as an easy-to-follow formula for outlining blog posts that snare readers. The average reader spends only 96 seconds reading a blog post, according to ProBlogger. If you want your readers to stick around, watch this webinar!

If you already viewed my blogging webinar…

…you’ll notice that I’ve posted on blogging-related topics since then. I’m gradually addressing some of the questions you posed during and after my presentation, starting with “5 tips for picking powerful blog post topics.”

Thank you, viewers!

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