Alternate short and long blog posts?

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Some bloggers have made their reputations by writing long, thoughtful posts. Their only problem? They’d like to post more frequently, but long posts take too much time.

“Is it okay to alternate short and long posts?” That’s the question one of them asked.

There’s no law against it. Blog posts can run any length. However, if you’re known for in-depth posts, I like the idea of managing readers’ expectations by telling them that you’re alternating short and long posts. The folks who enjoy the long ones will know when to visit your blog. You may pick up new readers with short attention spans with your alternate posts.

If the contrast between your short and long posts isn’t great, you don’t need to say anything. The length of my posts varies greatly, but I haven’t remarked on that until today.

Image courtesy of Grant Cochrane / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

My blogging class students’ blogs

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The students in my blogging classes inspired me to write my forthcoming book teaching advisors how to write blog posts that attract clients. To thank them, I invited past participants to share information about their blogs. This post is the result.

Bloggers in alphabetical order by last name

 

Vernon Budinger
Latin America Structured Finance Advisors, LLC

Website: Latin America Structured Finance Advisors, LLC

Featured post: At What Height Does A Seawall Protect From A Tsunami?

 

 

John Christianson
Highland Private Wealth Management

Blog: Wealth Clarity Blog

Featured post: Why Courage is Important to a Life Fully Lived—I chose this post because of my growing interest in writing about the intersection of money and abundant life, or what I’m calling living fully.

 

 

Sheri Iannetta Cupo, CFP®, Founding Principal
Sage Advisory Group, LLC

Blog: Sage Broadview Blog

Featured post: Financial Life Planning: The Astounding Benefits of Gratitude—I personally went through a lot in 2008 and I used what I learned to change me—and to change the direction of my firm. Although always holistic in our approach, we now have a much bigger focus on the LIFE in Financial LIFE Planning. And I have learned to make more room in my day for gratitude, meditation and more time with my family.

 

Cathy Curtis
Curtis Financial

Blog: Of Independent Means

Featured post: Getting Comfortable With The Uncomfortable—I like this post because it is short! And I think the analogy with CrossFit and Investing works well. I wanted to appeal to my  target market….savvy women and lots of them are doing work-outs such as CrossFit.

 

William L. Gaul

Blogs: TCI Blog and Just Getting Started, his personal blog

Featured post: Getting To “Why” At Work And Life—I find writers are effective when they are vulnerable; you have to be willing to share about yourself in order for clients to feel comfortable with you. This post captures as much about me as it does my skills as an advisor.

 

Bonnie B. Hartley, President
Transition Dynamics, Inc

Blog: Zoom Out Blog (also available on Flipboard for iPhones and iPads at http://flip.it/Hc3qO)

Featured post: Contingency Planning: Keeping the rug firmly under your family’s feet

 

Eve Kaplan, CFP® Practitioner

Blog: Kaplan Financial Advisors

Featured post: Downtown Abbey Financial Lessons—It’s often hard to make personal finance blogs interesting or compelling—it helps if the public is engaged in something “fun”—hence my light piece on “Downton Abbey Financial Lessons.” It had excellent traffic—4,300 views (approx. 5-10x the normal number).

 

Helen Lambiase
Boomers, Markets & Money

Blog: Boomers, Markets & Money

Featured post: A Critical Step in Preparing for Retirement—I chose this post because it touches on some of the major goals I am trying to achieve with this blog:

                • Share the “pent-up” wisdom of Baby Boomers
                • This generation feels tremendous anxiety regarding retirement. Reasons for this stress include the volatility of financial markets in recent years and the struggling economy.  I focused on aspects of retirement planning we can control; saving and organizing.
                • I am striving to use as many of my own images as possible to engage the reader.  At the same time, I aim to provide good quality information that people can digest quickly.

 

Sara Stanich, CFP, CDFA
Raymond James Financial Services, Member FINRA/SIPC

Blog: Cultivating Wealth

Featured post: How We Saved $50,000 Per Year has been my most popular post.  I didn’t write it with SEO in mind, but apparently people are searching the term “how to save 50000” every day.  Although my blog isn’t about budgeting or money-saving tips, the article is pretty personal and I think really helps potential clients connect to me.  My core clients are high income NYC couples with young families, and they can relate to this!

 

Tracy B. Stewart, CPA, PFS, CFF CDFA, CFP

Blog: Divorce & Money 

Featured post: The Number: How Much Spousal Support to Seek?

 

 

 

Roger P. Whitney, CFP®, CIMA®, CPWA®, AIF® 
Partner, WWK Wealth Advisors

Blog: WWK Wealth

Featured post: Budgeting Made Easy—This was my first attempt at a pictograph and many clients and contacts have mentioned it to me as one of their favorites.

 

 

James E. Wilson, CFP®
J.E. Wilson Advisors, LLC

Blog: J.E. Wilson Advisors

Featured post: The 5 Things Successful Investors Know—I chose this post because it is a good summary of characteristics successful investors exhibit.

 

Thank you!

I’m grateful for the contributions of all of my students. That means the men and women listed above, plus those who remain anonymous.

 


 

Simple tip for boosting your guest posts’ effectiveness

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Guest blog posts are a great way to expand your network. This tip will help you get more mileage out of your appearances on other people’s blogs.

Photo: BrittneyBush

When you guest-blog, ask your host to insert your headshot photo, byline, and brief bio into the post. Without this information, your readers may not notice that the host is not the author of your post.

I know this because a friend of mine was a guest blogger. However, at first I attributed his opinions to his host. I finally caught on after the friend tweeted his authorship. Don’t let this happen to you!

I follow my own guidelines when I host guests on my blog. I also introduce them briefly. You can see examples by clicking on the many links in “Guest bloggers: 2011 in review.”

I’m mulling over another insertion: the guest blogger’s Twitter handle. I like how Mridu Khullar Relph included @SandraBeckwith in the byline for “Platform Building for Non-Fiction Writers.”

Unsure about how to find guest-blogging opportunities?

You can learn how to find guest-blogging opportunities from my blog posts on “How to guest-blog on personal finance or investments, Part I: Your approach” and “Part II: Blogs that accept guest posts from financial advisors.”

P.S. Why I’m no longer labeling guest posts as “guest posts”

I used to put “guest post” in titles of the posts other people wrote for me. However, I’ve stopped doing that after reading “Why Blogs that Allow Guest Posts Will Be Penalized in 2013” on the ProBlogger blog. The gist of that post seems to be that blogs that abuse guest posts as part of the authors’ attempts to raise their rank in searches will be penalized by Google in 2013.

I think I’m in good shape because none of my guest bloggers are inserting keywords or links solely to boost their Google rankings. However, the first tip of the ProBlogger post was “1. Stop telling people it’s a guest post.” I figured that was a small step worth taking.

Boost your blog with original photos: The SAGE Advisory example

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Visual appeal is part of what draws readers to your blog posts. Photos can make your blog stand out, especially when you go beyond stock photography. Sheri Iannetta Cupo of SAGE Advisory Group works with a photographer to locate and create photos tailored to individual blog posts. This seems unusual for a three-advisor firm, so I interviewed Cupo by email to learn more about how she works on the SAGE blog with Wendy Vissar, a former photojournalist who holds a MFA in electronic art.

Why work with a photographer?

Some blogs don’t bother with images, but Cupo knew that wasn’t for her. “I am a visual person, very drawn to images when I read, so I wanted images for my blog postings,” she said.

Cupo wanted images that would stand out from the stock photos that pop up everywhere. “I generally dislike stock photos (here is the happy gorgeous family eating at home, here is the happy gorgeous family having fun together…) so I wanted custom images.”

How the process works

The path to image creation for the SAGE blog starts several weeks prior to publication, when the draft blog post is uploaded to Dropbox, a file sharing service. This is the cue for Vissar to create one to three images based on the post, and then upload them to Dropbox. Vissar says, “I would call what I do photo illustration. I’ve been using Adobe Photoshop, probably since it came out.” If someone wants an image she can’t shoot, she’ll take a stock photo and customize it.

The next step is for Cupo, Vissar, and editorial consultant Wendy Cook to vote for the best image. “We generally all agree on which we like best,” says Cupo.  “Wendy gets SAGE so well I have never had to ask her to go back and try again.”

Benefits of working with a photographer

As Cupo sees it, “Wendy Vissar’s images do an awesome job complementing our words and perhaps draw attention to our blog that we may not otherwise get. A big added bonus is that she also creates and uploads the entire posting with image each week to WordPress.  That’s a big time saver for me.”

Finding a photographer

Cupo found Vissar almost literally in her own backyard. Vissar is her neighbor. In addition, “We have used Wendy before for SAGE website photos and for family photos so using Wendy was an easy decision.  She is the only photographer who has EVER captured my Dad smiling in a photo!”

If you don’t already know a photographer, try asking around and looking at their work. “They have to understand the vibe you are going for on your blog,” says Cupo. “They need to get ‘you’ so that their images complement your work and your company.  Otherwise you spend money for images you won’t use.”

If you like what you see of Vissar’s work, you can contact her at wendyvissar@yahoo.com.

When your blog demands a photo of a public figure

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Use photos carefully in your blog posts. You must respect the photographer’s copyright. You can’t simply grab and post any photo you find on the Internet. This is particularly challenging for bloggers who refer to celebrities or other public figures. It’s not as if you can run out to snap your own photo of such a person.

Respect copyright law

I’ve been surprised to find financial advisors who have copy-pasted photographs from newspapers or magazines into their blogs. This is not legal, not even if you credit the source. For a quick overview of the issues, read the Lifehacker post on “The Best Ways to Be Sure You’re Using Online Photos Legally.”

Wikimedia Commons: A helpful resource

Wikimedia Commons is a free source of photos and other images, which can be used as specified by the photographer . I’ve found it particularly useful when I needed a photo of a national figure, such as Warren Buffett or Woody Allen.

Here’s how Wikimedia Commons describes itself: “Wikimedia Commons is a media file repository making available public domain and freely-licensed educational media content (images, sound and video clips) to everyone, in their own language.”

To find the image you seek, simply input the name into the search box in the upper right-hand corner of the Wikimedia Commons site. For example, here is part of the image you’ll see if you input “Warren Buffett.”

Each image has terms specified for its reuse. Be sure to read Wikimedia’s explanation of the terms for reuse.

Can mediocre blogs succeed?

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“…Mediocre marketing with commitment works better than brilliant marketing without commitment,” says Jay Conrad Levinson, as quoted in C.J. Hayden’s Get Clients Now! The idea is that marketing on a regular basis is more likely to succeed than a rare but great form of outreach. After all, steady activity makes it likely that your name will appear in front of prospects when they’re finally ready to act.

How does this apply to blogs? Again, posting regularly is key. It would be great if every blog post boasted originality, helpful insights, personal passion, and excellent writing. Few people can hit each of those targets with every post. Despite my love of writing, I believe that your insights and passion are more likely to distinguish you.

If you post consistently, then when readers have questions in your area of expertise, they may seek you out.

Of course, if your idea of posting consistently is to blog once every three months, I doubt that’ll deliver much marketing punch for you. However, if that’s realistically how often you can write original content, then I suggest you turn your piece into a newsletter that you make available on your website and circulate via social media. You may do better as a content curator—a person who shares other people’s content, ideally while adding their own insights—than as a content creator.

How often is often enough to blog? Consider what your readers want and what you can deliver, as I discussed in “Three tips for how often to publish your newsletter.”

What do you think about the trade-off between consistency and mediocrity? Please share.

Image courtesy of imagerymajestic / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Top five posts from the first quarter of 2013

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In case you missed them, here are the top five posts from the Investment Writing blog during the first quarter of 2013.

As I mull over what made them popular, I notice that #1 is a quirky, personal piece that seems unlikely to be found via online search. Perhaps the title, which defies expectations, is what drew readers.

My CFA Institute Wealth Management post, #3, benefited from being highlighted in the CFA Institute’s social media coverage and my conference Twitter feed.

The other three top draws offer marketing tips, which always draw well. I’m sure it helps that Steve Wershing is a well respected author on the topic of referrals for financial advisors.

  1. Why I’m lucky clients didn’t flock to me
  2. Marketing tips from referral expert Steve Wershing
  3. CFA Institute Wealth Management Conference 2013 notes
  4. Learn what works in winning clients
  5. Outlook Social Connector: A cool email helper

Momentum Tricks for Bloggers

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Everyone struggles to keep up with their blogging. It’s not only a problem for financial advisors, investment professionals, and the folks who support them. Writers grapple with this problem, too.

Below my friend Laura Laing shares some of her tricks for keeping her momentum going, including picking themes in advance, working on her blog on specific days, and having extra material so she can take breaks from generating new ideas. Laura and I welcome any suggestions you may have for managing this challenge.

Momentum Tricks for Bloggers

by Laura Laing

 

Launching a blog is exciting. Keeping a blog going can be exhausting Every single blogger in the history of blogging has asked, “How can I keep going? Should I keep going?”

 

And I’m no different So I’ve built up an arsenal of tools to help keep me interested. When I’m interested, I keep writing and posting.

 

— I post three times a week — usually Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

 

— Mondays are usually an interview with someone about how they use math in their work. This is a quick-and-dirty post based on an email interview. I try to get ahead on these, but even if they’re last minute, I can usually pull something together PDQ. They are also my most viewed posts of the week, typically — because the person being interviewed often helps promote them.

 

— Each month is centered on a theme. This way, I can set a monthly editorial calendar. I develop this during the previous month, but my plan is to have an entire year in place, so that I can work ahead or at least gather great ideas and plug in guest posts.

 

— Currently, I’m planning a new weekly schedule for admin and writing. On Fridays, I load my Monday post (an interview usually). On Tuesday mornings (my admin time), I write Wednesday and Friday posts. Eventually, I’d like to get ahead.

 

— I take breaks from blogging. These aren’t scheduled at the moment — in fact I’m currently on an unscheduled break, as I try to recover from a really challenging work schedule in January and February — but I am looking at ways to do that. So far, I’ve just gotten burned out and stop posting for about 10 days or so. It’s not the best thing, but it is incredibly helpful for inspiration. When I get back from my break, I’m usually raring to go.

 

— I have back-pocket posts for when the well is dry. For example, there’s a crazy web video series about a mathletes team. I know that when I’m really uninspired (or exhausted or overworked), I can simply write up a quick intro and link to two or three of these episodes. They don’t drive a lot of traffic, but they keep me posting.

 

When I have a sense of what is coming, I’m able to really focus creatively. One great benefit of my blog is that I can write about things that no one wants to pay me for. I can also try out ideas (that may become paying gigs), and I answer questions that folks have.

 

Laura Laing is the author of Math for Grownups and blogs at http://www.mathforgrownups.com. Yes, she writes about math, so you can count on one thing: if she can stay motivated, so can you. Her next book, Math for Writers, is coming out later this year.

Blogging lessons from the New York Times’ public editor

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When she started her job, Margaret Sullivan, public editor of The New York Times, set herself three goals that can also apply to advisors who blog for their firms:

  1. Put readers first.
  2. Encourage conversation.
  3. Promote transparency and understanding.

The goals need some tweaking for advisors because, as Sullivan explains in “My Turn in Between the Readers and the Writers,” “…the public editor’s job is to serve as an in-house critic as well as the readers’ advocate in matters of journalistic integrity.” To make her goals relevant to advisors, I put my own spin on each of her three rules below.

1. Put readers first.

A blog that focuses only on boosting your firm and its ranking in Google and other search engines won’t do you much good. Readers who aren’t engaged by your content won’t stick around. They’re not likely to become clients either.

Your blog should focus on providing useful information on topics that your clients and prospects care about. Write in plain English so they can understand you.

2. Encourage conversation.

Sullivan starts her section on conversation by saying, “Journalism, these days, is no longer a one-way proposition, with celebrated news organizations handing down the news like Moses with his stone tablets.” Advisors aren’t Moses either. Plus, they can gain from listening to their readers.

Encouraging conversation is a tough one for many advisors. Concerns about compliance spur many advisors to turn off the comment feature on their blogs. But even without allowing comments, you can pose questions that invite people to contact you.

If your blog allows comments, that’s even better. Try to get a conversation going. It’s not just a matter of posing questions. When readers comment, you should show your respect for them by responding. At a minimum, say “Thank you.” It’s even better if you react to some aspect of what each person says.

3. Promote transparency and understanding.

Advisors are used to the idea of transparency of fees and the like. Transparency in a blog might mean taking a more personal approach to some topics. Perhaps you can reveal something about your life that makes your blog post topics important to you.

Image courtesy of David Castillo Dominici / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Guest post: Do longer articles really get shared more often?

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Which blog posts get shared the most? Everyone wants to know. So when I read that “longer articles tend to be shared far more often,” according to an article cited by “Content Marketing: Dance Like Nobody’s Looking,” I shared that quote on Facebook. I was delighted when Angelique Geehan responded with the thoughtful reply you’ll find below.

By the way, I think of this post as an example of the serendipity of Facebook. I would never have met Angelique without Facebook, where she followed her boss in becoming a fan of the Investment Writing Facebook page. We’ve had some great online exchanges since then.

Do longer articles really get shared more often?

by Angelique Geehan

I saw “longer articles tend to be shared far more often” and my immediate inner “Huh?!?” made it clear I had better stop and reconsider what I’ve been harping on my coworkers about.

I’ve been telling them to write shorter articles and posts. I’ve told them people don’t have time for long pieces regularly (which may still be true). I’ve forwarded them links to articles about getting mileage out of topics that require longer explanations by using the blog equivalent of chapters.

So the question you posed, Susan, about whether that takeaway agreed with my experience, was a reality check.

It didn’t take long for me to reflect and realize that I do tend to both “like” and share more longer articles than shorter ones. I do so when they are particularly meaningful on a personal level — when I perceive they might add to the discourse on their topic, either in ways I have not encountered before or in ways I think are so fundamental that (1) I would like my friends to read it so they can understand me better, or (2) we can continue the discussions in person when we do meet.

That said, it can take me a very long time to get to these longer articles. Some of them I open in a tab or send to myself in an email to read when I can spare the time. In contrast, I read and possibly “like” shorter pieces right away. And I know I read more short pieces than long ones, mostly through my RSS feed, Facebook shares, and email subscriptions. Often, the short pieces are what I’ll email to friends who are not active on social media or post links to directly into Facebook groups where the topic comes up. I’m also more likely to comment on a shorter post, because I might have a few thoughts or contributions in response, instead of a zillion to mull over and take with me for a week and into conversations. And I will have had time to comment before other tasks call.

For me, it isn’t as much about pure length as it is about how complete a piece is. Posts that are topic-based “101s” or introductions to something must usually be longer than newsy or single-point posts, but they can be the most useful to me for sharing. If I do manage to read a longer, atmospheric piece, one that has snared me from the beginning and kept me hooked … well … it has obviously made an impact and earned some of my loyalty. From there, the “share” is a natural consequence: something meaningful has an impact on me, and I want my friends to experience it, too.

Besides, using that button’s faster than taking scissors to newspaper, addressing and stamping an envelope, and waiting for delivery. And it goes to a few hundred folks without my ever having to go near a copy machine.

_________

Angelique Geehan is a Managing Director for Index Strategy Advisors, Inc. (ISA), a Houston-based Registered Investment Advisor that specializes in optimizing a range of investors’ portfolios using exchange-traded funds. She hopes one day to slay an elusive but persistent writer’s block that has been her poor excuse for not posting for ISA’s blog for a few (erm, ahem) weeks.