Pictures can supercharge your message: A grasshopper story

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People absorb messages better when words are complemented by an image. This is a rule that any writer can exploit.

Take my dinner at Casa Oaxaca on a Mexican vacation. It was a multi-course tasting menu, so I could gloss over the chapulines in the taquitos de jicama con  chapulines, quesillo y cuitlacoche. But then the dish captured in the photo to your right arrived.

Do you see the little antennae and the translucent wings?

I could no longer ignore the inclusion of toasted grasshoppers (chapulines) in my food. Good thing they were tasty!

Properly used, photos and other images add oomph to your written communications.

Tips for finding images

1. Look for the noun.

Finding an image is easy when you write about a concrete topic like grasshoppers. Simply search your favorite photo bank for your thing–the noun you’re writing about. Check my earlier blog post for free or low-cost photo sources.

2. Illustrate the adjective, verb or emotion.

What can you do when your subject is more abstract than grasshoppers?

I follow the advice of writer Erik Sherman:

Remember that none of your stories are about abstract topics. They are always tangible to someone. It might help to stop thinking about the topic – the noun – and focus on what people are doing – the verb – or what they’re feeling – the adjective. In a given investment story, someone is either making or losing money. It often happens in some industry, like real estate, high tech, or commodities. There may be regulatory aspects, in which case think about images that could represent regulation, like police holding a hand up to tell traffic to stop, a judge, Congress. The more tangible and simple you get about the topic, the easier it will be to think of a fitting image.

Financial blogger Chuck Rylant cracked this problem in his “Controversy Over Disappearing CalPERS Police Officer Retirement Benefits” blog post, which is no longer live. He illustrated the adjective “disappearing” instead of the difficult-to-depict noun, “retirement benefits.” Plus, the sinking ship in his illustration reinforced the message that the benefits are disappearing.

Can you add any tips for illustrating blog posts and other written communications?

Nov. 20, 2013 UPDATE: If you prefer original photos, read about the strategy used by advisor Sheri Iannetta Cupo. Aug. 15, 2016: I deleted some broken links.

Woody Allen’s wisdom for successful financial bloggers

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You’ve probably seen financial blogs that start strong, then disappear. They fail to achieve the investment or wealth management professional’s goal of connecting with clients, prospects, and referral sources.

As Woody Allen is reported to have said, “80 percent of success is showing up.”

Blog regularly and you’re bound to see results over the long run. Be patient.

Having trouble sticking to a schedule? You’ll find helpful tips on this blog. Here are some to get you started:

 

Note: This blog post was edited on June 10, 2012, when I corrected a mistake in the Woody Allen quote and then again on October 22, 2012, when I learned that he may not have said this after all. Later, I edited this post to add more related posts.

Image by Colin Swan CC BY-SA 2.0  via Wikimedia Commons

Blog comment guidelines for financial advisors: Russell Investments example

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Financial advisors, investment managers, and wealth managers worry about allowing comments on their corporate blogs. The wrong comment could land the blogging firm in trouble with the SEC or FINRA. Russell Investments offers a good example of how to handle this issue.

I imagine that Russell’s solution has three components, although only two are visible on its Helping Advisors blog.

If you allow comments on your financial or investment blog, are you using the three tactics I describe below?

1. Moderate comments.

When you enable comment moderation on your blog, no comments are visible to the general public until someone at your company approves them. This lets you vet problematic comments.

2. Provide “comment guidelines” for readers.

Transparency pays. You set more realistic expectations when you tell people that you won’t publish all comments and you share your guidelines. Russell does this nicely in “Comment Guidelines.” Their main points include the following:

  • Russell may not respond.
  • Stay on topic.
  • Avoid investment advice.
  • Be respectful.
  • We respect your privacy.

I also like that Russell gives readers the phone number to call with client service issues.

3. Establish internal guidelines and procedures.

I’m guessing that Russell Investments has set up internal guidelines for deciding the kind of comment to squash. The firm can’t anticipate every situation, so it needs to have a process for referring questions to the appropriate decisionmaker.

The firm also needs procedures to ensure that comments are moderated in a timely and consistent manner. This may be a drag on resources. I noticed on the blog’s “Don’t let the scarcity mentality hold you back,” that a reader commented on Feb. 23, but the firm did not reply until March 1, six days later. I can’t tell if the reader’s comment was also held for six days.

What else should advisors consider if they allow blog readers to leave comments?

Why financial bloggers should care about William and Kate

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Prince William and his bride-to-be are hot topics. Financial bloggers and other writers can use that to their advantage. Simply follow the example of LawyerMira‘s tweet, “Why William and Kate Should Sign a Prenup,” by inserting William and Kate into a tweet or blog post about your area of expertise.

When you put trendy topics in your headlines, you’ll attract more readers. Even better, otherwise indifferent readers may plow through your entire article or tweet.

For example, an article about “Why William and Kate Need a Financial Planner” may retain the interest of readers who otherwise would never read about financial planning. You could perform a public service by using William and Kate as an example.

However, as I mentioned in “SEO: What’s right for your financial blog” and “Two views: ‘Why Wasatch Writes White Papers,” you should deliver on the promise of your title. Don’t simply seek eyeballs at any cost.

Have you seen any good “William and Kate” titles related to investments, wealth management, or financial planning?

Please note the titles in the comments. Also, feel free to suggest a “William and Kate” title you’d like to read. I can imagine all sorts of riffs on “Why William and Kate…”

SEO: What’s right for your financial blog?

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SEO–search engine optimization–can help prospects for your investment or wealth management firm find your blog. That’s good. But taken to an extreme, SEO can sabotage your business development. This is what Claire Cain Miller’s “Web Words That Lure the Readers” in The New York Times (Feb. 11, 2011) made me ponder.

SEO that goes too far

Miller describes SEO gone wild. There are online articles that use “a wide range of behind-the-scenes tactics for getting search engine users to visit a Web site, like choosing story topics based on popular searches,” as Miller states. Additional strategies include “filling articles with keywords that people might search for, writing teaser headlines that people cannot help but click on and including copious links to other stories on the same site,” says Miller.

Taken to extremes, these tactics result in highly ranked articles with little useful content. This is not a good strategy for bloggers like you who want to develop relationships with readers. These articles repel readers. When an audience doesn’t find what it expects on a blog, it’s not likely to explore or revisit the site. This is no way to start a relationship that leads to new clients for your advisory business.

Use SEO in moderation

I’m not suggesting you ignore SEO tactics. In fact, they’re good in moderation. That’s how I use them.

Blogger Russell Dunkin has done a nice job of using celebrity names to attract readers to his firm’s blog. Here’s what differentiates him from the tricksters I discussed above: He provides meaningful content in posts such as “Jim Cramer is a clown” and “What do hot waitresses, dead cats, and Paris Hilton have in common?”

I like the suggestion of a Google engineer quoted by Miller. “…don’t chase after Google’s algorithm, chase after your best interpretation of what users want, because that’s what Google’s chasing after,” says Matt Cutts.

Social media may beat SEO as a tool

Promoting your content via social media sites such as Twitter or Facebook may be more effective than SEO, suggests Miller. SEO alone won’t make your blog post go viral on Twitter. “…the best way to get links on Twitter is to write a story people want to share with friends,” says Miller. Folks who share your posts may also refer you or become your clients.

How important is SEO to YOUR blogging strategy? What has worked for you?

Social media lessons from the top nine Investment Writing posts for 2010

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LinkedIn and Facebook are powerful.

The 2010 analytics on my blog made me appreciate the power of social media more than ever.

The influence of LinkedIn revealed itself in my most popular blog posts of 2010. These posts ranked high because they attracted attention in LinkedIn groups. “LinkedIn Groups Help Blog Posts Soar,” my guest post on the American Society of Business Publication Editors blog, discusses this phenomenon. I’d like to thank all of the LinkedIn members–and other visitors–who took the time to visit, forward, and comment on my blog posts.

As for Facebook, it has become a top five source of referrals to my blog. This is true even though I only launched the Investment Writing Facebook page partway through the year. Twitter didn’t rank as high as I expected on this count.

I also saw some themes in my most popular content. Top posts addressed marketing, social media, writing, and opinions of leading financial experts.

My blog’s nine most popular posts during 2010

  1. Notable quotes from the CFA Institute’s emerging markets conference
  2. My five favorite reference books for writers
  3. ISI’s Straszheim: China’s interest rate hike is “tapping the brakes”
  4. FINRA/SEC compliance guidance for bloggers
  5. “CFA credential implies a standard of care not always upheld,” says Forbes magazine opinion piece
  6. LinkedIn’s fatal flaw for financial advisor compliance
  7. Great blog posts don’t matter…
  8. “Has housing bottomed out?”–Karl Case and others on the U.S. housing market
  9. Reader challenge: What’s the writing lesson from Physicians Mutual?

Why top nine?

You may wonder why I’ve listed my top nine posts instead of the top 10.

It’s not because I’m ornery. I figured I might pique your attention with an odd-numbered list. Did I succeed?

Guest bloggers: 2010 in review

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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

Five Tips for Delivering Bad News to Clients by Kathleen Burns Kingsbury
Talking to clients about social investing by Annie Logue

Marketing

Adding Video into the Communications Mix by Samantha Allen
The Lost Art of the Thank You Card by Suzanne Muusers
My Six Best Marketing Tips for Independent Advisors by Steve Lyons
What’s a tomato got to do with getting your fund discovered? by Dan Sondhelm
Would you like to know how financial advisors are choosing products and making investment decisions in this market? by Lisa Cohen

Social media

Be Compliant When Using LinkedIn Messages by Bill Winterberg
Financial Advisors and Twitter by Roger Wohlner
Generate Quality, Low Cost Leads with Facebook Ads by Kristin Harad
How Seeking Alpha Can Build Your Professional Reputation by Geoff Considine
Investment analysts and social media by Pat Allen

Writing

Correct Grammar Errors in Your Writing Quickly and Easily by Linda Aragoni
Making Research Readable by Joe Polidoro

Guest blogger guidelines for the Investment Writing blog

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Guest bloggers have made some great contributions to my Investment Writing blog. Guest posts are welcome, but must meet the following requirements to be considered for publication.

1.  Relevance – Please propose a topic that shows you’re familiar with the Investment Writing blog and our readers. Don’t expect me to come up with a topic for you.

2.  Clear writing – Guest contributions must be reasonably well-written. They may be edited for clarity.

3.  Brevity – Ideal length is 250-400 words. Longer posts may be considered.

4.  Ease of posting – Once your post is accepted for publication, please provide a version in Microsoft Word (no fancy formatting, please, because it won’t carry over) or HTML  along with a head shot photo, so it can be easily posted in the desired format.

5.  Author’s credentials – Explain why you are qualified to write on this topic. Also, provide a two-sentence bio that will run with your guest post, if it is accepted. You may include a link to your website or blog in your bio. After I accept your post, I would like to receive a headshot photo from you.

Questions? Please post them in the Comments below.

Blogging buddies: Financial bloggers’ secret weapons

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A blogging buddy could save your blog.

You probably know a financial planner, investment manager, or wealth manager whose blog started off strong, only to peter away after a few months. If you work well with a coach or other outsiders holding you accountable, a blogging buddy can keep you on track.

How it works: Buddies 101

You and your blogging buddy set goals. For example, your goal could be to post weekly to your blog or to draft at least five posts per month.

Next, you schedule regular check-ins with your buddy to report on your progress. You can communicate by phone, email, or whatever works for you.

Often this accountability is enough to keep bloggers on schedule. If it’s not, you can schedule brainstorming phone calls or meetings to break through your roadblocks. Sometimes talking about a problem will help you find a solution.

Taking it to the next level: Buddies 201

Advanced-level buddies give you feedback on your drafts in addition to holding you accountable.

Your buddy’s value depends on their expertise. A fellow financial professional can critique the accuracy of your content. A referral source or prospect can assess how effectively your content communicates their WIIFM (what’s in it for me). A good editor can tweak your grammar, punctuation, and writing style. If you’re lucky, you’ll find all of these skills in one person.

Potential buddy bonus

Find the right buddy, and you may gain a guest blogger in addition to accountability and editorial input. Blog posts from a non-competing financial advisor can relieve the grind of producing compelling posts week after week. The same thing goes for blog posts from professionals in allied fields. In fact, they can even draw more traffic to your blog.

Leave a comment below if you’re a financial planning, investment management, or wealth management professional who seeks a blogging buddy. Perhaps you’ll find a buddy among those who comment.

Image courtesy of Kevin Dooley via flickr

Effective writing and blogging is faster with a plan

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Effective writing takes time. This is true even for short pieces such as blog posts. So don’t beat yourself up if you feel as if you’re rowing upstream instead of kicking up wake as you speed ahead.

It took me slightly less than an hour to type, input, and proofread “Poll: “Investable” or “investible”–which spelling is correct?” my Sept. 7 blog post. That’s fast. At least for me.

I was able to write this quickly because I had a plan, which included:

  1. Clearly defining my topic as “Which spelling is correct?”
  2. Knowing where I’d do my research–I would pull references off my bookcase and do Google searches
  3. Having a structure in mind: First, the case for one spelling, then the case for the other spelling, and finally asking for readers’ opinions–This structure would work no matter what my research showed

These tips also helped me to create 31 posts for my May 2010 Blogathon. I posted daily to my blog for an entire month, including a 10-day vacation.

What plan do YOU use to speed up your writing or blogging? If you lack a plan, then sign up for “How to Write Blog Posts People Will Read.” You’ll learn a powerful process for writing blog posts.