Top posts from second quarter 2014

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Did you miss something? Below you’ll find a list of my most popular blog posts from last quarter, as measured by Google Analytics.

Posts with a personal story often do well, as with my #1 post about my bad experience with LinkedIn, and my #10 confessions post. I noticed that my e-newsletter with the “Ouch, LinkedIn” subject line also pulled more readers than usual. Some titles and subject lines are more powerful than others.

The #2 post surprised me. I didn’t think this post would do as well as it did. I think the practicality of the “20 topics for your financial blog” appealed to many.

Posts featuring outside experts did well. They’re highlighted with red text below.

  1. Ouch, LinkedIn, why did you do that to me?
  2. 20 topics for your financial blog
  3. Top problems in asset management firms’ blog posts
  4. Blogging Q&A with advisor Lazetta Rainey Braxton
  5. Blogging Q&A with advisor Richard Rosso
  6. How to live-tweet a financial conference
  7. Three Decisions You Need to Make Before Setting Up Your New Blog <–Guest post by Elizabeth Kricfalusi
  8. Key Steps in Writing a Research Report <–Guest post by Tom Brakke
  9. Simple language helps your readers, even when they understand technical terms
  10. Confessions of a lousy writer—and 6 tips for you

 

Top posts from the first quarter of 2014

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Did you miss something? Below you’ll find a list of my most popular blog posts from last quarter, as measured by Google Analytics.

Since I wrote “Your call-to-action choice makes a difference” I’ve tinkered with the call to action on my blog, moving my newsletter CTA box back to the upper right-hand corner of my website. I think the move has helped, but the results aren’t conclusive.

 

  1. Email lessons adapted from Hootsuite’s CEO
  2. Your call-to-action choice makes a difference
  3. Tackling Vitriol in Your Digital Spaces <–Guest post by Blane Warrene
  4. 5 Secrets to Finding the Best Virtual Assistant to Streamline Your Financial Advisor Blog <–Guest post by Kathy Goughenor
  5. Don’t sabotage your website’s news page

Top problems in asset management firms’ blog posts

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Investment management firms are joining the blogosphere, but they’re off to a rocky start. Here are some mistakes that I’ve seen as I’ve sampled asset managers’ blog posts.

Mistake 1: Failing to adapt materials written for other media

Materials written for other media don’t transfer well to blogs. For example, I’m thinking about traditional market commentaries and position papers. Many of these commit the mistakes I list below.

The solution? Break your traditional materials into chunks and edit them to make them more reader friendly.

Mistake 2: Poor skimmability

Everybody skims content in these days of information overload. If you present big uninterrupted blocks of text without headings you’ll scare away readers who can’t quickly assess your content’s relevance.

To reel in readers, use informative headings. For example, don’t just write “Bond Market,” but share specific information. Perhaps something like “Convertibles attractive as Fed tapers.” or “Avoid this sector as Fed tapers.”

To enhance the skimmability of your posts, write short paragraphs.

Mistake 3: Excessive formality

The blogosphere is an informal place. Writers typically use “I” and address their readers as “you.” They also shun formal words and writing styles.

Asset managers, your blog is a great place to loosen up your writing style.

What do YOU think?

What are asset managers doing on their blogs that you like or dislike? I’m curious to hear your opinion.

If you’d like more guidance on writing blog posts, check out my book, Financial Blogging: How to Write Powerful Posts That Attract Clients.

Seven tips for slogging through blogging: Lessons from the Blogathon

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“How can I force myself to blog regularly?”

The investment and wealth managers in my blogging classes often ask this question. I grappled with this challenge during the 2010 Word Count Blogathon, for which I committed to post daily. And now I’m participating in the 2014 Blogathon. So this is a good time for me to share tips with you.

Tip 1: “Set it and forget it.” Most blogging platforms allow you to schedule blog posts in advance. This potentially lets you put your blog on auto-pilot when you’re busy. During the 2010 Blogathon I learned how to take automation one step further. I set HootSuite to tweet my blog posts without human intervention.

Tip 2: Blog when the spirit moves you, whether or not your schedule requires you to post. It’s much easier for me to blog when I’m in the mood. On a good day I can push out three or more blog posts. To help me write regardless of location, I always carry a spiral-bound notebook or pad of paper. It’s worthwhile jotting down blog ideas, not only full-fledged posts. It’s much easier to blog when you don’t face a blank PC screen or piece of paper.

Tip 3: Write posts that are “evergreen” or tied to a future event, so you’ll have material to post when you’re too busy to write. “Evergreen” articles aren’t time-sensitive. Like a pine tree, they don’t lose their attractiveness with the changing of the seasons.

When I participated in the May 2010 Blogathon, I scheduled a bunch of evergreens to run between May 16 and May 31, when I was distracted by attending the CFA Institute’s annual conference and going on vacation out West.

Blog posts tied to events such as the April 15 tax deadline or the August-September “back to school” season aren’t evergreen. But they can be written and scheduled long before a timely date for posting.

Tip 4: Keep it short. Short blog posts are okay. Just pick one point and explain it. This is how I dealt with Jeremy Grantham’s wide-ranging presentation to the CFA Institute’s annual conference. Having trouble writing economically about your topic? Slice it narrower.

Tip 5: React to online articles or blog posts. Notice when you have strong feelings upon reading something. Your passion makes it easier for you to jot down a quick blog post that links to the original article. Links spare you the need to describe the other author’s position in detail. However, it’s kind to your reader to briefly summarize what sparked your blog post.

Tip 6: Hire someone to type your blog posts if you dictate or write your drafts on paper. I drafted this post on a plane to Las Vegas. Later I scanned it for my virtual assistant to type. Or follow the suggestion that Bill Winterberg of the FPPad blog gives in the comments below.

Tip 7: Update and republish old blog posts. I originally published this post in 2010. However, with a few tweaks, it’s relevant again in 2014.

 

For more tips on blogging, check out my book, Financial Blogging: How to Write Powerful Posts That Attract Clients.

Blogging Q&A with David Merkel of Aleph Blog

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I met investment manager David Merkel when he contacted me about speaking to Baltimore’s CFA Society. I’ve noticed that his Aleph Blog posts frequently get picked up in investment blogs’ roundups, including Tadas Viskanta’s Abnormal Returns. Having met many people who blog in the hope of attracting clients, I was intrigued by David’s statement on his blog that “…though David runs Aleph Investments, LLC, this blog is not a part of that business. This blog exists to educate investors, and give something back. It is not intended as advertisement for Aleph Investments; David is not soliciting business through it.” This is a good reminder that advisors blog for many reasons.

By the way, David was a wonderful host for my presentation earlier this year. He has also reviewed my book on his blog.

This Q&A is part of a series that started with Michael Kitces.

Q. When did you start The Aleph Blog and why do you explicitly state that it’s separate from Aleph Investments?

A. I started Aleph Blog in February 2007 because I wanted to develop my own voice. I had written successfully at RealMoney.com for four years, and wanted to broaden my writings.

Aleph Blog is purely for the public good. That has been the goal from day one. There are many people that want a trustworthy investment advisor with talent. They contact me of their own desire.

Q. Has your blog brought you new business or improved your existing client relationships?

A. Yes, my blog has brought new business. Many of my clients came from reading what I wrote over the long-term. But I don’t sell my readers on my abilities. To do so is tawdry. I don’t like being sold to, so I don’t sell to my readers.

Q. What blogging techniques or topics have most helped your business or boosted your readership?

A. Can’t say. Aleph Blog is varied in what it writes about. I know this is a challenge for some readers, but I write about what I feel more strongly. I have a broad set of interests, so I may not be the best as far as marketing goes.

I have not tried to boost readership artificially. I’m not out for fame. I just try to produce good content, and let the readers do what they will. I do know that I have respect from most of the top bloggers.

Q. What are three of your favorite—or most effective—blog posts?

A. I have written many effective blog posts. I wait a year before I declare them to be such. You can read them here: http://alephblog.com/category/best-articles/

Q. What’s your best tip for advisors who blog?

A. Define your period over which you generate articles. You can generate a lot of little articles every day, or you can generate one significant article once a month. Or you can do something in-between. But be regular, or people will forget about you.

Second, write about what you feel most strongly. And if you don’t have a strong feeling, don’t write.

Perennially popular posts and top posts from the fourth quarter 2013

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Some posts are perennial favorites on my blog. You’ll find a partial list below, based on traffic in the fourth quarter of 2013.

Perennial favorites

Looking at the list, it seems that most of their traffic comes from Google searches. “Ideal quarterly investment letters” is probably an exception because I share this post often.

  1. Poll: “Investable” or “investible”–which spelling is correct?
  2. Reader question: How can I become a freelance financial writer?
  3. Reader question: Writing resources for equity research analysts?
  4. Singular or plural–which is right for $5 million?
  5. Ideal quarterly investment letters: Meaningful, specific, and short <–This is one of my favorite posts
  6. Career strategies for wealth managers without a “book of business” <–I hope this post helps some job hunters
  7. Reader question: How can I ask clients to follow me to a new firm?

 

Fourth quarter 2013 top posts

Here’s a sampling of my most popular blog posts published during the fourth quarter of 2013. Yes, I know that was a long time ago. I’m just catching up.

  1. 6 lessons from my book writing experience <–Read this if you’re thinking about writing a book!
  2. Make an email sandwich for introverts
  3. Ammo for your plain-language battle with compliance
  4. Q&A with Michael Kitces of Nerd’s Eye View
  5. Q&A format for articles: Good or bad? <–This article attracted more eyeballs than is apparent from these statistics because it was also published on Ragan.com

It seems ironic that my blog post questioning the value of the Q&A is followed by the first in my Q&A series with advisors who blog. However, you’ll notice that I keep the Q&As short and I edit them. Readers’ response has been encouraging.

 

 

Top 3 Compliance Concerns When Writing Your Blog

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Compliance expert Cindi Hill very kindly reviewed the compliance section of my Financial Blogging book from the perspective of a registered investment advisor (RIA). I’m delighted to share her guest post on compliance and your blog. It seems to me that most of her advice also applies to other forms of advisor writing that might be considered marketing or advertising.

Top 3 Compliance Concerns When Writing Your Blog

By Cindi R. Hill

Let’s explore the compliance side of writing your blog. What are the things you should avoid or be concerned about when planning what you will write in your blog?

1. Understand who will need to review your blog

Is it simply the chief compliance officer or will your blog post need to go through a complete review cycle? How much lead time is needed for the review? If you have something that includes breaking news, you don’t want it tied up in review for days. In some states, like Idaho, all advertising items are required to be reviewed and approved by the state prior to being published.

2. Learn the guidelines for discussing performance

If you discuss investment performance, you need to follow guidelines. There are disclosures that may be required as part of your blog footer, the text that runs immediately under the body of each post. Which guidelines and disclosures depends on if you are registered with the SEC, your state, or FINRA. Be aware of these before you start to write.

3. Use words carefully

When reviewing any advertising/marketing piece I look at the words used. Some I discourage from use are “no bias” or “no conflicts of interest.” Just because you are a fee-only advisor does not mean that you have no biases.

This leads me to other types of words you should avoid, starting with definitive descriptors like “all” or “will.” Use “may” when you are tempted to use “will.” On a similar note, the word “exact” in a blog will get my immediate attention.

Another type of word I suggest staying away from—adjectives. For example, “excellent” or “superior” when referring to returns. This may seem obvious, but I have had to remove them from a reviewed document in the past. Also “highly” as in highly experienced. Or another one: “ultra-low cost.” You get the picture.

Remember that your blog is an advertisement. Compliance around any advertisement applies to your blog. No testimonials. This prohibition appears to apply to non-investment advisory activities as well.

Cindi R. Hill, CFP®, IACCPTM of Hill Compliance Advisors provides comprehensive compliance services and solutions for the financial professional who is a Registered Financial Advisor (RIA). You can follow her blog at https://hilladvisors.wordpress.com.

Blogging Q&A with advisor Lazetta Rainey Braxton

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Lazetta Rainey Braxton’s plainspoken style makes her writing very appealing. She notes that writing about basic financial planning topics has “attracted DIY clients who are ready to deepen their financial planning efforts.” Her blogging experience also shows the value of sharing your content in different places, including distribution through the CNBC Digital Financial Advisor Council and an e-newsletter. Lazetta is the founder and CEO of Financial Fountains in Baltimore, Maryland. I’m delighted to share her insights in this Q&A, the latest in a series on this blog that started with Michael Kitces.

Q. When did you start your blog?

A. Your Financial Haven was launched December 2010 to encourage individuals to build their own financial haven in the midst of changing economic conditions. The blog’s mission is to offer a safe space for individuals to read, reflect, and respond in their own way to financial issues affecting their lives. The content focuses on enhancing knowledge and providing reassurance as individuals strengthen their financial position and move closer to reaching their goals.

Q. How long have you been publishing with CNBC as part of their Digital FA Council? I saw one of your posts on NBR.com. Does everything from CNBC.com get republished on NBR.com?

A. The CNBC Digital Financial Advisor Council is the brainchild of CNBC Digital’s senior editor at large Jim Pavia (former editorial director at Investment News). In October 2013, Jim invited 20 financial advisors to assist with providing CNBC Digital content related to long-term financial planning. Blogs written by Council members are posted on CNBC.com’s Financial Advisor Hub. CNBC Digital recently launched a digital newsletter, Your Wealth, that will also feature the Council’s blogs. As a member of the Council, I have been granted permission to share my CNBC postings in our firm’s newsletters, noting permission granted by CNBC Digital.

CNBC’s cross-platform initiative encourages content sharing among CNBC’s media partners. NBR.com elected to post my blog “Financial Planning: Not just for Uber-Rich” on its website. On a related note, Andrew Osterland’s CNBC Digital interview with me, which discussed budgeting, was republished by USAToday.com. Postings in various media outlets are certainly a great bonus!

Q. How has your blog brought you new business or improved your existing client relationships?

A. I started using MailChimp in November 2013 to increase the readership of my firm’s blog among prospective and current clients. The CNBC.com budgeting article was published in my firm’s January 2014 Your Financial Haven newsletter. This newsletter generated great excitement among my clients and friends. The partnership with CNBC Digital enhanced my credibility as a financial planner and gave my clients and friends bragging rights in a new way. I did experience new referrals from clients and friends since my first CNBC.com newsletter posting.

NBR.com shows the number of times an article is shared via social media channels. At this time, CNBC.com does not have this feature. The Council does not receive data regarding how many readers viewed the site.

Given CNBC Digital’s viewership, this opportunity rekindled my commitment to blog more frequently. Prior to this invitation, my blog postings were quite sporadic. Now, my goal is to write a monthly post to garner new and nourish the existing interest and referral momentum of readers.

Q. What blogging techniques or topics have most helped your business?

A. Writing about topics that are on the minds of my target clients has been a good strategy. I often direct prospective and new clients to blog postings to support the framework for their financial planning concerns. Core financial planning topics such as budgeting and saving, combining household finances, preparing for college expenses, retirement planning, small business planning, and working with a financial planner have attracted DIY clients who are ready to deepen their financial planning efforts. On several occasions, my firm represents a client’s first experience with working with a financial planner.

Q. What are three of your favorite—or most effective—blog posts? Provide the titles, URLs and a comment about why you included them.

I have a great appreciation for blogs with technical content written in layman’s terms. I am most excited about financial planning blogs which combine the heart and mind from a practical perspective.

Financial Advisors: Differentiate Yourself By Being Yourself: This is a post by Tim Maurer. His overall approach to financial planning is very refreshing. He defies industry norms. This particular blog post helps me stay true to my holistic view of financial planning.

Financial planning: Not just for uber-rich: This blog posting gave me an opportunity to express in a subtle way why I became a financial planner. Coming from a very modest background, my life’s desire is to help elevate financial wellness and literacy among underserved and underrepresented populations. These overlooked and misunderstood populations often have favorable income and access to significant resources. I truly believe that “Everyone should have confidence in their finances and a financial plan that can help them live a comfortable life. So I ask: Why not you?”

What is Your Relationship with Your Investments?: Zaneilia Harris’ blog, Finance ‘N Stilettos, does a great job with reaching her target audience. This posting clearly defines the benefits of long-term investing in a very practical way.

Q. What’s your best tip for advisors who blog?

A. Know your writing style and be consistent. I find writing to be a slow birthing process; it takes a few days for me to formulate a good draft and a final version. I designate time each morning during a planned week for writing and editing. My blogger colleagues suggest having an editorial calendar and inviting other guest bloggers. These are great concepts that I intend to implement.

Blogging requires a consistent rhythm as expected by blog followers. It also requires creative spins on content that is easily accessible in a digital world. It is a task that does not necessarily offer immediate gratification in the form of viewer responses, particularly if you close comments due to compliance concerns. The process is easier if you truly enjoy the personal satisfaction that comes from the writing experience. This elevates the likelihood of consistent, thoughtful writing.

Format your guest bloggers’ posts for maximum impact

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When you go to the effort of snaring a guest writer for your blog, especially when the person is an influential “catch,” please follow some simple formatting tips. These tips will improve your readers’ experience and boost your guest’s visibility. This will reflect well on you.

Format guest blog posts for maximum impact infographic

Tip 1: Introduce your guest

Don’t plunge directly into your guests’ posts without introducing them. Your readers won’t always recognize the name or expertise of your guest blogger, so explain it. If you have a personal connection with the blogger or a reason why you care about the topic, consider mentioning that too. This helps to put your brand on the post. As a courtesy, I usually run my introduction by my guest prior to publication to avoid inadvertently offending them or writing something inaccurate.

Tip 2: Set off your introduction

Visual cues make it easy for your readers to know where your introduction ends and the guest post starts. I use two techniques.Guest post format example

  • Italicizing my introduction as you can see in the example to the right
  • Inserting a title and the author’s name in the centered type above the guest post

Tip 3: Add a headshot photo and brief bio

Displaying a guest author’s headshot photo on your blog sends a powerful visual message. It’s quickly evident that someone other than the blog’s host is taking center stage. I suggest a headshot photo because that’s what your guests are most likely to have taken by a professional. A polished appearance will enhance the credibility of their information.

A brief bio also helps your readers to appreciate the value offered by your guest author. I usually limit bios to two sentences, with up to two links to the expert’s website, blog or social media sites.

When you are the guest

Read “Simple tip for boosting your guest posts’ effectiveness” to get my take on the issue when you’re the guest.

May 13, 2014 update: I updated this post by adding another thought to Tip 1.

Three Decisions You Need to Make Before Setting Up Your New Blog

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Elizabeth Kricfalusi’s Tech for Luddites blog makes technical topics easy for me to understand. She’s also a friend with whom I share a fondness for squirrels and Japan, where we both lived. I’m delighted that her guest post advises you on some of the first decisions you’ll make when you set up your blog. I think her recommendation of WordPress above all other blogging platforms may be controversial for some readers. She and I welcome your comments.

Three Decisions You Need to Make Before Setting Up Your New Blog

By Elizabeth Kricfalusi

Publishing a blog is a great way to strengthen your relationship with current clients and demonstrate the value you can provide to prospects. Fortunately, producing a professional, well-designed blog these days is almost as easy as producing a Microsoft Word document.

However, there are some key decisions you need to make before you begin writing any posts to make sure you get the most bang for your blogging buck.

1. What blogging platform should I use?

This one doesn’t really require a decision because if you’re starting a blog today, you should use WordPress. It’s not that the other platforms—TypePad, Blogger, Tumblr—have anything wrong with them. But WordPress has become the gold standard, for good reason. It’s free, easy to use, and highly customizable and, even more important to my mind, there’s a huge community of WordPress users, designers, and developers offering tools and resources that you can use to make your blog exactly what you want.

2. Should I use WordPress.com or host my own site?

There are two “flavors” of WordPress:

WordPress.com is a free service where the application is completely managed by a third party, making it an excellent choice for people who only need basic blog features.  The service comes with some limitations—for example, you can’t install third-party plugins, modify the code, or put ads on your site. (Some options are available for an additional cost.)

A self-hosted WordPress blog requires you to purchase your own web hosting service where you can install the WordPress files and manage them on your own. You may have heard this referred to as a  WordPress.org blog because that’s where you get the files you need. (The files are free.)

The advantage of a self-hosted site over the free service is that you have complete control over what you do with it. There’s a larger inventory of themes to choose from and you can modify the back-end code to further customize your blog’s appearance. There are also thousands of plugins available for additional user-facing and administrative functionality (e.g. stock quotes, social media integration, search engine optimization).

Some people like to start with WordPress.com so they can try out the main WordPress features before investing time and money into building a self-hosted blog. If you do this, be aware that while you can import blog posts and other content from WordPress.com, you will need to make some manual adjustments to make your new blog look and act like your old one.

3. What should I choose for my domain name?

If you go with a self-hosted blog, you must have your own domain name (e.g., investmentwriting.com, techforluddites.com). If you use WordPress.com for your blog, by default you’ll be given a subdomain of wordpress.com (e.g. techforluddites.wordpress.com) but you can purchase an upgrade so you can use your own domain. I strongly recommend this; using a subdomain reduces the perception of your blog’s professionalism.

There are a few things to think about when choosing your domain name:

  • Choose a “.com” name only. I’ve been known to tell people who were starting a new business that if they couldn’t get the .com for their business name, change the name. This isn’t always possible, of course, but going with .net or .co is not the answer—people expect and remember .com. If you want to use your own name but it’s already taken, try a version with your middle initial or with extra descriptive words (e.g. janesmithassetmanager.com).
  • Don’t use hyphens or underscores. Again, people won’t remember these. Domain names are not case sensitive, so if you’re publishing your domain name somewhere, you can use capital letters to make it easier to read (e.g. JaneSmithAssetManager.com).
  • Purchase variations. Does your name have a common misspelling? Buy that domain and forward it to your site. If the domain is long, purchase a shorter version for situations where you’re limited by character counts (e.g. jsassetmgr). If you’re located outside of the U.S., buy the domain with your country’s extension as well (e.g. janesmithassetmanager.ca).

Note: You can either purchase your domain name when you buy your hosting (or sign up for WordPress.com) or you can buy it through a different registrar and map it to your blog. In either case, I recommend you also purchase domain privacy protection, which prevents your personal contact information from being listed in the publicly available Whois directory of domains.

If you have any questions, feel free to email me at elizabeth@techforluddites.com. Enjoy your new blog!

A technology writer, educator, and consultant, Elizabeth Kricfalusi publishes the blog Tech for Luddites, providing tips and tricks for working with WordPress, Facebook, Twitter, Microsoft Office and other popular applications. Elizabeth offers a variety of services to help set up and manage a WordPress blog or website.