Tag Archive for: financial advisor

How I work with financial advisors

/in /by

Q.  How do you work with financial advisors?

A. I work with financial advisors as well as larger companies in investment management, wealth management, financial planning, and vendors to those industries. My work with all of these companies shares a common theme: helping people to write more efficiently and effectively for their target audiences.

The work I do with advisors tends to differ from that I do for larger companies. For advisors, I focus on teaching them how to write better. I’ve been doing this for years on my blog. In 2006, I started teaching CFA charterholders to write better investment commentary. A few years ago I added a virtual class, “How to Write Blog Posts People Will Read: A 5-Lesson Class for Financial Advisors.” The class includes a private forum and homework. Students receive personalized feedback from me.

Advisors will soon be able to learn blogging with a new e-book, Simply Irresistible: Writing Financial Blog Posts People Will Read. The book will help them boost their blogging results with a step-by-step process and worksheets.

I created the class and developed the book for price-sensitive advisors who want the benefit of my expertise but are on a tight budget or have one-time needs. As a writer-editor, I work mainly with companies with larger budgets and ongoing needs.  Those companies are also welcome to take advantage of my training and book.

FAQ: “How to Write Blog Posts People Will Read: A 5-Lesson Writing Class for Financial Advisors”

/in /by

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. Is this a webinar?

A. No, it’s a relatively low-tech approach. 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.

Q. How are classes taught?

You will download audio files to listen to when it’s convenient for you.

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, discussion posted to a private website, and a weekly telephone conference call. You’ll download the 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 feedback through the website.

You’ll use a private discussion forum to access materials and share your homework.

 

Register for How to Write Blog Posts People Will Read: A 5-Week Writing Teleclass for Financial Advisors in Once-a-week telephone conference call for 5 weeks, April 22-May 20 on Eventbrite

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.

Register for How to Write Blog Posts People Will Read: A 5-Week Writing Teleclass for Financial Advisors in Once-a-week telephone conference call for 5 weeks, April 22-May 20 on Eventbrite

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 are 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 five-lesson series. 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.
  3. Class discussion sessions will be recorded and may be downloaded. Listening to a recording isn’t the same as participating “live” but at least you’ll hear your classmates’ questions and comments.

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

Register for How to Write Blog Posts People Will Read: A 5-Week Writing Teleclass for Financial Advisors in Once-a-week telephone conference call for 5 weeks, April 22-May 20 on Eventbrite

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.

Register for How to Write Blog Posts People Will Read: A 5-Week Writing Teleclass for Financial Advisors in Once-a-week telephone conference call for 5 weeks, April 22-May 20 on Eventbrite

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

A.  Yes, there will be five live conference calls on at least five dates. These calls will focus on your comments and questions. They will be recorded in case you can’t attend “live.”

Register for How to Write Blog Posts People Will Read: A 5-Week Writing Teleclass for Financial Advisors in Once-a-week telephone conference call for 5 weeks, April 22-May 20 on Eventbrite

Q. What do students say about your class?

A.

You’ll find more recommendations if you scroll down the registration form for the class.

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

Bring your questions and writing implements to my FPA Experience session

/in /by

You’ll get the most benefit from “Writing Emails and Letters People Will Read,” my September 29 presentation, if you bring your questions, writing implements, and a printout of my handout.

I will ask you to write down some things so you can work on them in our interactive session. People learn best when they apply new information right away.

Meanwhile, feel free to post your email-related questions here. I may use your questions to jump-start my session’s Q&A. If I don’t get to them in the session, they may inspire blog posts.

Looking forward to meeting you at FPA 2012

If you have trouble commenting on my blog, you may find it easier to comment on my Facebook page. I’d like to hear from you.

Escape your fears: A writing topic for financial advisors

/3 Comments/in /by

“That guy looks like he wants to escape,” I yelled to my husband. I was joking about the stuffed animal trying to climb over fencestuffed animal climbing up the fence along the Ashuwillticook bicycle trail. However, the sight made me think about how appealing escape is for most people.

You can offer escape in your blog posts. To pick your topic, just fill in the blank for what you can help readers escape. It could be escape from debt, stock market volatility, or anything else that worries your readers.

Put “escape” in your title so it’s clear what you’re offering.

What kind of escape do you offer?

Please share a link to your financial blog post exploring this theme.

For cyclists who escape to western Massachusetts

If you ever get a chance to bicycle in the Berkshire Hills, I recommend the bicycling the Ashuwillticook trailAshuwillticook Rail Trail from Adams to Cheshire where I saw the “escapee” of this blog post. This pleasant trail runs along water most of the way. You may hear spring peeper frogs as my husband and I did. The Daily Grind in Adams makes a good reuben sandwich.

Reader challenge: What makes advisor websites outstanding?

/18 Comments/in /by

What do YOU think makes for an outstanding advisor website? Please share your thoughts below.

Advisor-recommended websites to spark discussion

I recently asked my readers for examples of outstanding money manager websites. Below you’ll find screen shots with links to the home pages for their recommendations. Plus, I’ve linked to the sites of the two people who made recommendations.

Tell me what you like about these sites. Do they do things you’d like more advisors to do?

To facilitate discussion I’ve numbered the websites, which are listed in alphabetical order. I’ve also shared at least one of my impressions of the site. But my comments are not comprehensive.

1. Capri Capital Partners

Nice clean look. Good tag line.

 

2. Index Strategy Advisors

I love the goldfish photo.

 

3. Oak Park Financial Planner

This website speaks to “you,” the potential client. Too few advisor websites do this. It also has a newsletter subscription box displayed prominently “above the fold,” which means the reader doesn’t have to scroll down to see it.

 

4. oXYGen Financial

The home page offers plenty of opportunities to click to become more engaged with the website or the firm.

 

5. Pinnacle Advisory Group

The featured content on the home page is always changing, giving the reader a reason to return. The uncluttered home page features a striking image.

 

6. United Capital

The home page features a striking photograph along with video and print content to engage readers no matter how they prefer to consume content.

 

7. Wealthcare for Women

This website uses plain English. You feel that there’s a real person behind it.

What do YOU think?

I look forward to hearing from you.

Q&A: How to look trustworthy in your professional photo

/in /by

Convincing clients and prospects to trust you is essential to building relationships with them. A great photo alone

Lori Johnson

won’t win them over, but a bad photo can undermine how they see you. This is why I conducted an email interview with Lori Johnson of Your Best Image. By the way, Lori specializes in photographic image and she did the makeup for my head shot photo.

Q. What about a photo makes you appear less trustworthy?

A. Dark shadows in the face or background.  Anything that hides the face i.e. sunglasses, hat, facial hair, hairstyle that covers the face, etc.  Poor quality photos.  Inappropriate wardrobe, makeup, hairstyle.  Too much photo shop alteration of the photo so you do not look like you do in real life.

Q. What conveys “trustworthy” in a photo?

A. A sincere smile and sparkle in the eye. Clothing appropriate for the industry and your personal style.  Colors that flatter your skin tone, hair color, and eye color.  Use an open stance; no tightly crossed arms or hands in front of your body, open and relax shoulders, and stand or sit tall.

Q. I’ve heard that blue is the color of trust. Do you agree?

A. Yes. Darker, deeper blues such as deep navy blue are serious and powerful. Deep blue sends a message of authority and credibility, which is why it’s commonly used in formal business attire and as a uniform color. In fact, navy blue gets its name because it’s been the color (along with bright white) of the British Royal Navy’s uniforms since 1748.

Q. Do casual photos make a financial advisor seem more approachable?

A. A few casual photos can help tell your story and make you appear more “real,” open, and friendly. Use these photos to help personalize your print, web, social media, or other marketing materials. They should not be the main images in your materials.

Be careful about the quality and quantity of your casual and personal photos. Poor quality photos may make you appear less professional. That’s why I recommend you rely on a professional.

Q. Can you recommend how to prepare for a professional photo shoot?

A. You’ll find detailed recommendations in my article, “Pre-shoot Suggestions.”

 

Poll: How quickly and often should you follow up with prospects for your financial services?

/in , /by

Gaining new clients is important to you. That’s the whole point of your marketing. However, a blog post by Karyn Greenstreet suggests that you aren’t making the most of a great opportunity: systematic follow-up with prospects who contact you.

“Most people will make one follow-up call or email to a prospective customer. But if they don’t get a response back, they often drop the whole thing,” said Greenstreet in “Why Marketing Fails #3: No Follow-Up” on her Passion for Business blog.

Your follow-up mistake

That lack of follow-up is a mistake. Why? Because there are plenty of good reasons why genuinely interested prospects may not follow up. They may even be grateful if you persist in contacting them. I’ve experienced that gratitude more often than not.

Greenstreet follows up her leads three times: first, within one business day; second, seven days later; and third, 10 to 114 days later.

What about your follow-up with prospects?

What’s YOUR follow-up policy?

Here are your poll choices

  • First, within one business day; second, seven  days later; third, 10-14 days later
  • First, within one business day; second, whenever I get to it
  • Within one business day
  • Whenever I get to it
  • Wait for them to contact me
  • (Add your own answer)

I look forward to hearing from you.

How to add personality and warmth to your financial writing–Part one

/6 Comments/in /by

Independent financial advisors find personality is a powerful marketing tool. It’s one thing that’s unique to you. However, it is not always easy to infuse your writing with personality.

In this two-part post, I address five tools you can use to address a personality gap in your writing, starting with personal stories.

1. Personal stories

Telling personal stories is an obvious way to give a flavor of your identity. It’s simplest if you’re an advisor who has grappled with many of the same financial issues as your clients. For example, you may have struggled with how much allowance to give your children. A story about how you reached your decision–or how you communicated it to your children–is a great kernel for a blog post, if you’re comfortable sharing.

Your personal story need not be directly related to a financial decision. I like how Jude Boudreaux of Upperline Financial writes about life lessons learned from his baby in “Baby Steps Aren’t Just for Babies.” Even non-parents like me can relate to a baby learning to walk. Jude takes pains to translate his little girl’s first steps into lessons for you, the reader, rather than focusing solely on himself and his family. He concludes by asking, “What baby steps can you take today to continue your growth as a person?”

Looking for inspiration?

Here are more examples of financial planners who share personal stories:

Still stumped? Father’s Day is coming up on June 17. Consider writing a post about “Lessons I learned from my father.” Be sure to include the implications for your readers. Give them a reason to care. If you write a Father’s Day post, please post a link in the Comments section. Thank you!

 

For more on this topic, please read the second part of this article.

 

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

 

Poll: Advisor vs. adviser

/8 Comments/in /by

Which spelling is correct—advisor or adviser?

Google argues for advisor. Searches yielded 741 million results for advisor versus only 132 million for adviser.

The SEC favors “adviser.”

When I ran a poll on this topic in 2012, “advisor” won over “adviser,” 79% to 21%. Most of my clients prefer “advisor,” too. However, some people whom I respect favor “adviser,” as you’ll see in Bill Winterberg’s tweet, the links below, and the comments on this post.

Updates to “Advisor vs. adviser”

July 2012 update:

Here are links to two recent articles on this topic:

March 2017 update: I removed the outdated poll reference and shared the results of that poll.

Also, see the advisor vs. adviser link in the following tweet, courtesy of Stephen Foreman:

Phillip Shemella, author of “Advisor or Adviser: A data-journey for one word that goes both ways,” says, “advisor is a title, and adviser is anyone else who advises and is not already an advisor.”

“Adviser or advisor? The debate rages on” covers similar ground in Investment News.

InvestmentWriting.com is one of “7 Financial Advisory Blogs that Rock”

/in /by

What a delight! The Investment Writing blog has been named one of “7 Financial Advisory Blogs that Rock” on the ClientWise blog.

My blog was singled out for its “mission to bring clarity to the sometimes arcane and confusing world of financial writing, especially when done by financial advisors, investment advisors and wealth managers.”

More financial blogs that rock

I’m honored to be in the company of outstanding bloggers named by this ClientWise post. They include

What YOU can share with another winning blogger

One of the seven bloggers who rock has taken my blogging class tailored to financial advisors. You can, too. But you’d better act soon. The class starts May 16. I don’t plan to offer it again until 2013. Plus, I plan to raise the price significantly next time.

Register now for “How to Write Blog Posts People Will Read: A 5-Lesson Writing Class for Financial Advisors.“