How to own your content strategy

Content rules the internet. Why? Because nearly every person every day is online searching for answers. If your firm can provide some of those answers, it can attract prospects that have the potential to become clients.

A content strategy can help your firm show up when current and future clients look for financial expertise. It allows you to organize your marketing efforts around what prospects and clients need most and will deliver the most value to your firm. So where do you start? Let's dig into the key parts of a content strategy. 

The strategy behind the strategy

To build a focused content strategy, you first need to know who your ideal client is, the unique value your firm can offer, and how you want to grow. These elements of a firm-wide strategy can then guide how your content strategy supports your firm's business goals.

Types of content you can create

You'll also need to decide what types of content make most sense for you and your audience. Do you want to send regular messages to clients and prospects? What about a video series on investment trends? Or a series of blog posts on building intergenerational wealth? Here are some of the advantages of each type of content:

• Articles/blog posts: Share insights that offer a fresh perspective or helpful tips. Blog posts are for clients and prospects who want something valuable but are only willing to invest a few minutes.
• Videos: Connect with a large audience one-on-one. Videos are especially helpful for explaining a concept or showing how something works. If you're ready to start creating your own videos, check out our helpful tips.
• Email newsletters: Share timely information and stay in touch with clients and prospects. Email allows you to distribute a lot of different types of content and communicate unique messages to different audiences. Just make sure your emails have a focus and aren't used as a dumping ground for everything you want people to know.
• White papers: Want to offer a deeper dive into a complex or important topic? These longer-form publications can help you showcase your expertise, thought leadership, and commitment to clients.
• Guides: Provide detailed information that helps your audience accomplish a particular goal. A guide shows you're committed to helping people get to where they want to go.
• Social media images/graphics: Post short, eye-catching information that grabs people's attention. Sharing these types of images can show that you're fun or engaged in what's happening right now.
• Webinars/events: Bring people together to dive deep into a topic and engage in a conversation. Events can both give you a chance to meet a lot of people and establish yourself as a thought leader.
• Web-based tools: What if you created an online calculator or an interactive questionnaire that helps a client make a hard choice? There may be a way to get creative to solve problems for current and prospective clients.

No matter what you create, let your uniqueness come through. If your firm makes content that's just like what other firms put out, you're likely to get lost in the crowd.

Where to house your content

Every business knows it needs a website, but many RIA firms do the bare minimum—a few statements, a basic rundown of services, bios, and contact information. That's a good start, but a firm's website is often the central hub of its content strategy.

Your website offers:

• A central place where all information and content can be stored. Anyone looking for a video they saw on LinkedIn or more information about your investment strategy should be able to find it on your website.
• Links that can be shared anywhere. Social media, emails, even print material can contain links that help current and future clients learn more or take action.
• A way for prospective clients to find you. Every page on your website contains keywords that could help your firm show up in a web search. The more valuable your content is, the more likely someone will find your website when searching for an advisor.
• Lead generation possibilities. Pop-ups can gather email addresses, forms can act as a "gate" to white papers or webinars, and tools and resources can inspire prospects to seek out more information. Your website's lead generation potential is even greater if your website and customer relationship management (CRM) system are closely integrated.
• Control over your content. While social media limits the kind of content you can post and how you can post it, your website is versatile and can be modified to meet your specific needs.
• Useful data. With Google Analytics, a free tool offered by Google, your firm can learn a lot about how your website is being used.

For more on websites, read "How to build a better RIA website."

Where to promote your content

There are many popular social media channels and video platforms—not to mention thousands of websites where your content could appear. It can be tempting to try to advertise or post your content everywhere, but that approach can significantly reduce the ROI of your marketing efforts.

What matters is:

• You are where your current and prospective clients are. This might take some research, but if you know who your ideal client is, you can probably guess where they hang out online. For example, ambitious professionals are likely to spend a lot of time on LinkedIn.
• Your content matches why people go there. Social media platforms have different goals and formats. For example, Instagram is a fun, visual space. Your whitepaper probably won't play well there. But a short video or a splashy graphic? Definitely.
• You invest only in channels that you can keep active. Imagine a prospective client finding your firm's Facebook profile and seeing that the last post was from 2016. They might assume you're out of business or that your website is a scam.

How to stay organized

Creative content succeeds with organization and execution. To make sure you maximize the value of your content and keep your online channels active, consider:

• Creating a calendar. Make sure your calendar shows both what's active right now and what’s coming up. Not only will your calendar help you get content created and published on time, but it can also show you when there are gaps to be filled and important dates to plan for.
• Establishing cadences. Establishing cadences based on how frequently your audience wants to hear from you can help you make sure that you aren't bombarding your audience with content or going quiet for long periods of time.
• Repurposing content. Often, there are many ways you can repurpose your content. For example, what if you wrote an article for your blog based on a video you created?
• Determining roles. Is one person responsible for all content creation or are some advisors also contributing blog posts or social media content? Deciding who does what and when can prevent confusion.
• Feeding leads into a CRM. Your marketing is only as successful as its ability to attract and retain clients. If folks love your content but your firm doesn't have a way to follow up, you're missing opportunities to win new clients. A CRM system can help your business development people understand more about prospective clients and reach out to them in ways that are more likely to win them over.

Content strategies can be as simple or as complex as you need them to be. What's important is to understand your goals, who you're trying to reach, and the time and resources available to you.

RIA firms already have the start of a compelling story. People want to work with an advisor who's independent and committed to doing what's best for them. Now it's time to develop a strategy that helps you tell your full story more strategically.

What you can do next

• Elevate your firm's profile with marketing tips and tools that can help you gain more visibility, increase your market reach, and connect with new clients.
• Consider a custodian that is invested in your success. If you're thinking about becoming an independent RIA, contact us to learn more about the potential benefits of a custodial relationship with Schwab.