I have spent a good deal of time convincing financial advisors of the importance of blogging.
Your advisor blog can be interesting and informative. How do I know this? Because I've seen them.
There's always room to grow in terms of becoming a great blogger. While I think I've got years of improvements ahead of me, here are some components of what I think makes a perfect post. What do YOU think makes a great blog post?
Irresistible Title
I'll be honest: this is something I'm still working on. I've heard the saying that those who write for an online audience should spend 10% of their time writing the body of an article and 90% of their time creating the perfect, irresistible title. While I don't necessarily agree with that theory (if the title is that good, surely your audience will be disappointed with the actual writing, right?), it does get the point across: the title is important.
A few tips for creating an irresistible title:
- Use action words
- Explain what the article is about
- Know your audience
Create Quality Content
Quality content is 100% based around your audience. Write with your audience in mind. Get into the mind of your readers: what are their problems, what do they do for fun, what's interesting to them, and mostly, how can you help?
As an advisor, use your blog to share your knowledge and expertise. The internet provides a world of opportunity to present yourself as a thought leader in the financial planning community. Use this to your benefit by explaining current events or news stories. If you're having trouble coming up with quality content ideas, try answering questions from your clients. For instance, take a question you get asked frequently, create a well-crafted response and post on your blog. Simple.
Talk to Your Audience
Encourage engagement within your posts. Ask your audience what they think about your ideas and how they feel about a given situation. When readers comment on your posts, reply to them as quickly as you can! Ask questions and interact. Think of your blog as a community and get people engaged.
Be Real
Online readers generally appreciate not being sold to. Be real, speak from the heart and don't be afraid to show flaws. Another tip? Instead of talking about your audience, talk to them. The easiest way to do this is to use words like "you, we, and me". If you treat your writing more like a conversation than a text book, readers will appreciate it. And actually read it.
Share on Social
In order for people to read your post, make sure they know it exists. Blast your social media streams a couple of times a day and share the link to your newest posts. Don't be shy about spreading the word - especially if your blog is new. By using a tool like Hootsuite, you can streamline your social media efforts.Hootsuite offers a free service that allows advisors to create and schedule social media posts in advance.
Whether you have a blog or not, what other questions do you have about creating an excellent blog post? Ask us in the comments below. I'll reply, I promise!