- Susan Weiner Investment Writing

Financial content: Ask questions of your readers

January 5, 2016/in blog, writing/by Susan Weiner, CFA

Coming up with financial content can be challenging. Where do you get the information to put in whatever you write? Questions are a great source of information for investment and wealth managers’ tweets, blog posts, articles, and even white papers. I recommend that you keep a paper or electronic notepad handy to record questions asked by your clients.

However, sometimes you need a fresh source of inspiration, opinions, and information. It’s time to turn the tables. Ask questions to generate financial content.

1. Ask questions that people can answer with one word

A webinar presenter—I think it was social media strategist Amy Porterfield—suggested boosting Facebook engagement by posing questions that ask for a one-word answer. Because you request little from your audience, it’s easy for them to respond.

Inspired by this idea, I asked on Facebook and in LinkedIn groups for my readers to share one word that defined ideal investment commentary. The volume of replies astonished me. At one point my question was the “Manager’s Choice” on the CFA Institute’s LinkedIn group. It was nice visibility for me. I believe it happened because group members enjoyed the opportunity to express themselves on a topic about which they felt passionately. The group members’ answers broadened and deepened my understanding of my topic.

2. Run an online survey

My readers’ enthusiastic reply to my one-word question about investment commentary inspired me to create an electronic survey about the characteristics of good investment commentary.

Readers’ answers eventually led to “Ideal quarterly investment letters: Meaningful, specific, and short,” a key piece of content on my blog.

I used some open-ended questions in addition to easy-to-answer multiple-choice questions. When you include open-ended questions, you allow your readers to develop original content for you. A meaty blog post can result. However, be aware that analyzing the non-quantitative survey results can be time-consuming. While a program like SurveyMonkey can compile the quantitative answers, it can’t sort through text answers. You’ll need to evaluate the meaning of the answers and identify the best material yourself.

In the compliance-sensitive world of financial services, I find that people like the anonymity of online surveys. They feel free to express themselves in ways they’d shun if they needed approval from a compliance officer. This can spark colorful quotes.

When you write about what your readers say, you give them a voice. This helps you to build a sense of community with them. Reader-generated content also adds a sense of authenticity to what you write. This is especially true when you include direct quotes.

3. Run a multiple-choice poll

“I voted ‘yes’ on your poll.” Back in the days when I ran a poll in my monthly newsletter, my newsletter readers often mentioned my polls when I met them one-on-one. If you publish the poll results only in your e-newsletter, as I used to do, you give readers an incentive to subscribe. That’s always a plus.

Like the one-word-answer technique, multiple-choice polls don’t require much effort for people to answer, which boosts participation.

I often enable readers to add their own responses to the polls, rather than choosing from those I’ve listed. I’ve received some good insights from allowing them this freedom.

By the way, consider testing your poll on a member of your target audience before you release it. Your instructions or questions may not be as clear as you think. I think I’m a clear writer, but my outside readers have helped me to refine my questions for better results.

4. Start discussions on social media

Posing a question on LinkedIn or other social media is a great way to collect content. I especially like doing this on LinkedIn because all of the answers are collected in one place. Also, one person’s response often sparks another.

When a social media question inspires a lively conversation, that says that the topic is worthy of a blog post. It’s likely to be shared widely.

“Career strategies for wealth managers without a book of business” is essentially a compilation of answers that LinkedIn members posted in response to a question. I quoted only LinkedIn Group members who gave me their permission since I posted my question on a members-only group. If you post on a public group, then technically you don’t need to ask permission. However, I think it’s the right thing to do, unless you explicitly warn people in your original post that you are looking for quotes.

5. Ask “What do you want to read?” at every opportunity

You can ask clients, prospects, referral sources, and social media connections “What do you want to read?” Also, “What’s your opinion on that?” The people whom you ask will be flattered you asked for their opinion.

What do you want to read?

Of course, I’d like to learn more about YOUR interests. Please leave a comment suggesting topics for future blog posts.

This post originally appeared in a slightly different form on the Wired Advisor blog, which no longer exists in its original form.

Image courtesy of mapichai / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Boost Twitter exposure from your blog

December 29, 2015/in blog, social media/by Susan Weiner, CFA

I want to shake some financial bloggers and yell, “Why are you giving up Twitter exposure from your blog?”

That’s the reaction I have every time I click a “tweet this” link on a blog post and the auto-generated tweet fails to state the blogger’s Twitter name. That’s an example of “What NOT to do.” If someone visits your website and shares your blog post using this kind of auto-generated tweet, you’re not maximizing your benefit from their generosity.

Sure, your blog post will get some exposure from an auto-generated tweet that consists simply of TITLE plus LINK. However, the person who shares your content is unlikely to take the time to research your Twitter name and add it to the auto-generated tweet. As a result, you’re missing an opportunity to get Twitter exposure for your name and to pick up Twitter followers.

It’s true that a tweet reader could click through to your blog and then look around to find your Twitter name. But it’s not likely. In fact, the tweet reader who doesn’t navigate to your post may instead associate your blog post topic with the person who tweeted your link—instead of you. That’s a shame if you’re trying to build visibility for your investment, wealth management, or financial planning firm.

Boost your Twitter exposure by doing this

Here’s an example of what your auto-generated tweet should look like (yellow highlighting added by me):

My key point? The auto-generated tweet includes @susanweiner, my Twitter name. You can include your Twitter name automatically in tweets generated using your blog’s social sharing plug-in. That’s what I had my web guy set up. This expands my Twitter exposure without my doing any extra work.

Someone who sees “via @susanweiner” may click on my Twitter name to follow me. Even if they don’t take that action, my name may subtly register in their head so they start to recognize me as an expert on financial blogging.

If you’re a financial advisor who blogs about topics that interest potential clients, please make it as easy as possible for them to follow you on Twitter. More Twitter exposure boosts that likelihood that someday a prospect will contact you to learn more about your services. That’s what you want, right?

Check your sharing plug-in’s capability. Act now and enjoy better social media shares for years to come.

What’s your financial blogging sweet spot?

December 22, 2015/in blog/by Susan Weiner, CFA

How can you find the “sweet spot” for your financial blog? It’s worth seeking, as I explain below.

Sweet spot as starting point

Let’s start with the definition of sweet spot in Joe Pulizzi’s Content Inc: How Entrepreneurs Use Content To Build Massive Audiences and Create Radically Successful Businesses.

A sweet spot

is the intersection of a knowledge or skill set (something the entrepreneur or business has a competency in) and a passion area (something the entrepreneur or business feels is of great value to him or her personally or to society at large.

As an investment or wealth management professional, you have many areas of expertise. But the areas you feel passionately about are probably fewer. Narrow in on passions to identify your financial blogging sweet spot. You’re more likely to be able to sustain your blog. Plus, your passion will attract more readers.

If you work for a large company, you may not enjoy the luxury of focusing on a topic you’re passionate about. Pulizzi has a suggestion for you:

In these cases, replace passion with a customer pain point.

Complement sweet spot with content tilt

Once you find your financial blogging sweet spot, Pulizzi suggests you identify your content tilt. In other words, “find a problem area that no one else is solving and exploit that area with content.”

How do you know if you’ve found a powerful tilt? Try this test, proposed by Pulizzi:

Let’s say someone rounded up all of your content and placed it in a box, like it never existed. Would anyone miss it? Would you leave a gap in the marketplace?

If your answer is “yes,” you’ve succeeded.

Check out Pulizzi’s book for helping finding your financial blogging sweet spot and more

You can learn more about sweet spots and content tilts in Pulizzi’s book.

I think that larger firms will find Pulizzi’s book most helpful because they have the staff and resources to take advantage more of his suggestions.

Disclosure: Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book from McGraw-Hill in return for agreeing to write about it. Also, if you click on an Amazon link in this post and then buy something, I will receive a small commission. I only link to books in which I find some value for my blog’s readers.

Blogging the mistakes your clients make

December 8, 2015/in blog/by Susan Weiner, CFA

Looking for something to blog about—and an easy way to organize your post? Find inspiration for blog posts in “The Mistakes Charitable Startups Make,” a Wall Street Journal article that’s called “Starting a Charity? Here’s What To Do, and What Not To Do” in the online edition.

Blogging mistakes effectively: Copy the formula

Here’s the basic formula:

You do these good things
As you do these good things, you may make common mistakes
Mistakes and their fixes

Mistake 1 and its fix

Mistake 2 and its fix

Mistake 3 and its fix

Mistake 4 and its fix

Part I: You do these good things

It’s good to start with something positive your clients do. It gives them a chance to feel good about themselves.

The Wall Street Journal‘s article kicks off with “People who are passionate about a cause typically have several options.” One of them is starting a nonprofit, the article’s focus.

You can substitute any activity your clients feel passionately about. For example,

Teaching their children to spend money wisely
Creating corporate benefits that boost employee morale and retention
Leaving a legacy for future generations
Planning to travel in retirement

Part II: You may make common mistakes

Teach your clients that their activities may come with challenges. You don’t need to scare the heck out of them. Just give them an incentive to keep reading.

The Wall Street Journal article says the following:

Starting and running a nonprofit is a complicated business, and one that nonprofit experts say individuals all too often seriously underestimate—from raising money and choosing the right board members to filing paperwork correctly. Such shortcomings can lead to costly mistakes, ultimate failures, and sometimes even lawsuits against well-meaning but nevertheless unprepared philanthropists.

Part III: Mistakes and their fixes

After quickly attracting your readers’ attention, provide them with a list of problems and their solutions.

The Wall Street Journal sets off each problem with a heading. For example, THE MISTAKE: Not doing your research or THE MISTAKE: Underestimating the paperwork.

After identifying the problem in a heading, you can quickly explain it. Or, you can follow the Journal‘s example by telling a story of an individual who grappled with the problem. The author of the charitable startup article interviewed people. You may have stories from your clients, colleagues, or personal experience.

Next, explain the solution. The Wall Street Journal makes it easy for readers to find the solutions by adding a heading saying THE FIX.

Wrap up your post

The newspaper story ends with the conclusion of the last mistake-fix pair. You can do the same. However, if your blog post tackles one of your areas of expertise, consider adding what’s known as a “call to action.” A call to action urges the reader to take another step.

Imagine you blogged about “Mistakes People Make When Retiring to Costa Rica.” Your call to action might be “Click to download our report about ‘Managing Your Finances from Costa Rica,'” “Sign up for our webinar on ‘Living in Costa Rica,” or “Call us to discuss how we can ease your transition to Costa Rica.”

Blogging mistakes that your clients can make can turn their mistakes into your success. If you’d like to learn more about better blogging, check out my financial blogging class.

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Use a wacky days list when you run out of blog ideas

September 22, 2015/in blog/by Susan Weiner, CFA

If you ever run low on blog post ideas, a wacky days list may solve your problem. You can use the list as the basis for brainstorming exercises. Whether it’s Employee Appreciation Day or Be Nasty Day, it’s amazing how a holiday calendar can spark ideas for your financial blog.

Days with obvious relevance

The titles of some days may lead directly to blog post ideas. For example, Employee Appreciation Day made me think of:

How you can help your employees by offering a better 401(k) plan
How your firm appreciates its employees’ continued learning as they try to better serve clients
Three budget-friendly ways to show your appreciation for your employees

Days that trigger personal stories

Some of the calendar days may trigger personal memories that you can use to make a point for your readers. Let’s take National Frozen Food Day. You have a blog post if you remember the great “deal” on frozen food that went bad when you didn’t have enough room in your freezer. There’s a lesson about false economies.

Days that serve as metaphors

Plant a Flower Day could serve as a metaphor. You can suggest steps that your clients can take that will brighten their financial lives as a flower might brighten their gardens.

How about YOU?

How do you use holidays or named days to inspire your blog’s editorial calendar? I’d like to hear from you.

Image courtesy of MR LIGHTMAN at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

8 ways blogging is like bicycling

September 15, 2015/in blog/by Susan Weiner, CFA

Bicycling is my favorite summer exercise. The more I bike, the more I’m struck by the similarities between bicycling and blogging.

1. It gets easier with practice

Falling off and skinning my knees when I learned to ride a two-wheeler was no fun. But after a while, I stopped falling and I covered every mile with greater ease.

In a similar way, blogging gets easier as you practice more. Like figuring out where to place your weight to stay upright on your bike, you develop a sense of the proper balance among your blog’s components. As you pedal with less effort, you also write with less effort.

2. It’s easier to follow trails

I’m a fan of bicycle trails like the Minuteman or Nashua River Rail Trails. Following a path that’s paved and marked with signs is less stressful than navigating the Boston area’s road maze, having to make decisions at every corner.

As a blogger, you’ll find it easier to follow well-marked writing paths. For example, a list post follows a simple structure:

Introduction of your theme
A numbered list of points addressing your theme
Conclusion or call to action

I’ve described more models in the following posts:

3. Shorter is easier

It’s easier for me to cover five miles than 50 miles on my bike. Still a five-mile ride is so short that it’s unsatisfying. I like to cover at least fifteen miles on a ride.

Shorter is easier for bloggers, too. That’s why I recommend a length of 250 to 400 words for beginning bloggers. I typically run about 400 to 600 words. But just as I occasionally stretch myself in a long bike ride, I sometimes write longer. Most people will struggle to say something significant in less than 250 words unless they’re using a nontraditional form, such as a podcast, video, or infographic.

4. Visual appeal matters

Some of my favorite bike trails follow rivers, offering plants, wildlife, and water to delight my eyes.

Visuals—photos and other images—are important to blog posts, too. They help attract the attention of readers. They also illustrate your points, aiding your readers’ understanding.

Sometimes the visuals of a bike ride and a blog post overlap. I’ve written some blog posts, such as “Focus your blog post or lose your readers,” inspired by bike rides and illustrated by photos taken on those rides.

5. A buddy helps

I almost always bicycle with my husband. We enjoy exploring new areas together. He pushes me to bike farther than I would go on my own. He’s also my mechanic, fixing problems I can’t tackle alone.

A blogger can benefit from two kinds of buddies, in my opinion.

First, a buddy can encourage you, as I described in “How a blogging buddy can help your financial planning or investment blog” and “Blogging buddies: Financial bloggers’ secret weapons.”

Second, a virtual assistant or more technically skilled helper can manage challenges you can’t—or don’t want—to handle, as I described in “9 Ways a Virtual Assistant Can Streamline Your Financial Advisor Blogging” on Michael Kitces’ blog.

6. Sometimes you wipe out

I still remember wiping out my bicycle in the Provincetown dunes on Cape Cod. It was my first time using hand brakes. I was used to a one-speed bike on which I stopped myself by pedaling backwards. That didn’t help me as I gathered speed riding downhill. I gained my last—I hope—skinned knee of my adult years.

As a blogger, you’ll make mistakes. They’ll be less physically painful, but they’ll still sting. For example, one time I scheduled two blog posts on the same day. Other times, I’ve written posts for which I had high hopes, but they failed to attract the attention I desired. However, just as I learned to use my bike’s hand brakes, I’ve become more skillful at blogging. You will, too.

7. Good equipment and precautions help

My bicycling became more enjoyable when I upgraded from a bike with lever gears and dropped handlebars that forced me to hunch over. Now I only ride bikes with dial gears and straight handlebars. It’s so much more comfortable.

My helmet isn’t as comfortable. However, I wear it on every ride for protection.

For your blogging comfort, find a platform, such as WordPress, that’s suited to your level of technical expertise. You may also find my book, Financial Blogging: How to Write Powerful Posts That Attract Clients, helpful.

For protection, make sure that you follow best practices for website security. If you allow comments on your blog, consider getting help from an anti-spam plugin. I’ve had a good experience with the Anti-spam plug-in, which has replaced Akismet for me.

8. It helps to share the load

A well-prepared cyclist carries a heavy load. It might include a pump, spare tube, a lock, tools, and extra water. It adds up.

I’m lucky that my husband carries the extras in his backpack. My load is light—just whatever I carry in the bag strapped around my waist.

In blogging, it also helps to share the load with others. That might mean recruiting other people to post on your blog. You might use guest bloggers. Or, you can recruit other members of your firm to participate in a group blog.

Sharing the load with other bloggers eases your burden, assuming that they’re reliable. Just as I’d be disappointed if my husband left his tire repair kit at home, you won’t like it if your fellow contributors let you down. I’ve written about how to keep a group blog going in “How to manage a group blog: Financial advisor edition.” When it works well, it’s wonderful.

For me, the joy of bicycling comes from savoring each experience. I hope you find the same satisfaction with blogging.

Credit sources fairly in your financial blog posts

September 1, 2015/in blog/by Susan Weiner, CFA

You want to do the right thing when you find an interesting idea, statistic, or quote that you use on your blog. That means crediting your source. How much information must you provide?

Citation rules for blogs aren’t as clear as for books, where sources such as The Chicago Manual of Style lay out rules. I’ve developed suggestions for you based on my experience, Ann Handley’s Everybody Writes: Your Guide to Creating Ridiculously Good Content, and other resources.

1. Figure out if you’re entitled to quote the material.

Copyright and the concept of “fair use” govern your rights. The guidelines are murky. One key idea is that if you use the “heart” of the work, you’re in trouble, as explained in the “Amount and Substantiality of the Portion Used” on the University of Minnesota’s “Copyright Information and Resources” page.

You’ll find more “fair use” tips and resources in “Legal danger for financial bloggers: Two misconceptions, three resources, one suggestion.” Some sources may have their own guidelines, as discussed in “Are you crediting your OECD data properly?”

In another example, Hubspot asks that you limit quotes on your website to “no more than 75 words. This is to prevent duplicate content issues that would impact both our own organic search rankings and the other website’s,” according to Corey Eridon’s “How to Cite Sources & Not Steal People’s Content on the Internet.”

2. Name and link to your source.

At a minimum, you should name the publication or resource that’s the source of your information, whether it’s a blog, newspaper, conference presentation, or something else. Some people minimize the information, saying something like “according to The New York Times.”

I like to go further than that, naming the article and, possibly, the author.

3. Link to the source.

It’s courtesy to link to the source you’re crediting, assuming it’s available online. If your compliance professionals are uneasy about links, then make sure you follow the advice in my next tip.

4. Provide enough information for your readers to find the source on their own.

I’ve struggled with how much information to put in a citation. Then I read the suggestion in Everybody Writes that you should provide “enough information about the author and the work that someone could easily find it if the original link breaks.” Ann Handley made this suggestion in Everybody Writes’ chapter on content curation, “Curate Ethically.” I think it should apply to citations in blog posts in addition to content curation.

Handley also warns readers against linking to other people’s content using nofollow links—links that deprive the author of the linked material of a boost to their search ranking. I agree. It isn’t fair.

Providing enough information might mean giving a link to “Susan Weiner’s post, ‘How a blogging buddy can help your financial planning or investment blog’” instead of “Susan Weiner’s blog.”

Strike the right balance in giving credit to your sources!

A smart, fair strategy will boost your credibility.

Disclosure: If you click on the Amazon link in this post and then buy something, I will receive a small commission. I link only to books in which I find some value for my blog’s readers.

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Work smarter, not harder, on your blog

June 2, 2015/in blog/by Susan Weiner, CFA

You’re a busy professional. You don’t have unlimited time to devote to your investment or financial planning blog. However, if you’re blogging without a strategy or plan, you’re wasting time. Advance preparation, as I explain below, will allow you to work smarter, not harder, on your blog.

Step 1. Know your goals.

Do as I say, not as I do, when it comes to blogging. I wasted time on two earlier blogs until I found my focus in helping financial marketing professionals learn to write better.

You’ll achieve better results if you start by identifying your target audience and your topic areas. Both should align with your business focus. For example, if you offer financial planning to divorced women in their fifties or older, don’t write blog posts for millennials about how to start saving in a Roth IRA account.

Step 2. Pick the right blogging frequency

Consistency counts when you blog. Your clients won’t be impressed if you blog twice a day for one month, quarterly for a year, and then sporadically thereafter. They’ll worry that you bring the same lack of commitment to your main business, as I discussed in “Woody Allen’s wisdom for successful financial bloggers.”

Pick a posting frequency that you can stick with. Not sure how often you can post? Create a cache of posts that aren’t time-sensitive before you go public with your blog.

Step 3. Develop a process

When you develop a repeatable process for your blog, you’ll invest less energy in creating each post. This is why my book, Financial Blogging: How To Write Powerful Posts That Attract Clients gives you step-by-step instructions for the following topics:

Brainstorming ideas
Organizing your thoughts before you write
Writing your first draft
Making “big picture” edits
Making smaller edits

The book also discusses compliance, marketing, and time management.

After you develop a process that works for you, your blog posts will take shape more quickly and easily.

Step 4. Learn your blogging personality

Different approaches to blogging work best for different people. Pay attention to what works best for you, so you can do more of those things.

For example, some people enjoy writing to a detailed editorial calendar, as I described in “How to manage a group blog: Financial advisor edition.” But that approach would be like torture for me. I need some inspiration to write.

I’ve identified some techniques that work well for me. For example

Maintaining a list of potential topics in Microsoft Outlook
Mind mapping complex topics
Writing drafts in a steno pad, as described in “No batteries required: My favorite blogging technique”

Don’t force yourself to use techniques you don’t enjoy—especially when better alternatives exist.

Step 5. Get help

You don’t have to do it all yourself. For example, Sheri Iannetta Cupo of Sage Advisory Group, LLC uses the help of Wendy Vissar to create customized images for her blog, as explained in “Boost your blog with original photos: The SAGE Advisory example.” Rick Kahler of Kahler Financial uses an editor. You can use my Financial Blogging book as a source of ideas for how to overcome common challenges for bloggers.

I’m not a big fan of hiring a ghost blogger. You’ll do better by letting your personality shine through in something you’ve written. You can adapt your posts to suit your skills and preferences. For example, you can write very short, opinionated pieces. Or you can create podcasts or videos.

If you’re determined to use content written by others, check out the resources in “Ready-to-use content for financial advisors.”

It’s rare for me to take on ghost-blogging outside of ongoing relationships with larger companies. However, you can hire me to critique one of your blog posts so you can learn to improve future posts.

What are YOUR best tips?

I’d like to see your best tips for working smarter, not harder, on your blog.