"101 Five-Minute Fixes to Incrementally Improve Your Web Site"

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“Stress benefits. Ensure that your copy always shows users exactly how your site will benefit them.”

That’s fix number 4 of “101 Five-Minute Fixes to Incrementally Improve Your Web Site” and it’s a good one. If the people who visit your website don’t find benefits, rather than just features, they’re likely to flee.

But fixing a website that’s missing benefits is likely to take more than five minutes. It’s often difficult for the website owner to put their business’ benefits into words. Getting feedback from outsiders can often help ensure that you’re on the right track.

Should you use "Track Changes" as you edit articles?

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Microsoft Word’s “Track Changes” feature highlights insertions and deletions that different people make in your document. Should you use it as you get input on your article, white paper, investment commentary or other piece?

I like my clients to use Track Changes to show me their edits. But I prefer to turn it off on the versions I send them.

When my clients use Track Changes, I can study their changes to improve my insights into their topic as well as their likes and dislikes. Also, Track Changes shows me where to concentrate my scrutiny of their revisions. Sometimes clients inadvertently introduce typos, grammatical errors, or other problems.

If you become my client, I probably won’t use Track Changes when I send my revisions to you. I believe it’s easier for you to assess my work without the distraction of insertions and deletions in red. In addition, I don’t want to bore you with the minutiae of whether “which” should replace “that.” However, I’ll alert you in my cover note–or using Word’s “Comment” feature, if I have questions.

I’m writing about this topic because of an interview I heard on National Public Radio with the co-authors of a new book on the brain. One of the authors said something like this:

We made a rule that we weren’t going to use Track Changes when we passed changes back and forth because if a change wasn’t important enough to notice, then it wasn’t important enough to complain about.

What’s your preference about Track Changes? Why?

How to get a portfolio manager’s attention, and other email tips from an investment marketing consultant

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It’s not easy getting portfolio managers to open your emails. That’s why investment marketing consultant Jen Dunning sometimes writes her email subject lines completely in capital letters.

“INVESTMENT COMMENTARY – PLEASE APPROVE BY JUNE 30” grabs the reader’s attention where a meeker “Please approve by June 30” would not. Note that she puts her key action verb, “approve,” and its object, “investment commentary,” in the subject line. That also boosts her emails’ effectiveness.

But limit your use of all-capitals subject lines to rare instances of pressing need with people who work for your own organization. You risk irritating your recipient if you use all-caps too often. It flouts the rules of email etiquette and is considered “shouting.”

Some additional email tips from Dunning:

  • Save your pleasantries for the end of your email because busy readers want to get to the point right away
  • Before you attach an Excel file, name it and insert page breaks and headers and footers, including page numbers and total number of pages

 

Producing investment pitch books without losing your mind, and other advice from Margaret Patterson

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Designer Margaret Patterson’s posts about investment management pitch books were among the most popular on my previous blog. Her tips can make producing these important marketing materials less stressful.

Here are links to her posts.

Contact Margaret by posting a comment on this blog. Or, if you’re a potential client, call her at 617-971-0328.

Writing Sample: "Don’t Get Stuck Paying Extra Taxes"

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The subject line “Don’t Get Stuck Paying Extra Taxes” compelled me to open the e-mail.

That’s the power of a subject line that tells the reader “what’s in it for me.”

I opened the latest e-newsletter from Westchester Mortgage even though I was pretty sure I’m not making any dumb tax mistakes with my house. I was right. The article warned readers to be careful when using money from a retirement account to buy a house. Luckily, I don’t have to worry about that. I’ve been in my house more than 15 years.

Try to put yourself in your readers’ shoes when you compose an e-mail subject line. Your effort could increase your readership.

"Is Spelling Overrated?"

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Direct marketing guru Bob Bly recently asked “Is Spelling Overrated?” on his blog.

I don’t think so. Good spelling won’t win over new clients. But sentences rife with misspellings may make the reader wonder if you’re similarly sloppy with their money.

It’s one thing to have typos in the quick emails you send to your employees, as Bly points out. Quite another to tolerate them in formal communications to clients and prospects.

People often write “it’s” where “its” should be. “It’s” is short for “it is.” “Its” is the possessive form of “it.” This trips up many people because of the exception to the rule that you form a possessive by adding an apostrophe followed by the letter “s.”

English is a challenging language for spellers. Get someone else to proofread your most important written communications.

Tips for writing case studies

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Case studies can be powerful tools for the wealth management professionals who’re allowed to use them.

A case study typically starts with a presentation of a client problem–something that’s causing the client pain. The problem is followed by the solution, and then the client results. When prospective clients recognize themselves in the problem, you’ve grabbed their attention.

In “How to Write a Case Study” (available for download without registering) consultant Toby Younis lays out the steps for writing a case study. If you’d like to try doing it yourself, you may find his list of questions on page 12 particularly helpful.

However, don’t write an investment management case study. That falls under the SEC’s prohibition against testimonials.

Writing sample: Nice short sentences from Wall Street Journal’s "Ahead of the Tape"

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A couple of short sentences can be a great way to draw a reader into your article or investment commentary.

I like how the Wall Street Journal’s “Ahead of the Tape” column started yesterday.

Stocks have had a nice run these past couple of months. The downside: They may no longer be a bargain.

Notice also the nice conversational tone of the writing.

Thank you, Boston Women in Finance!

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Members of Boston Women in Finance made my experience enjoyable when I presented my one-hour workshop on “How to Write What People Will Read about Investments” yesterday.

Here’s some of their feedback on my presentation:

  • “Although brief, packed with very useful takeaways!”
  • “Susan was able to fit in an hour what people spend days learning in conferences”
  • “Susan reminded me to remember my audience and to listen to my ideas”
  • I learned “a new thought process for brainstorming” and “ways to make my market piece more direct and to the point”

Use personal stories in your communications

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“In a sea of competition, you’ve got to capitalize on what makes you unlike anyone else.”

This advice from “Feel Great Naked: Confidence Boosters for Getting Personal” is aimed at bloggers. The author urges them to share personal stories. But it also applies to financial advisors, especially solo practitioners or small firms, when you communicate with your clients and prospects.

Sharing your personality—and even a bit of your personal story—can help you connect with your clients.

One advisor’s personal story

For example, in a sales letter, one salesman shared his story of how his family had suffered needlessly because of an estate planning mistake. That mistake fueled his passion for bringing new clients to his firm. After sharing that story, the letter shifted to discussing the benefits his firm could offer his prospects.

I’ll bet that personal story prevented some prospects from dropping the salesman’s letter into their wastebaskets.

Sharing your personal stories to connect

Don’t focus your communications exclusively on yourself. Ultimately, your client or prospect will care more about the WIIFM (“what’s in it for me”). But a bit of sharing can create a connection that goes deeper than dollar and cents.

Any financial advisor can heed this advice in one-on-one meetings. It’s more challenging when you work for a large firm and you get into written communications. There’ll probably be a company-wide communications policy that sets an impersonal tone. This gives an opening for advisors with smaller firms to outmaneuver their colleagues at larger firms.

Have you tried taking a personal tack? I’d like to learn what your experience has been.

If you enjoyed this post, you may also enjoy my two-part series on “How to add personality and warmth to your financial writing.”

NOTE: I updated this post in Jan. 2017.

 

Image courtesy of Master isolated images at FreeDigitalPhotos.net.