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Coming up with compelling ideas to engage your clients and prospects may seem puzzling, but the solution might be right under your nose!

 

At Quantum, one of the most common questions we get from advisors looking to create informative, engaging content for their clients is: How do I come up with ideas? While we help our advisor partners by creating monthly blog posts, emails and social media posts, as well as brainstorming ideas for their podcasts, videos, seminars and more, our most successful advisors tend to be the ones who take it upon themselves to go above and beyond with their own unique content and client outreach efforts.

 

So, what do clients want to know, and what type of content can pull them in and push them to book a meeting? The truth is, idea generation is probably easier than you may think. Let’s go over some of the best ways to generate ideas for original content that you can use to retain and attract your ideal clients.

 

 

  1. Listen to Your Clients

As Scott Drake, Quantum’s Director of Client Acquisition says, “The easiest way in the world to generate ideas for content is to answer the 10 questions your clients always ask. They’re your target audience. They know which questions pertain to them and which ones they need answers to, and if you listen closely, they’ll serve up topics to you on a silver platter.”

 

On a daily basis, your clients tell you in vivid detail the aspects of their financial plan they need the most help with, all while showcasing the gaps in their financial literacy. Odds are, if one person has a question or concern, they probably aren’t alone. You may have dozens of clients or prospects with the same concerns. Furthermore, you may be able to reach an audience who never considered those concerns, giving you the opportunity to address questions before they’re even asked. Sure, letting the ideas come to you may sound simple in theory, but in practice, it can be an extremely effective way to quickly build a lineup of subjects to cover.

 

 

  1. Watch and Read the News

When watching and reading the news, it’s only natural to hear a story and wonder: How does this affect me? As a financial advisor and a content creator, you should be following news with a different question in mind: How does this affect my clients? The current economic and political climate dictates constant change that trickles down into the wallets of your clients, and every major event could leave them wondering how they can protect themselves from a potential financial crisis. That’s where you come in, addressing those concerns and even proposing that your clients take action, meet with you and enact the steps you believe can guide them through turmoil.

 

Paying attention to the news is also the best way to gauge the interests of the general public, especially when the network news audience has heavy overlap with the target demographic for most financial professionals. Knowing your audience and its concerns is a crucial part of being both a financial professional and a content creator, and staying informed on the latest financial news can be the perfect way to remain connected.

 

 

  1. Cover Basic Financial Principles

As financial illiteracy increases, one could say it’s a major epidemic sweeping the United States, but the truth is, it has always been a problem. As an advisor or a financial professional looking to put your clients in the most advantageous positions, it’s a problem you have the power to solve, and an educational approach can be compelling, especially to prospects not yet ready for an in-person meeting.

 

This is your chance to truly establish trust with helpful facts and tips, whether that trust is with current clients or it’s with prospects looking to invest not just their money but their futures into you and your firm. You might be surprised what they find helpful, whether it’s something as simple as budgeting tips or as complex as investing or tax strategies.

 

 

  1. Explain Your Process

Part of your identity as an advisor or a business is establishing your own unique and proprietary process that you use to guide your clients and ensure that they’re in good hands. Explaining that process can be incredibly useful for web visitors, seminar attendees, blog readers or anyone you’re hoping to convert into an evangelist of your product. It can help them get to know you as a person, as well as the way you conduct business, and at the end of the day, financial services is a relationship-based industry.

 

Money is personal, and potential clients want to work with someone who they can build a connection with. Results should speak for themselves, but an exceptional ability to summarize your process and detail your plan for your clients’ assets can separate you from financial professionals who leave clients feeling unsure and uncommitted.

 

 

  1. Check Your Calendar

Again, this may sound so simple, but the calendar can often give you great ideas for content production. The end of the year is a great time to remind clients of housekeeping tasks they should be staying on top of. The beginning of the year is the perfect time to offer up some new ideas or strategies your clients may want to try. Tax season may give you an opportunity to discuss strategies that could help clients find tax-advantaged methods for protecting their wealth.

 

The possibilities are both endless and repeatable, especially as you populate your website with timely content that can be revisited every single year. Moreover, seasonal content can extend an invitation to further explore your site, continue listening to your radio show or watch your next video. There is always a place for evergreen topics, but ideas based around a specific date can be a great way to draw clients in with information that’s relevant to them at the moment.

 

 

  1. Revisit and Expand Upon Developing Ideas

As a best practice, revisiting and recycling ideas is a fantastic way to avoid running out of content topics. Maybe your idea is seasonal and based on a time of the year, such as the Medicare open enrollment period, or maybe it’s a piece of legislation that gets updated, such as the initial SECURE Act of 2019 and its 2.0 update which just took effect. There’s nothing wrong with coming back to an important and expansive topic to offer further insight you may have recently gained.

 

It’s also important to remember that your clients and prospects likely are consuming very little of the content you create. For instance, it is estimated that Facebook algorithms only allow a display of a paltry ~ 2% of your organic posts, while your emails may only have a ~21% open rate. Unless they recently attended one of your seminars or met with you in-person, it’s more likely that they’re sporadic visitors to your digital properties. It’s okay to recreate content with a different angle or different perspective which may engage someone for the first time, especially if it’s important information that you feel passionate about. Find a way to say it in a new way.

 

 

  1. Keep Your Eyes and Ears Open

As they say in radio, everything is show prep. In this case, your show doesn’t necessarily have to be your radio segment or your weekly podcast. It can be any content you create with the intention of drawing in clients and prospects. Always be prepared to address an idea you come across in your everyday life, whether you overhear a conversation at a restaurant or a family member approaches you with a personal question. Be perpetually on alert, and don’t dismiss any topic.

 

Too often, we brush off potential topics we confront throughout the day, but when the expansion of your practice is reliant upon your ability to market yourself, it’s important to recognize and remember any talking points you’d like to revisit at a later date. One of the best ways to organize these thoughts and questions that are sprinkled into your everyday life is by carrying a notepad or opening a notes tab in your phone. It can help you stay organized and retain ideas that might have otherwise been forgotten. Soon enough, you’ll build a lengthy list of reserve topics that you can refer to on a rainy day.

 

If you have any questions about creating content that’s both enlightening and engaging, please give us a call today at 800.440.1088!

 

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