What's a good elevator pitch for this blog?

Whether you're marketing your company, job hunting, or just networking, everybody needs an elevator pitch that succinctly conveys how they add value.

Even a blog needs an elevator pitch, says Darren Rowse of ProBlogger in "Write an Elevator Pitch for Your Blog."

Here's my elevator pitch for this blog:
The Investment Writing blog helps investment and wealth management professionals to communicate more effectively with their clients and prospects. The blog provides helpful communications tips and timely articles about industry topics.

How did I do with my elevator pitch? Do you have suggestions on how to improve it?

Also, if you're a blogger, please share your blog's elevator pitch along with a link to your blog..

 

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Susan B. Weiner, CFA
Check out my website at www.InvestmentWriting.com or sign up for my free monthly e-newsletter.
Copyright 2009 by Susan B. Weiner All rights reserved

Your mail has three seconds to grab your reader's attention

"The consumer decides in 3 seconds whether to trash your mail, or take 30 seconds to scan and prioritize your mail, and 3 minutes to actually sit and read it," according to a RR Donnelley Direct Marketing Tip of the Day  provided by copywriter Pat Friesen.

That's why it's so important to create a compelling subject line for your emails and a strong opening paragraph for your letters.


Related posts:
* When NOT to personalize your email's subject line  
* Boost readership of your enewsletter with powerful subject lines
* "Email Subject Lines: 15 Rules to Write Them Right"






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Susan B. Weiner, CFA
Check out my website at www.InvestmentWriting.com or sign up for my free monthly e-newsletter.
Copyright 2009 by Susan B. Weiner All rights reserved

Top three signs you should hire a freelance financial writer

Investment and wealth managers can deepen their relationships with clients, prospects, and referral sources by writing articles and white papers. Some firms do their writing in-house, while others farm it out.

Here are the top three signs you should hire a freelance financial writer for your articles and white papers
1. Articles and white papers don't get written--or take too long to finish--because the experts are too busy.
2. Your publications don't appeal to readers because they are
     a.  Too focused on features, not benefits
     b.  Poorly written in terms of style, grammar, and punctuation
3. Writing is a poor use of your employees' investment and wealth management skills 

A savvy freelance financial writer can showcase your executives' knowledge without eating up their time and energy.

Related posts:
*  Focus on benefits, not features, in your marketing
*  "Three Reasons Your White Paper May Fail to Bring in New Business"
*  Does your grammar and punctuation affect your credibility?

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Susan B. Weiner, CFA
Check out my website at www.InvestmentWriting.com or sign up for my free monthly e-newsletter.
Copyright 2009 by Susan B. Weiner All rights reserved

Fidelity expert: "CMBS Challenges & Opportunity: Are CMBS Securities Mispriced?"

By some measures, commercial mortage-backed securities (CMBS) are in good shape, according to Mark Snyderman, portfolio manager and CMBS group leader, Fidelity Investments, who presented on "CMBS Challenges & Opportunity: Are CMBS Securities Mispriced?" to the Boston Security Analysts Society on May 5. Still, he answered "No" to the big question posed by his title.


Good news: New construction and cash flow growth
Commercial property is not overbuilt, said Snyderman. In fact, in recent years, new construction has lagged the 2% growth rate needed to keep up with population growth and replacement of obsolete buildings. So, commercial property rents and occupancy should fare relatively well.


Commercial property growth has fallen from its peak. But even in 2009, Snyderman expects it will be flat or perhaps down by single digits. So, cash flow isn't much of a problem.


Problem: Lack of debt financing to squeeze mortgage borrowers
CMBS delinquency rates could rise to roughly 20 times their current level, which is below 2%, said Snyderman. Commercial real estate is suffering as debt financing becomes less available for highly leveraged properties purchased at historically high valuations. The disappearance of cheap debt financing and concerns about cash flow growth suggest that CMBS delinquencies will increase dramatically.


Pessimism will create opportunities
Investors must approach CMBS cautiously, said Snyderman. They can't rely on ratings because the ratings agencies haven't adequately reformed themselves. Instead, investors must do old-fashioned, bottom-up credit analysis on a property-by-property basis. It's also helpful to consider the "vintage" of a CMBS deal, even though there are deal-by-deal differences. 


Right now, we're in a wave of market optimism, said Snyderman. But, he predicted, a wave of pessimism will bring attractive opportunities in CMBS.

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Susan B. Weiner, CFA
Check out my website at www.InvestmentWriting.com or sign up for my free monthly e-newsletter.
Copyright 2009 by Susan B. Weiner All rights reserved

"Starting Your First Blog? 29 Tips, Tutorials and Resources for New Bloggers"

"Starting Your First Blog? 29 Tips, Tutorials and Resources for New Bloggers" by Problogger Darren Rowse is a great resource if you've just started blogging.


His resources are divided into categories including
* Starting a Blog
* Writing Blog Content
* Blog Promotion/Finding Readers
* Making Money from Blogs
* Further Resources and Reading


I'd also like to recommend Blogging Basics 101: Where there are no stupid questions.

_________________
Susan B. Weiner, CFA
Check out my website at www.InvestmentWriting.com or sign up for my free monthly e-newsletter.
Copyright 2009 by Susan B. Weiner All rights reserved