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Showing posts with label social media. Show all posts
Showing posts with label social media. Show all posts

Sunday, December 5, 2010

November on the Investment Writing blog


If you’re not visiting my Investment Writing blog in its new location, you missed the following posts in November:



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Copyright 2010 by Susan B. Weiner All rights reserved

Saturday, October 2, 2010

October updates to the Investment Writing blog


If you’re not visiting my InvestmentWriting blog in its new location, you’ve missed the following posts over the last month:



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Copyright 2010 by Susan B. Weiner All rights reserved

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Financial blogging lessons from The Poetry Home Repair Manual: Tips for more compelling posts

"The titles and the first few lines of your poem represent the hand you extend in friendship toward your reader. They’re the first exposure he or she has, and you want to make a good impression."
-- Ted Kooser, The Poetry Home Repair Manual: Practical Advice for Beginning Poets

This Ted Kooser quote applies to financial blog posts as well as to poems. Financial posts and poetry aren’t often mentioned in the same sentence. However, both forms of writing will win or lose readers on the basis of first impressions. So, I’d like to share tips for financial bloggers based on the “First Impressions” chapter of Kooser’s book.

1. Use your title to set your readers’ expectations
. Give up bland titles, such as "401(k) plans" in favor of titles that give your audience a reason to read. For example, my title for this post identifies my target audience – financial bloggers – and the benefit I believe they’ll receive – more compelling posts. "Titles are very important tools for delivering information and setting expectations," as Kooser says. Instead of "401(k) plans," consider something like "Three ways you can get more out of your 401(k) plan."

2. Don’t lead with boring information
. Put your background information somewhere other than your opening lines. Too often, as Kooser says, bloggers – like poets – start with “information that really is not essential but is there because it was a part of the event that triggered the poem. It’s the background story, and it may not be necessary for us to know it to appreciate the poem.”

3. Deliver on your promise. For example, if your title and first paragraph promise 401(k) tips, don’t switch midstream to discussing online checking accounts.

4. Write in a consistent style. If you drew in your blog readers with a warm, conversational style, you’ll lose them when you switch to a cold, institutional style. As Kooser says, "If a poem begins with three lines of strict iambic pentameter, a reader will be disconcerted if that forceful rhythm is abandoned in the fourth line."


5. Be aware of your "voice." Kooser describes "voice" or "presence" as "the person we not only hear, but intuit to be behind the words." For example, I think my voice is friendly, conversational, and reflects a genuine desire to help financial advisors communicate better with their clients. Voice is communicated by your writing style as well as your content.

Try applying one--or all--of these tips in your next financial blog post!

Related posts
* Start with a good lead, or lose your reader

* Financial writers, lead with your message, not your source

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Copyright 2010 by Susan B. Weiner All rights reserved

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Six lessons from the CFA Institute’s conference tweets

You can learn some lessons for how to tweet a conference from the CFA Institute. It has done things right as it timed its Twitter debut to coincide with its annual conference. But there’s still room for improvement.

Lesson 1:  Deploy a team. The CFA Institute mobilized a team of 14 people to report on its three-day conference. One person will burn out if she or he tries to cover every session. Plus, it’s impossible for one person to cover concurrent sessions.

Lesson 2: Use a hashtag. The hashtag #CFA2010 allowed people to find conference tweets by both official and unofficial sources.

Lesson 3: Complement your tweets with blog posts. You can’t say much of substance in a line of 140 characters or less. You’ll engage your conference attendees more deeply when some of your tweets lead them to blog posts. Tweets may be the sizzle that leads some reader to the steak. Read the CFA Institute's 2010 conference blog.

Lesson 4: Decide on a strategy for engaging with fellow Twitter users.  The CFA Institute included non-staff #CFA2010 tweets in the Twitter feed. It might also have engaged with other people tweeting about the conference.

I may have overlooked something, but I didn’t see any CFA Institute Twitter users getting into conversations on Twitter. On the other hand, there aren’t many CFA charterholders on--or even knowledgeable about--Twitter. “You can tweet, although I don’t know what that means,” joked John Rogers, the CFA Institute’s President and CEO, to widespread laughter when he introduced the conference’s Monday morning sessions.

Lesson 5: Monitor the back channel. This isn’t an issue for the CFA Institute yet, but it’s becoming more of an issue, as reflected in the publication of The Back Channel: How Audiences Are Using Twitter and Social Media and Changing Presentations Forever by Cliff Atkinson. The CFA Institute kept its eyes on the back channel by featuring #CFA2010 tweets on its conference blog and on screens at the conference. 


Lesson 6: Go multimedia. Some folks like to take in their information in written form. Others prefer audio and video. The CFA Institute did a great job of getting its headline speakers interviewed on camera by reporters and tweeting the interviews as they became available online. It has also gradually fed the interviews onto its blog.

Congratulations CFA Institute on a conference well-tweeted!


Related posts:
* My blog posts related to #CFA2010

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Copyright 2010 by Susan B. Weiner All rights reserved

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Pull your white papers into the year 2010


Investment and wealth managers, you can get a lot more mileage out of your white papers today.

How's that?

Don't forget about the content once it's up on your website. Reuse it using social media.

Recycle as blog posts
White paper content can be recycled into blog posts. In some cases, you can pluck a few paragraphs and drop them into your blog "as is." However, most of the time, you'll need to frame and re-write the content. I've been doing this recently for a white paper client.  

Another possibility: Send your white paper to a blogger whom you respect. Offer to answer questions about your topic on the other person's blog. Check out "How to guest-blog on personal finance or investments," if you'd like to explore this option

Tweet it--and don't forget LinkedIn
It's a no-brainer to tweet the availability of your white paper. Smart marketers go beyond this. They tweet intriguing excerpts, keeping them short enough to be retweetable. Pithy quotes are popular on Twitter.

Remember, tweets are also great fodder for LinkedIn updates. While you're over at LinkedIn, you may also want to raise a question in a Group related to your white paper topic.

Go multimedia
Different members of your audience prefer to take in content in different ways. So, also consider turning your white papers into podcasts, videos, or interactive webinars.

Related posts
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Copyright 2010 by Susan B. Weiner All rights reserved

Thursday, June 3, 2010

My May blog posts by category: Blogging, economy/investments/wealth management, marketing, social media, writing

Did you notice that I went wild in May, posting every day as part of the Word Count Blogathon? For your convenience, I'm listing my May posts by category.


Blogging
Economy, investments, and wealth management
Marketing
Social media
Writing
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Copyright 2010 by Susan B. Weiner All rights reserved

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Six tips for slogging through blogging: Lessons from the Blogathon

“How can I force myself to blog regularly?”

The investment and wealth managers in my blogging teleclass often ask this question. I grappled with this challenge during the Word Count Blogathon, for which I committed to post daily. So now’s a good time for me to share tips with you.

Tip 1: “Set it and forget it.” Most blogging platforms allow you to schedule blog posts in advance. This potentially lets you put your blog on auto-pilot when you’re busy. During the Blogathon I learned how to take automation one step further. I set HootSuite to tweet my blog posts without human intervention. Read about "How to Add an RSS Feed" using HootSuite.

Tip 2: Blog when the spirit moves you, whether or not your schedule requires you to post. It’s much easier for me to blog when I’m in the mood. On a good day I can push out three or more blog posts. To help me write regardless of location, I always carry a spiral-bound notebook or pad of paper. It’s worthwhile jotting down blog ideas, not only full-fledged posts. It’s much easier to blog when you don’t face a blank PC screen or piece of paper.

Tip 3: Write posts that are “evergreen” or tied to a future event, so you’ll have material to post when you’re too busy to write. “Evergreen” articles aren’t time-sensitive. Like a pine tree, they don’t lose their attractiveness with the changing of the seasons.

I scheduled a bunch of evergreens to run between May 16 and May 31, when I was distracted by attending the CFA Institute’s annual conference and going on vacation out West.

Blog posts tied to events such as the April 15 tax deadline or the August-September “back to school” season aren’t evergreen. But they can be written and scheduled long before a timely date for posting.

Tip 4: Keep it short. Short blog posts are okay. Just pick one point and explain it. This is how I dealt with Jeremy Grantham’s wide-ranging presentation to the FA Institute’s annual conference. Having trouble writing economically about your topic? Slice it narrower.

Tip 5: React to online articles or blog posts. Notice when you have strong feelings upon reading something. Your passion makes it easier for you to jot down a quick blog post that links to the original article. Links spare you the need to describe the other author’s position in detail. However, it’s kind to your reader to briefly summarize what sparked your blog post.

Tip 6: Hire someone to type your blog posts if you dictate or write your drafts on paper. I drafted this post on a plane to Las Vegas. Later I scanned it for my virtual assistant to type. Or follow the suggestion that Bill Winterberg of the FPPad blog gives in the comments below.

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Copyright 2010 by Susan B. Weiner All rights reserved

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Using CFP in your Twitter name--Read the CFP Board's position

Using a term such as CFP in your Twitter name makes sense as a marketing strategy for financial advisors. It immediately identifies you as a credentialed professional. However, it also means you're violating the CFP Board's rules.

Twitter alerted me to this issue. When I dug into the CFP Board's Guide to Use of the CFP Certification Marks, I discovered that point 1.7 says "CFP certificants may not own or use an email address or internet domain name that includes the CFP mark." (Sorry CFP Board, I don't know how to make the (R) mark appear in a Blogger blog). 

Here are some examples from the CFP Board of proper and improper use of their mark.


A Twitter name isn't an email or a URL. But Twitter does make the name into a URL following the format http://twitter.com/TWITERNAME.

I contacted @CFPBoard to ask if a Twitter name using CFP would violate its rules. Here's the reply:







It sounds as if the CFP Board is open to your feedback about using CFP in Twitter names. So shoot SLaBonte an email, if you'd like to be heard.
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Copyright 2010 by Susan B. Weiner All rights reserved

Thursday, May 20, 2010

The compliance-constrained advisor's guide to LinkedIn, Part II: Status updates

Your LinkedIn status updates are powerful reminders of your existence to clients, prospects, and referral sources. You can use them in ways that even compliance officers can love.


My top three suggestions are to use materials that are already compliance-approved, share your professional interests, and share your professional interests.


1. Use compliance-approved materials


Every firm has materials that are approved for use with the general public. It could be your quarterly investment commentary, a newsletter, or even a brochure. Take advantage of this information by writing about it in your status update line.


You can say something as bland as "Check out our 2nd quarter market commentary at http://..." or spice it up by asking a provocative question and following the question with a link. Check with your compliance officer to learn how much you can say without raising his or her anxiety.


2. Share your professional interests


You can mention professional meetings that you're attending or topics that you're reading about. 

Let's say you're trying to attract clients with complex estate planning needs. Your prospects will probably feel reassured to learn that you're reading journal articles and attending panels on these topics. Your update about an upcoming event may lead to your referral source setting an appointment to meet you there.

You can also share company news, such as the hiring of a new relationship manager or the debut of a new product.


3. Share your personal interests


People like to do business with people whom they like. Share your volunteer interests, hobbies, or even something that makes you smile. It'll help people to develop a connection with you.

Compliance note: For more on the compliance aspects of social media, check out Bill Winterberg's excellent article in the Journal of Financial Planning, accessible to non-members only during the month of May. Chad Bockius' "LinkedIn Compliance Self-Assessment" focuses on compliance for registered reps. Both articles point to the importance of monitoring and archiving social media activity.

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Copyright 2010 by Susan B. Weiner All rights reserved

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

If you enjoy my #CFA2010 tweets...

...you may also enjoy my free monthly e-newsletter with practical tips for your client communications. You'll also find at least one investment or wealth management article. 

I often report on presentations to the Boston Security Analysts Society, so you know you'll see topics of interest to CFA charterholders.

Topics in the May 2010 issue included
  • Watch out for inflation, says veteran value investor, Jean-Marie Eveillard
    Treasurys vs. Treasuries--Which is the right spelling? 
  • How to guest-blog on personal finance or investing 
  • Poll: How do you sign your business emails? 
  • Last month's reader poll about ghostbloggers 
  • Morgan Creek Capital's Yusko on investing
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Copyright 2010 by Susan B. Weiner All rights reserved

Friday, May 7, 2010

Spice up your blog with free or low-cost photos

A photo can make the difference between whether someone reads--or skips--your financial blog post.

Here are some free or low-cost sources for photos you can use in your blog and elsewhere. 

  1. stock.xchg -- I've used this source without any problems
  2. Flickr's Creative Commons licensed content
  3. morgueFile
  4. RGBStock.com
Make sure you carefully read--and abide by--the licensing agreements for each photo. Photos on the same website may have different requirements.
 

I learned about some of these sources from @LawWriting and @ErikSherman. Thanks, Marilyn and Erik!

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Copyright 2010 by Susan B. Weiner All rights reserved

Thursday, May 6, 2010

How I've benefited from Twitter

"Has being active in social media helped you grow your business?"

This question from a wealth manager set me thinking. Most of my new business still comes through old-fashioned referrals from people whom I've met face-to-face. But that's changing thanks to social media, especially Twitter. There's no doubt that my Twitter has helped my business. I see three main benefits.
 

#1 Bigger network of experts
When I've got a problem to solve, I can now call on a much bigger network of experts for help. This has been especially helpful with my technology challenges, where @RussThornton, @BillWinterberg, @RussellDunkin, @Blano, and @KristenLuke have been particularly helpful. This is just a sampling of my expert sources. There are many, many other experts on Twitter whom I've learned from.


#2 Bigger pool of prospective clients
Twitter has expanded my newsletter circulation, which is an important source of new clients. For example, most of my teleclass students have been newsletter subscribers for awhile. I've consistently gained more new subscribers post-Twitter than pre-Twitter.


One of my favorite clients found me through Twitter, got to know me better through my newsletter, and then became a client.


# 3 Convenient way to network and socialize
Twitter keeps me from feeling isolated as a solo entrepreneur. It also suits my style. I can hop off a work project for 10 minutes, read and chat with some folks, and then settle back to work. I don't need to spend an hour schlepping into Boston on the commuter rail and then an hour coming back.
 

Feeling happier from brief spurts of socializing help me to focus better when I'm doing actual work.

There are other benefits, too. But these three are enough to keep me tweeting.
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Copyright 2010 by Susan B. Weiner All rights reserved

Sunday, April 18, 2010

How to guest- blog on personal finance or investments, Part II: Blogs that accept guest posts from financial advisors

Guest posts can launch investment and wealth managers into the blogosphere. This follow-up to "How to guest-blog on personal finance or investments, Part I," gives you names of blogs to target for guest posts. 

Investment blogs that accept guest posts
The granddaddy of investing blogs is Seeking Alpha, which publishes its submission guidelines. To be considered you must "Write about a  stock, sector, ETF or theme that is actionable for U.S.-based investors." 

Advisor Perspectives isn't a blog. But it publishes blog-like--and much longer--commentaries from registered investment advisors on "the market, the economy, or investment strategy," according to its submission guidelines. Disclosure: I occasionally have the pleasure of writing for Advisor Perspectives, although I write for them as a reporter rather than as a commentator. 

Personal finance blogs that accept guest posts

Wise Bread, which reports receiving one million page views monthly, provides its writers' guidelines on its "Guest Writer Showcase." Thanks to Aaron Pinkston of Clarifinancial for bringing this site to my attention. 

Jeff Rose of Good Financial Cents likes Wise Bread, too. He also shared the names of some additional blogs where he has been a guest, including
* Get Rich Slowly   
* Consumerism Commentary
* Cash Money Life
* Moolanomy
* Bargaineering  

Other blogs worth targeting
Your business niche may also have blogs that will accept your posts and help you educate your target audience.


Through my work with fiduciary advisors, I've become familiar with the fi360 blog. @Fiduciary360 told me that guest posts may be possible. However, "I should say that we'd want exclusive content from a guest blogger. We'd rather just link if it's on their blog as well."

Another potential target: your local newspaper's blog. Its reach may be small, but it could yield some great prospects close to your office. 

What else?
Have I missed any great tips for guesting between this post and my earlier post on this topic? Please chime in. I'd like to learn from you.
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Copyright 2010 by Susan B. Weiner All rights reserved

Friday, April 16, 2010

How to guest-blog on personal finance or investments, Part I: Your approach

Some financial advisors wonder if they can crank out a steady flow of compelling blog posts week after week. Before you make the commitment, consider testing your abilities by writing for other people's personal finance or investment blogs.

Some blogs publish their submission guidelines, so you know exactly how to apply to be a guest blogger. Others don't. But there's a simple process you can follow to propose a guest role. 

Step 1. Study the blog to figure out its audience and topical focus. 

Step 2. Come up with a topic.  Your description of your topic should identify the main point you're trying to make and why readers will care about it. In "How to Write Blog Posts People Will Read: A 5-Week Teleclass for Financial Advisors," you'll get help developing a strong topic. 

Step 3. Email the blogger to suggest a guest post. A strong proposal will include the following:
      a. Your understanding of the host blogger's audience and focus
      b. Your topic and why it will appeal to the blog's audience
      c. A brief bio to establish your credibility
      d. Your contact information

It isn't necessary to send your completed blog post right away. In fact, I think it's better not to send it unless requested by the blog's owner submission guidelines. 

A proposal lets the blog owner give you suggestions about how to adapt your idea to their needs. If you enroll in "How to Write Blog Posts People Will Read: A 5-Week Teleclass for Financial Advisors," you'll get my personalized feedback on your draft inquiry for guest blogging.

Financial advisors, you will get names of blogs that accept investment and personal finance guest posts in Part II of "How to guest-blog on personal finance or investments."

Related posts
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The next session of "How to Write Blog Posts People Will Read: A Five-Week Teleclass for Financial Advisors" starts April 22. Sign up to receive my free monthly newsletter.
Copyright 2010 by Susan B. Weiner All rights reserved.