Five Little Things for Your Monday: April 16, 2018

As this year’s hectic tax season comes to a close, it’s time to refocus on your firm’s marketing goals! If you need some help catching up, we’ve got you covered with some of our favorite articles of the week focusing on branding, content marketing and cyber security.

1. Advisors: Does Your Staff Know Your Brand? via SEI

When someone works in a business, employees tend to define the business in what they see, do or hear—what’s relevant in their world. But is that the message you want conveyed? What does it say about your brand?

Years ago, they were attending an SEI event that required a shuttle bus to and from a location. It was interesting that each time they had a new driver they would ask, “What does SEI do?” Depending on whom the driver asked, the response came back as investment management firm, investment technology firm, back office for funds and ETFs, or business solution for financial advisors (or variations on all of them). It struck them as odd at the time, but really came to consciousness when they recently asked the operations manager of a financial planning firm about their “value-add or what they did special” and the answer was “we build portfolios and invest clients’ money.”

2. 4 Reasons to Invest in Content Marketing, and How to Create an Effective Strategy [Infographic] via Social Media Today

Are you considering investing time and money into a content marketing strategy for your business? Want to better understand the benefits, and how exactly to implement a successful strategy?

Muffin Marketing share their tips for success in this infographic.

Here’s a summary of the benefits:

• Improve your SEO
• Position yourself as an authority
• Give people a reason to visit your site
• Promote your brand without being “salesy”

3. Data security lessons to take away from the Facebook hearings via Advicent

Despite the rapid velocity at which the news cycle is moving in 2018, it has been hard to miss the media uproar surrounding Facebook and how it allowed consumer data to be used and shared by third parties. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg spent multiple days fielding questions about cybersecurity from members of the house and senate, and here are some lessons to take away from those questions.

4. A 3-Step Formula for Branding and Planning via FiComm Partners

Any valuation of your firm is going to take into account the strength of your brand. Who do you stand for? What do you stand for? Is your brand strong enough to make your business sufficiently sustainable to sell or pass on?

If you’ve never built a brand before, or never created a fully blown-out marketing plan, it’s hard to know where to start. That’s why FiComm streamlined the process down to three steps.

5. How To Get More People To Refer You (To An Employer Or A Potential Costumer) via Forbes

Of all the marketing strategies that exist today, word-of-mouth has stood the test of time as one of the most underrated yet effective methods. An employer is more likely to hire from within by considering internal referrals first. We’re more likely to buy a product from our favorite blogger’ recommendation than from watching a TV ad.

Word-of-mouth is one of the most powerful ways to spread the word about your brand (and ultimately, drive your bottom line). But how do you get people talking and recommending you?

Publicity and marketing strategist Selena Soo has all the answers.

You May Also Like: Creating a Newsletter That Customers & Prospects Will Read, How To Increase Referrals With Facebook’s Recommendations Feature and Types of Keywords and How to Use Them On Your Advisor Site