Five Little Things For Your Monday: February 1, 2021

It’s the first day of February, so what better way to kick it off than with a Five Little Things article. In today’s blog find out more about utilizing the new SEC Ad rule and what that means for your marketing, how to be more productive (which we could all use after a difficult 2020!), how to have a more diverse and accessible website this year plus ways to stay on top of your editorial calendar this year.

1. Samantha Russell-Marketing for a Better World via Standard Deviations with Dr. Daniel Crosby

Chief Evangelist for Twenty Over Ten and FMG Suite, Samantha Russell recently went on the Standard Deviations podcast with Dr. Daniel Crosby to discuss marketing for financial advisors.

This is a podcast that you don’t want to miss, so tune in to hear the following questions answered, plus much more!

• Do marketers have an ethical obligation to use their powers for good?
• What is social marketing and what are some ways it can educate + help create a better world?
• What are some of the “pillars of success” shared by many timeless marketing campaigns?
• How true is the contemporary adage that “everyone is a brand?” If this holds true, how do we balance this reality with authenticity and candor?
• Are brands framing themselves more like personalities or trying to humanize themselves? How can brands navigate the thin line between being topical + seizing a moment vs. abusing their influence and taking advantage of a bad situation?
• What are the upsides and drawbacks to brands taking a particular political stance?

2. New SEC Rules Allow Financial Advisor Testimonials via U.S. News & World Report

Until recently, financial advisors have been prohibited from testimonials in their advertising, but with the new SEC Ad Rule, that has changed, which means more marketing opportunities for advisors. The ruling will allow for endorsements and testimonials, however, there will be some restrictions.  The advertisements need to prominently and clearly disclose whether the person giving the endorsement or testimonial has been compensated and whether he or she is a client.

So, proceed with caution, but make sure you are utilizing this new change to seize stronger marketing opportunities for your firm. To find out more about this ruling, check out the entire article.

3. 4 Steps to Be Passionately Productive via Financial Planning Association

Financial advisors are incredibly busy, which can make it difficult to prioritize the most important tasks. If you could be passionately productive by prioritizing your more efficient activities, then think of all you could accomplish. Here are four steps to help you be more “passionately productive.”

1. Prioritize tasks and interruptions
2. Make sure you manage your time-sensitive projects first
3. Handle your weekly deadlines
4. Take care of any loose ends

Find details about each and to be a more productive advisor this year, check out the entire article.

4. Inclusive design: 11 ways to make your website more accessible in 2021 via iMPACT

For so many of us, the internet is an incredibly crucial part of our everyday lives. However, even though it’s used constantly, connecting online isn’t always seamless, which is why it’s so important to be incredibly accessible in the coming year. These 11 tips will help you to be more inclusive and accessible this year.

1. Rethink the ways you structure your content
2. Use the correct markup on your content
3. Support the keyboard navigation
4. Design focus states that are useable
5. Don’t forget the alt text on your images
6. Don’t create images with text on them
7. Use descriptive labels and include form fields
8. Keep your copywriting nice and simple
9. Check the color contrast on your website
10. Avoid using color to showcase important information
11. Don’t use flashing UI animations

For details on each, check out the entire article and start boosting your accessibility in 2021.

5. How a Topic Cluster Strategy Can Transform Your Blogging via Three Crowns Marketing

As you know, blogging is a fantastic way to drive traffic to your website and boost your SEO rankings, however, coming up with a consistent editorial calendar can be difficult on top of everything else. So, if you want to be consistent, it’s pertinent that you are planning things out ahead of time.

This is where strong content creation frameworks come in. They can help you to stay on the right path, continuously creating content. Check out the video below that discusses the “Topic Cluster” approach and how you can use it to effectively get ahead with your blogging efforts.