They ask, you answer
Question: If you’re thinking of buying a product or service — a house, washing machine, legal advice, anything — what is the first thing you usually do? I’m guessing that, for the vast majority of us, the answer is that we’d look online.
I’m always amazed, therefore, at how many financial advice or wealth management companies whose online presence amounts to nothing more than a basic website. Although the number of advisers actively using social media is growing, there’s a still a huge proportion of firms that don’t. Even fewer companies regularly produce their own content.
Of course, it’s not compulsory for firms to grow. I often come across advisers who are happy to add just a few new clients each year through word of mouth. But for business owners who really want to build a large and profitable business — even (or perhaps especially) if their ultimate intention is to sell it — content marketing is essential.
I’ve just written a blog post for Ember Television about the part that content marketing can play in business growth. It was inspired by a book called They Ask You Answer by a businessman who transformed the fortunes of his swimming pool company by turning it into a go-to resource for anyone with questions about, yes, swimming pools.
Granted, financial advice is a very different business to selling swimming pools. But that’s not the point. Whatever the sector, clients always have questions, and they’ll ultimately take their custom to whoever answers those questions best.
So, what questions are your potential clients asking? And are you providing the answers?