Editor’s note: Gretchen Halpin is a longtime columnist with Rethinking65. Read more of her articles here.
Yes, we know … no one really likes to be asked “How’s it going?” about a project that they’re running behind on and probably haven’t thought about for a few days. Sorry! But honestly, if your firm is like most RIAs, you stay pretty busy with client meetings and follow-ups, maintaining your marketing and referral networks, and doing the coaching and mentoring needed to keep your in-office team running at top efficiency. You’ve got a lot on your plate!
So, here are some tips that can provide a few shortcuts to updating your marketing, client communication, branding and other content. Getting everything outlined in a calendar form makes it easier to move through the year in a purposeful, strategic way. (And it can also save you a few of those “Oops! I forgot about this month’s blog deadline!” moments that happen to us all, from time to time.)
Tip #1: List Your Ideal Clients and Personas
This one just makes sense; we are all bombarded with content, every single day, and the only way we can survive is to block out most of it. Naturally, we all filter content by avoiding that which doesn’t align with our interests or needs. The same is true of your content calendar: It has to be driven by the content that matches up with the type of clients and prospects you want to spend the most time with.
So, if you specialize in working with solo-practice attorneys, your calendar should include content concerning the issues facing them during the coming year. Liabilities around cybersecurity? Implications of AI for their practice? Hone in on what they need to know — and plan solid, informative content that adds value and positions you as the valuable resource you are.
Do you have plans to move into any new niches in the coming year? What content do you need to plan in order to connect most effectively?
Tip #2: Measure Your Results from Last Year
What topics in your content calendar for 2024 generated the most conversions? The highest page views and engagements? What got re-shared and liked on your social media accounts? Use this information to finetune your content schedule.
By the way, that works in two directions. First, to save time, you can repurpose and repackage your “winners” from last year to align with your strategy for 2025. Second, you can also retool your underperforming posts as short video blogs or colorful infographics that can be used to spruce up your website or a social media platform. Remember what Jonathan Swift said, 300 years ago: “Everything old is new again.” Recycling is not just about paper and plastics!
Tip #3: Build Flexibility into Your Schedule
By now, most everyone — clients included — knows when to expect the articles on tax planning, annual gifting, investment management, etc. But make sure you also leave some space on your calendar to accommodate major breaking news that could impact your clients. They’ll want to hear from you about this, and you’ll want to be ready to step into the information gap with updates and insights they can use.
Have a plan in place for, say, the first two quarters. But as the beginning of the second quarter approaches, make some time to reassess the economic, legislative, legal and investment landscape for developing topics that your clients will want to know about.
Mandatory: Connect Your Messaging to Your Target Personas
As you work on the above steps, you always have be thinking about your key clients and your target personas: What do they care about? What are their principal motivations? What are their main worries? How do they like to spend their time?
Only by knowing these qualities and attributes will you be able to consistently attract, retain, educate, inform and delight that core of clients you need to keep your practice sustainable.
We used to think in terms of a marketing funnel: Prospects go in the big end and clients come out at the bottom. But now, it’s probably more appropriate to think of your marketing cycle as a flywheel: You are continually attracting, engaging with, and providing valued services as your contacts move from strangers to prospects to clients to promoters.
Notice that the “funnel” model is static: The process moves from point A to point B, at which time it needs to start over. But the flywheel is dynamic: Constantly in a state of motion, it continually moves the process and is perpetually refreshed as new contacts are made.
The flywheel model, then, demands a steady supply of relevant, valuable content, as new people are continually engaged and drawn (we hope!) into the process. And in order to provide that content, you must constantly remain aware of how your content is connecting with those you are trying to transform, ultimately, into raving fans.
A Word about AI
As generative AI (genAI) becomes a bigger part of all our lives, it’s worth remembering that, while AI can certainly make it easier and quicker to generate content, what it can’t do is “know” your clients, personas, and niches the way you do.
In other words, while it can be a big timesaver to ask ChatGPT or a similar program to generate a list of topics or even to outline an article, nothing can replace the human touch when finalizing the content, factchecking, and authenticity of your content. Heck, you can even ask an AI assistant to provide you with background articles as you research your topics. But then you must spend the time needed to vet the articles, since algorithms will sometimes return results from dubious, outdated, or even fake sources.
Putting It All Together
A theme that runs through all the above is the importance of understanding your clientele. And isn’t that really the foundation of all good financial planning? Learn to apply your knowledge of core personas and niches to the scheduling and creation of your content, and you’ll be well on your way to a solid marketing and branding effort in 2025.
Gretchen Halpin is co-founder of Beyond AUM, which provides growth, client experience and advisor experience support to financial advisors to drive business success. A strategic visionary with over 25 years of leadership and marketing experience, including a history of starting and growing successful companies, Halpin pioneers the strategy and growth initiatives that drive success across every aspect of business while ensuring that decisions are aligned with her clients’ overall mission.
