Using Whitepaper Content Effectively as a Financial Advisor

Financial advisors are slowly starting to wake up to the fact that whitepaper content that covers broad topics and appeals to large audiences doesn't always work. In fact, as time goes on...it will be less and less effective.

I've written a few articles about the importance of niching yourself when it comes to marketing...

It's Time to Become the Niche Next Door

Finding Your Niche as an Advisor Will Make Your Marketing SO MUCH EASIER

...and while both might have you groaning because you don't have the time to really dig into this, I'm about to have some good news for you.

If you're an advisor who uses a compliance approved web platform, many of these have whitepaper content listed on the website. For example, when I pull up the Articles section of one of my client's FMG Suite website, I find this:

Seriously. It's amazing how much is there and the best part is that all of these articles are located on the advisor's website, so when they're shared on social media it's taking the audience back to that advisor. It's a fabulous service.

BUT.

That means it's a fabulous service for thousands of advisors because they're all sharing THE EXACT SAME THING. While these articles provide information, they do nothing to set the advisor apart in a sea of other advisors.

If you're an RIA who subscribes to other marketing services like MarketingPro or another content creator, you're kind of in the same boat. All of that is whitepaper content that thousands of other advisors are using. And while it's quick and easy...it's probably not helping you as much as it could be.

That doesn't mean these articles shouldn't be used. Far from it.

Here's how you can use whitepaper content effectively for your business:

IDEA 1

Use the articles and mix them in with your own personal blog content on social media. These articles often give great information, but they shouldn't be all you rely on. You still need to create pieces that are engaging to your niche client.

IDEA 2

Use those articles as a map or brainstorming platform for your own blog. See an article that you think would appeal to your ideal client? Great! Stumped for a blog idea? No problem. Expand on the concept the whitepaper gives you and link the original article to your custom piece. Internal links are great for SEO

IDEA 3

Tweak the piece. If you've purchased the whitepaper content, it's yours. Take what they have and modify it slightly to appeal to your ideal client. (Caution: if the piece is asking for attribution, I would not do that. But most whitepaper content that you pay to subscribe to is yours.)

Again, this all depends on you knowing who your ideal client is. At the beginning of any client relationship, I give my clients an Ideal Client Profile to fill out so we know exactly who we're targeting. Want a copy? I'm happy to send you one for FREE. Just email me at catherine@socialseedmarketing.com and I'll send it your way!