Living in an era characterized by an unprecedented information overload will be one of the areas to be covered by Mr Claudio Pannunzio, President & Founder of US based i-Impact Group in his presentation at the September 20 –October 2 American Financial Planning Association’s National Conference in San Antonio, Texas.
“Marketers relentlessly bombard us with a deluge of messages from every angle – advertising, publicity and the Internet. In response, we’ve learned how to shut off to the communication barrage to the point that the majority of messages are just blur, failing to trigger any response and generating zero return for marketers,” said Claudio Pannunzio.
“For financial advisers in the US and Australia marketing to their key audiences, there is nothing they can do to change the message-overload situation. The problem is a global phenomenon.”
“What advisers can do is connect to their audience in an intelligent manner by providing them original information that grabs their attention.”
The secret says Pannunzio is to communicate differently. Advisers need to do more than just promote their products, services and areas of expertise. They must provide valuable and authoritative content that offers solutions to problems.
Content marketing is the art of communicating with key audiences without focusing solely on selling. It involves the creation and dissemination of original and useful content aimed at educating key audiences, rather than just squarely giving them a sales pitch.
Pannunzio continued, “The ultimate goal of content marketing is to provide information on a proactive and ongoing basis; information that the target audience finds valuable and that ultimately positions the adviser as a trusted professional.”
“From Fortune 100 companies to small businesses, companies of all sizes are embracing content marketing for one reason: it works. It works because it is focused on relevancy and value – the two characteristics that separate effective communication from the
daily spam consumers have grown accustomed.”
A recent study conducted by Information Technology Services Marketing Association revealed that nearly 67% of US buyers of products and/or services reach out to vendors only after they have gathered facts and data through their own research, not vice versa.
In most cases, before an individual establishes contact with a business, he / she is already armed with information about the firm, its team and the products and strategies they offer. This new consumer attitude enables financial advisers to leverage content marketing to proactively educate prospects about investment products and strategies, industry lingo and available solutions.
Pannunzio said, “Empowering your clients and prospective new customers with knowledge that allows them to pose the right questions and get personalized answers enables you to establish a relationship of trust. That’s what content marketing is all about.”
“In essence, your clients and prospects engage in conversation with you before you even know they are interested in your services.”
Effective marketing content causes audiences to pause, read, get engaged, behave and act. In reaching out to audiences advisers should focus on creating thoughtprovoking rather than thought-leading content.
“In our information overload times, thought leadership continues to be essential, but it is no longer enough to generate appropriate reaction from your clients and prospective clients. Your content marketing strategy must prompt them to take action.”
“This could be by simply downloading your newsletter, signing up for a seminar/event, accessing significant articles or white papers or becoming your advocates,” concluded Claudio Pannunzio.