Using content to draw RIAs closer to your company

In this third of four posts on the topic of digital wholesaling and how it is proving its worth among asset managers raising assets with prospective RIAs, we explore how content is a powerful conversion tool. As we have discussed, content needs to be tailored to your buyer personas and served up in both short-term and longer lasting formats.

But for content to help convert those prospects into qualified leads and ultimately, satisfied clients, it needs to be strategically planned so that the RIAs who were initially attracted to you, are enticed to continue exploring what else you have to say.

What all RIA buyer personas have in common is that they are looking for the next set of information. Basically, your content must promise rich insights and information to get the advisor to click further. You can do this through several means, but the following are time-tested and proven actions that are extremely effective:

1. Calls-to-action bring your RIA leads from point A to point B. Once prospects have finished consuming content like a blog post, web page or video, the next step is to continue drawing them further down the funnel. Typically, this means leading the advisor to click a link for additional content or a register button to learn more. This is one reason why it so important to develop a content strategy before starting your Inbound program. Each piece of content should lead to another so that the RIA’s experience is easy and natural.
   
   
2. Landing pages are one-page sites that are typically linked to from a call-to-action. They are uniquely designed to introduce the advisor to new content and information. Landing pages contain persuasive copy that encourages the advisor to look at your next piece of content in the marketing funnel. While landing pages are generally stand-alone pages, they are usually designed to mirror an asset manager’s core website so that the advisor has a consistent experience.
   
   
3. Gated content is any content that is “protected” and only made available in exchange for certain contact information. Often, this content will live within a landing page and can come in the form of white papers, videos, eBooks, infographics, or tip sheets. Unlike blog posts or web pages, gated content is generally longer and provides greater depth on a given subject. The request for contact information can be as simple an unobtrusive as an advisor’s name and email address. Longer form fields that ask for information about the advisor’s practice or areas of greatest interest, may provide you with deeper insight into your prospect’s needs, but long forms can also chase away advisors who aren’t ready to disclose more information.

Let’s recap what you’ve done so far with Inbound and briefly walk through the steps of conversion: you have identified the RIA buyer personas that would be interested in your firm’s offerings. Next, you have been diligent and strategic about posting content that attracts. You post at least twice a month on your blog and social media platforms with content designed to have a short life and be relevant to what is happening today, and you have added longer-lasting evergreen content to your website. Your analytics bear out that you are right on track. And you have included a call to action at the end of every post and tweet, and on key web pages.

These are a few examples of different types of calls to action you might use:

• “Here’s another blog post you may find interesting”
• “To read the entire article, click here”
• “For more information, listen to our webinar on…”
• “Sign up for our e-newsletter to make sure you always get the latest information”
• “Download our white paper”
• “Watch our video”

These calls-to-action will take your reader to a landing page that introduces the white paper, webinar, e-newsletter, and importantly, will contain a form to capture their contact information. Not all information will be gated (blogs, for instance, are not gated). Inbound uses a combination of openly accessible and gated content. The open content is designed to have your prospect wanting more, and that “more” will eventually only be available in the form of gated content. 

This is the conversion process of Inbound and you can see the important role that content plays in nurturing a digital relationship with your prospective RIAs and drawing them closer as they become qualified leads.

Our next post will explore the role of content in helping close prospects and making them long-lasting happy clients. We will discuss the various Inbound stages and the strategic direction for each step. For a refresher on the Inbound method and other resources on digital wholesaling, visit our website here.