Tag: Marketing Team

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Project Management Time Management

Doing More of What Really Matters 

The book, Essentialism – The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown struck a chord with us when we think about marketing for our clients. The premise of the book is to understand what’s essential to what you do and focus on that. It’s not the pursuit of doing less, it’s the pursuit of doing more of what really matters. Read on to learn how this applies to asset manager marketing.  

It’s All About Raising Capital 

There’s a lot of marketing that’s done today simply because people think it should be done. But much of it doesn’t go to the end of raising capital for asset managers. Our approach is to take some of the principles from Greg McKeown’s book and apply them to our clients to help them focus on pursuing what really matters – which is raising capital. We review our clients’ marketing programs and plans to ensure they support their capital raising efforts and goals. 

Syncing Sales and Marketing 

A key way we do this is by syncing marketing efforts with the sales team, and understanding what their needs are. As we evaluate marketing pieces, create strategies and draft content, we think through how we can help the sales team have better conversations with advisors. What objections can we address head on? What product structure complexity can we explain? What differentiator can we highlight? What is the story we’re telling about the product and asset class? This is essential work and should be the focus of any marketing team in the alternative investment industry.  

Using Time Wisely 

Another aspect of Essentialism we practice with clients is the best use of time – who is best suited to do which tasks. We are skilled at developing marketing strategies, writing content and creating compelling designs to help asset managers stand out with financial advisors and capture mindshare. We bring these contributions to your firm often alongside marketing teams you have in-house – and even alongside other marketing firms that are handling other aspects of your firm’s business.  

Our Essential Role 

We see our essential role as consulting you on industry best practices and trends, pushing you ahead of your competitors in awareness of your brand and investment offerings and starting conversations with advisors that open doors for your sales team. Your internal team may be best suited to navigate the materials review process at your firm, provide background information to us, manage your email program and plan events. We can do these things for our clients, but our essential work comes in the insights we offer that no one else at your firm has the time, experience or background to offer. Our goal is to make our clients’ investment in Marketing Intent go the furthest.  

If you’d like to explore further how we can support your firm’s capital raising efforts and focus on what is essential as far as marketing goes, reach out to us. 

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Email

Email Is Not Dead

Did you know email is not dead? It just needs to evolve.   

Evolving Your Email 

We recently learned that wifi wasn’t initially adopted. With the obsession to find a wifi network, get a wifi password and check to see if a location we’re vacationing to is wifi friendly, this is surprising. But the reason why is because the icon that you click on to get to wifi was static initially so people ignored it. Once the icon became dynamic, people adopted the technology far more readily and started to seek it out. Email is much the same way. 

For example, in an email promoting a webinar, there’s often a static “Register Now” button – and no movement. To engage more people, this button can be flashing to get them to notice it and take action. Or within the email, movement can be added to garner attention in other ways too…like a reel of photos going across the top, animated gifs.  

Completing Actions Within the Email 

Another way emails are evolving is by adding actions that can be completed within the email itself. We’ve gotten away from “Click Here” or “Go to another page” because nobody wants to take the time to go to the other page. They want to do what they need to do within the email now. Email automation systems have evolved to help support this trend, offering new ways to keep email effective and vibrant.  

Despite marketing trends and fads, email has shown it has staying power. It just needs to continue to evolve to keep advisors’ attention. 

If you would like help evolving your emails, reach out to us at Marketing Intent. 

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Copywriting

One Email, One Story, One Topic 

One email, one story, one topic. Let me break this down for you. Most asset managers use email quite a bit and we’re proponents for it, because we see it working effectively. But there are some keys to it that are very important to hone. Attention spans are limited. So make sure your emails focus on one story and one topic. 

What’s Your Story?

Every asset class has a story behind it – self-storage, industrial, multi-family, etc. And oftentimes, it’s based on the demand drivers behind an asset class. Or an asset manager’s investment approach. Which demand/supply dynamics or a unique take on an asset class could you educate advisors on? That is your story.  

Focus on One Topic

Now, boil your story down even further to one topic to help educate advisors. For example, choose one factor that drives demand or one unique aspect of your investment philosophy and focus on that.  

Avoid Jargon

As you write the copy for your one story/one topic email, keep it simple and easily digestible. Keep the jargon out of it. Avoid complex terms and superficial language (aka fluff) that doesn’t say anything. People have a very short attention span…don’t waste any attention your email may have garnered on an advisor deciphering what the text means. Keep language simple, and get right to the point.  

Keep It Short

Most emails should be able to be seen in their entirety on your computer screen. Don’t make advisors scroll…and scroll…and scroll to read the email. Engage advisors immediately with short, compelling content – strong copywriting and headlines – and high-quality visuals and you’re more likely to get them to commit to reading your email in full.  

If you need help making your emails more impactful, we’d be happy to help. 

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PowerPoint Presentations

Don’t Be Held Hostage by PowerPoint

A client we recently worked with was frustrated with their PowerPoint presentations.

Every slide was an image created by a graphic designer appearing very polished (and very hard to update).

Problems with PowerPoint

We get it. You want your presentations to be on brand and look amazing. But that doesn’t make sense when you have regular updates to make – like that last minute change from the CEO before a webinar – and you’re frantically calling an outside designer for a revision because you can’t make it yourself.

Pasting in images instead of using native PowerPoint functionality takes away PowerPoint’s…well, power. PowerPoint is meant to be a support program to make your life easier and not hold you hostage and limit your flexibility and productivity. It’s meant for you to easily update presentations. And when set up correctly, it’s like a right-hand man that can make you far more efficient.

Maximizing PowerPoint’s Functionality

Learn about the functionality that is built into PowerPoint and utilize it. One of the amazing things about PowerPoint is the master slides function. Master slides allow you to apply your brand to the template, set fonts, heading styles, a color palette, spacing, bullet styles, etc. You can set up various types of slides as well, like a cover, a content slide and a diver slide. There are very detailed settings that can be created to help you maintain your branding.

Although, branding alone does not help you raise capital. Branding is important (obviously) but if a bullet’s off or a logo is placed a little bit too low on a page, it’s not going to affect an advisor’s ability to understand or bring capital in the door. It’s a balance between maintaining brand standards to a T and ensuring you’re positioning your firm in a way that allows you to develop and deliver clear messaging to advisors on your offering that generate sales conversations.

Making PowerPoint More Efficient

How do we make our clients’ PowerPoint presentations more efficient? We always start with the master slides. Behind the scenes, it sets the stage for more efficient work going forward and less management team disappointment in timeliness of updates. We call this “being kind to your future self” because you’ll be able to be nimbler with changes and more responsive to requests for changes from management and the sales team.

We design as many elements as possible in the native PowerPoint platform. These can be supplemented with designed graphics, but any element that may change frequently we suggest keeping in PowerPoint.

We also convert charts of data to native PowerPoint charts that are linked to Excel files…another big time saver and a play that helps non-designers be more self-sufficient in PowerPoint.

A lot of people dislike PowerPoint, but if you’re using it correctly, it’s actually a great tool. When you put the work in behind the scenes, it’s easier, it’s smoother, and it just works better to help support your marketing goals.

Do your PowerPoint presentations need an overhaul? Do you need help making them more user friendly? We would love to work with you to provide suggestions on how you can improve your presentations and improve your relationship with PowerPoint. Contact us today.

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Content

Zero-Click Content

Man drinking coffee on laptop

If something says, “Read Here,” are you apt to click? Or does that call to action make you feel inconvenienced or bored and you move on?

Let’s discuss zero-click content, an emerging trend in marketing that requires – you guessed it – zero clicks to access content.

People Are Becoming Click-Averse

At one time, gated content was the thing to do in marketing. Tease content and then require someone to submit their contact information to you so they could access the full content. This allowed marketers to understand who was reading their content and to market to them going forward.

Today’s marketing landscape has changed, and so have our readers’ attention span and patience. People now find gated content annoying and the teasers boring. They won’t take the time to access the larger piece of content – even if it’s just a click away. Marketers have had to elevate content, shorten it and bring it to the forefront, making it more broadly and immediately accessible to their target audiences.

What is Zero-Click Content?

Zero-click content is publishing your full content upfront with no clicks required. Gasp! We know…it’s uncomfortable! This means no data on who clicked and few performance metrics.

But, it becomes a better user experience with shorter content, clear points and impactful messaging. As you engage your audience, they will voluntarily click to read more of your content. You’ll track and engage prospects with other marketing efforts that don’t put up a barrier for your target audiences. The effort you put into your content – and the content itself – won’t get lost in the abyss of “click here to read more.”

Accessible Content Builds Trust

By making your content more accessible, you will be getting your point across more quickly, building a presence, building trust, and advisors will remember how easy it was to read your firm’s content. This can help build your reputation as an educator – you’re serving your target audience and not just selling to them.

At Marketing Intent, we’ve adopted zero click content ourselves and we’d love to help your firm do the same. Feel free to browse our website for helpful insights. No clicks required!

Contact us today to get your message out.

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Marketing Management Marketing Team

Hiring the Right Marketing Agency

How is hiring a marketing agency like prom?

I know you’re probably thinking, “I haven’t been to prom in so long, I don’t remember.” For me, I never enjoyed prom. There was the buildup to the event…getting your dress, your shoes, figuring out what you’re going to do with your hair. But then you get there, and it wasn’t what you expected. I know I felt disappointed with my prom experience.

When I was working in corporate marketing, that’s the exact feeling I had anytime we had the need to hire an outside marketing firm.

Few Marketing Firms Truly Understand Alts

You’ve been searching and you finally find a marketing firm that looks like they’re going to be amazing. They have great work on their website, they look like they’re creative and fun to work with, they have experience…but you quickly learn that they don’t have the experience you need.

Financial services marketing – and even more so alternative investments marketing – is truly unique and requires a specific marketing skill set that balances being detailed oriented and analytical with creativity. It requires an understanding of financial products and more importantly, a deep understanding of the target audiences of advisors and investors.

A challenge in the alternative investment industry is that few marketing firms understand the ins and outs of commercial real estate offerings, the compliance requirements and how to explain offerings to advisors.

Marketing Intent Has Decades of Alts Marketing Experience

When we started Marketing Intent in early 2020, we did so with the goal of bringing a firm to the alternative investments industry we wished we’d had in our corporate lives. A firm that understands the industry, the lingo, the requirements. A firm that can balance the analytical with the creative. A firm that helps its clients produce and distribute marketing that generates sales activity.

We have decades of experience, not only financial services, but alternative investments as well. We understand your offerings, we understand the compliance requirements, and we understand how to talk to financial advisors in a way that helps them engage with your sales team. We partner with our clients to help elevate their marketing and stand out among a growing number of alternative investment offerings.

Nothing Happens Until Something is Sold

At Marketing Intent, our mantra is that nothing happens until something is sold. Raising capital is at the heart of your business. That’s why our approach centers around making sure your sales team has what they need to bring capital in the door.

We start by identifying the gaps between marketing and the needs of your sales team. Next, we prioritize where marketing can generate the most activity—and streamline the sales process. Then, we bring marketing in alignment with sales.

Need help avoiding the disappointment of hiring an outside marketing firm? Do you want to work with a firm that understands your industry, the needs of your sales team, your target audience, your product and your compliance requirements? Marketing Intent will help you avoid the “prom disappointment”. Contact us today to set up a meeting.

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Websites

Make Your Website Great

Websites are a journey.

When somebody visits your website, they should be taken along a path. Even though they may not necessarily know they’re on a path, you need to guide them.

Poor Functionality Interrupts the Journey

Recently, as I was searching for some clothes online for a weeklong trip, I thought of asset manager websites. I searched online at a cute boutique’s website and found some items I wanted to buy. However, the purchasing process was horrific. The functionality was outdated and time consuming. So, I just tapped out. I figured I could find the items elsewhere. I Googled the clothes and ended up spending longer on this than if I had just bought the clothes on the boutique’s website. However, I couldn’t take how annoying the boutique’s buying process and functionality was.

While advisors aren’t making a direct purchase on your website, this is exactly how you’ll make them feel if your website is clunky and cumbersome to navigate or doesn’t provide enough information to engage them. They will “tap out” and discard your firm from consideration for an investment allocation for their clients.

Clear and Concise Websites

Sometimes asset managers are too content sparse on their websites. Their homepage has little wording – it looks like a temporary page. It appears a bit boring so advisors don’t engage.

Or, there is too much information or jargon language that doesn’t immediately indicate what they do, what they invest in and what their offering is. Advisors aren’t going to spend the time to stick with this and sort through it to find the information they need.

Think about your homepage as an advertisement. You need to give enough information to gain interest, but don’t have to include detailed information on what you do, your firm and your offering here. Your goal is to tease the content, so advisors click through to additional pages to learn more. Tease your track record, your property portfolio, demand drivers and get advisors further into your site.

The Journey is The Key

After you engage advisors on your homepage, continue to lead them through your site.

Why should they invest client assets with your firm?

Why should they trust you?

Why is your asset class superior?

Tell them what to do next, where to go on the site, how to learn more. What do you want them to do next? Do you want them to contact you for more information? Do you want them to inquire about what types of properties and or investments you have to offer? Make it clear. We need to tell people what to do or else they won’t take action.

Lead them through the answers to their questions. The alts industry continues to grow, so advisors will move on from your site if you’re not answering their questions and developing trust. Build their confidence so they follow your call to action, follow the journey and ultimately engage with your sales team.

If you need help making your website clear, concise and with a clear journey for advisors – and keeping it out of the “not great” category – contact us today.

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Sales Support

Marketing & Sales Alignment Better Supports Capital Raising

Do you remember the game telephone when you were a kid? At one end of the line, your friend said “Chuck E. Cheese” and what you ended-up actually hearing was “Would you please?”

Communication Between Marketing and Sales

A game of telephone is exactly what it can be like when the marketing and sales teams don’t talk to each other. They are hearing direction from the management team and attempting to translate it into what the sales team needs from marketing.

That can often end up in a high-level mandate of: “We need more marketing materials,” “We need more leads,” or “We need more marketing activity.”

But what does that really mean? And what is the true need the sales team is expressing?

What I found in my experience is that when the people who are doing the work sit down and talk to each other, a lot of great things can happen. It opens the lines of communication to really understand what the needs of the sales team are. In our view, this is exactly what marketing should be focusing on. Syncing with the sales team.

The Feedback Loop

When sales and marketing start talking, you open a feedback loop that will allow you to create more impactful marketing materials that start and support sales conversations. The worst place to be as a marketing professional in our industry is working in a vacuum. Interaction and feedback from the sales team is critical to your success and your firm’s ability to raise capital.

As you open the lines of communication with the sales team, you may learn that they are continually encountering a certain objection that current marketing materials don’t address. Or you may learn that the same question is coming up that is blocking advisors from making the next step in investing capital with your firm. A marketing piece answering that question may help smooth the interaction and better support the sales team.

As you open the lines of communication and listen to feedback from the sales team, you’ll learn what’s working and what isn’t, as well as which topics need to be highlighted a little bit more. The conversations may also lead to ideas for other types of campaigns you can create from the marketing perspective.

Some friendly advice: salespeople love to share their opinions! Don’t take it personally. Your goal is to produce marketing that helps bring capital in the door. When you determine what this is for, your firm and for your salespeople will take some iterations. You will put out pieces that flop…it’s inevitable since marketing and what resonates with advisors over time is not static and not black and white. Do not take feedback from the sales team personally, but do take it to heart and make your next piece even better.

It Pays to Communicate

It pays to continue to meet with the sales team, have regular meetings and open the lines of communication. Start a weekly meeting between marketing and sales to get the ball rolling. Get to know each other and help each other bring capital in the door.

Syncing marketing and sales is one of our sweet spots. We love finding the gaps and bridging them so your firm can solidly compete in a crowded marketplace.

Contact us if you’re feeling tension between marketing and sales, or if you’re feeling like you’re working in a vacuum, disconnected with sales. We’d love to help sync your marketing to the sales team’s needs.

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Communication Marketing Basics

How to Make Your Firm Easy for Advisors to Work With

You’ve probably heard of CX, which is customer experience. But in the asset management world, it’s also important to think about the AX, which is the advisor experience. As you launch an offering or you continue to try to appeal to advisors, the easier you make it to work with your firm, the better.

Here are a few ways to make sure that your firm is being accessible and easy for advisors to work with.

Access to Your Materials

First of all, it’s important to make sure advisors can access your material easily, whether that’s on your website or through contacting your sales team. Same holds true for obtaining information about your firm. You don’t want advisors to have to go to your website and search around trying to find key pieces of information. It should be front center, clear and easy to find.

Access to People

Advisors are looking for access to people. Whether that’s that sales team and being able to talk to them on demand, or the management team – accessing them through events or even one-on-one meetings. Access to the humans behind the firm and the investment can be critical and important for creating a positive experience for advisors.

Updated Materials

Advisors need the asset managers they work with to be consistent in updating their materials. No one wants to invest a client in a product and then have only outdated information to provide status updates and answer questions. That is the signature of a bad advisor experience.

For example, the latest property acquisition should be front and center, easy to find, and current. This also helps create trust with advisors by showing them you are following through on your investment philosophy

Clear Communication

Finally, clear communication is essential both before and after an advisor makes an investment in your firm. Advisors need to know and understand:

  • Your story and your investment philosophy
  • How you approach doing business
  • How you operate
  • How you communicate with advisors and investors
  • What your statements look like (are they easily understandable)
  • What types of updates are you providing on an ongoing basis

All these things can help develop trust on both the front end, as well as after advisors and investors are invested in your product, which can then help perpetuate additional investments.

If you need help evaluating your strategy and the type of experience you’re creating for advisors, contact Marketing Intent today.

Categories
Marketing Management

Trends in Marketing

Knowing which trends are popping up in marketing and which trends are outdated is a way to remain relevant and engaged with your audience.

In – Dynamic Personal Voice
Out – Bland, Third Person Voice

First, let’s talk about using your voice. Try to avoid a bland, third-person voice. Use the words “us”, “we” and “our” to make your materials personal. People tend to gravitate toward the human element and will continue wanting to hear more and ask questions or read more.

In – Simplicity
Out – Deciphering What You’re Saying

The second focus is to keep it simple. We tend to compact so much into one piece or into meetings and conversations. And we often use a lot of jargon. Keep it simple – and keep them wanting more by being clear, concise, and making it simple for your target audience. Creating a compelling teaser will keep them interested and wanting to carry the conversation further.

In – White Space
Out – Cramming It All In

The next trend that we are seeing is white space. Don’t fill it up! Maintaining white space on your fact sheets, your white papers, or your website makes it cleaner, professional, and more inviting to the eye. A design that is aired out attracts more attention and conveys a sense of organization.

When you have a jumbled mess of content or its extremely cluttered, people equate that to what you’re doing on the backend – it’s a mental stumbling block. So, utilize white space appropriately to keep your readers engaged.

Thing’s Don’t Have to be Perfect

Marketing doesn’t have to be perfect on the first try. There’s going to be multiple iterations. We see a lot of asset managers hold onto papers, fact sheets or emails because they want to get their wording exactly perfect.

Now, do the facts need to be correct? Of course. But that first iteration doesn’t need to be perfect. The important thing is to get that first draft out there – and iterate over time based on feedback. Having a couple other people chime in on what they think may sound better, or some questions that came up when the first draft was used is what’s going to help drive it to eventually being perfect.

Would you like more insights about what’s working for asset manager marketing and what’s not? Contact us today at info@marketingintent.com.

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