It sounds odd to say you should be giving away your hard-earned expertise for free. You might think if you produce content that answers a certain question why would someone pay you for it?
There’s only so much research and knowledge the average person will want to build up before they don’t have the time, inclination or skill to go further.
For example, I can quite easily complete my social media profiles and may Google the best strategies to use. I can even add a blog to the back end of my website. But when it comes to designing a website or adding new pages that are SEO efficient I do not have the time, inclination or skill to go further. So I will use an expert – and it will probably be someone who has already helped me through their content.
You see, you’re only really giving away the first level of your knowledge that most people can handle. And doing so has five benefits.
- It demonstrates your expertise and that you know what you are talking about.
- Potential clients get to know your style and how you work. They can then decide if you are the right fit for them.
- They understand who you work with from the content you produce and they can see if they are the right type of client for you.
- The more content you produce and the more a potential client sees it, the more trust that builds.
- It saves you time in the long run as you are educating clients on the basics so that when they meet with you, you can spend more time on the complex stuff.
With in-person seminars and networking events currently off the table, our marketing needs to adapt to an online world. Potential clients currently furloughed may be spending more time looking at their financial position and turning to the internet to find answers to their problems. So what kind of content can you share?
Sourcing Content
For us we use 3 main sources for our content ideas.
Clients
Every client conversation we have will usually result in them asking a question. Sometimes no matter how long we have worked with them, they will still need us to re-explain things.
We make a note of these repeated questions and use them as subjects for blogs.
If one client asks a question, it’s highly likely that other people will have the same question.
Research
Googling ‘pensions’ will suggest other questions based on what others are searching for. You can also use a Google AdWords account (sign up for free, you don’t need to pay to advertise) and see which keywords are popular on Google searches.
Online Forums
Thousands of people use online forums every day to post questions they need help with. You just need to join the right group relevant to your area and watch the questions come in.
Bottom Line
We have seen new clients come from reading our blogs, regular weekly email newsletter or watching our YouTube channel, often years after we first published the content. If they are serious enough about going further they will still need the services of an expert to take them to the next level and will be willing to pay for it.
Carl Roberts is a Managing Director and Chartered Financial Planner at RTS Financial Planning. Read his full profile here.
