Investing is the least engaging major activity in your clients’ lives
As a marketing guy, we’re usually trying to make an emotional connection. The common wisdom about investing, of course, is that one should leave their emotions at the door. And although we often see evidence that people react emotionally with their investments, we’ve perhaps lost perspective on the backdrop of disengagement most people have towards […]
You is Kind, You is smart, You is High Net Worth
As we think about marketing opportunities in the investor world, this is a pretty big – and largely overlooked – one: http://cnb.cx/2j02a5p Take aways: $30 trillion in the next 3 or 4 decades will be passed from one generation to the next. And advisors usually lose the majority of the accounts as money flows from one generation […]
WealthSimple and Trudeau: bargain celebrity endorsement
Back in May, as robo-advisor WealthSimple passed the $1B AUM mark, PM Justin Trudeau took up their invitation and stopped by, making a few remarks. Nothing wildly out of the ordinary… a politician shining a light on an innovative startup success story. But here’s where it gets interesting: their latest online ad campaign puts Trudeau […]
Crowdsourcing has come to the investment world
I have to admit it, I’ve got a soft spot for First Asset’s newest ETF: the DEX 1-5 year Laddered Government Strip Bond ETF (ain’t that a mouthful). To be honest, I haven’t slightest interest in it from a financial point of view, but I’m fascinated by how it came to be: a public, crowdsourced […]
Women and financial advisors: Listen!
Great article on the shifting gender tides in wealth management, and the industry’s struggle to keep up: http://bit.ly/10g3IbV women need more education and validation than men to make financial decisions women can easily detect whether an advisor is really listening to them women aren’t as open (thank god!) to the usual advisor-coaching strategy of trying to completely […]
Email marketing: phrasing is (almost) everything
No secret that we think email marketing remains powerful – in many cases, the best tool in the toolbox – for the investor demographic. Great insights into the impact wording and design can make. http://bit.ly/11KSf16
SPDR ETFs: branding with stock symbols can’t be good in the long run
Way back before ETFs were cool, State Street launched the definitive S&P 500 Index-based ETF, which they named the SPDR S&P 500, from Standard & Poor’s Depositary Receipts. Unless you’re a trader (even if?), you probably didn’t know where the SPDR acronym came from. More importantly, if you are a trader, you have no trouble […]
The Problem with Fee-for-Service Investment Advisors
Ok, there’s no problem with fee-for-service advisors. It’s kind of noble, a journeyman’s approach to the business. And it’s the right fit… for a minority of clients. The real issue is that there is a lot of talk about investment advisors, and whether the common reward structure – commissions, including trailing fees, offered at different […]
Three myths of engagement
It seems to me that the corporate use of social media – with some fantastic viral exceptions – has set itself up for a disappointing implosion. What began as a low-cost, low-effort, humanized way to extend your reach… has become something most organizations blindly throw money at, swamped in ignorance, defeating its own potential. And […]
Dan Pink’s six new elevator pitches
Dan Pink’s latest book – to Sell is Human – has a chapter on the elevator pitch, and particularly on 6 new and emerging forms of it. Which would actually work for retail investing clients (whether coming from fund companies or IAs)? Number 1: the Pixar pitch – also known as the story spine – […]