When making business decisions that require a lot of commitment, it can feel daunting and often off-putting. The level of commitment needed should be weighed up with the benefits of taking the decision to act.

As a financial adviser, the chances are high you will already have an immense workload, with clients and other stakeholders to keep happy. This, in itself, means you’re probably reluctant to add to that workload unless you absolutely have to.

As you’re here and looking at our very own blog for financial advisers, you may already have asked yourself: “Should I start a financial advice blog?” Well, what if we told you that one of the best reasons for doing so was exactly that: because you’re so busy? Hear us out: it’s a terrific way of staying connected with your clients.

Of course, that’s just one of many reasons. Here we are, specialising in website design and development and online marketing, yet we take the time to put pen to paper (OK, fingertips to keyboards). We’re in good company. Like so many others, we have good reason to.

Benefits of starting a blog

So, aside from reassuring clients that you and the business are still there, let’s look at some other reasons for introducing blogging into your busy schedule:

• It can give you a platform to prove you are an authority in your field of finance, so builds trust in your brand. A considered and well-crafted blog on a subject that helps a potential client who’s in need of some guidance will make them more likely to come to you; particularly if they’ve been reading your blogs regularly. 
• Reading your blog may also prompt someone to refer you to others they know who could use some financial planning assistance. 
• This next point, we know works well: a regular blog is a fantastic way to generate additional website traffic. A well-designed website is worth its weight in gold (we know, we would say that; but it’s true) as once visitors are there, if the site is easy to navigate, they might stay a while. And if they stay, they just might enquire about your services; increasing your conversion rates too. 
• Oh, and Google just loves new and original information. If the search engine sees your blog as relevant, useful and current, it could move your content up. Should this happen, you’re more likely to benefit from other potential clients noticing your business. 
• It may be that you can promote financial tools or services that you offer, such as courses or consultancy.
• Sharing your blog on your social media platforms not only gives you something current and relevant to say, it also increases your reach and gives you credibility among your current followers. And can lead to new ones.
• A blog can set you apart from your competitors, making your business more easily recognisable and the go-to option.
• It’s thought that when publishing frequently, it takes around 6-12 months for corporate blogs to see a good ROI. The thing is, once it starts working, it can gain momentum. With 56% of marketers saying blogging works and 10% saying that a blog has the greatest ROI of all marketing strategies, it’s crystal clear there are benefits to be had.

How to start a financial advice blog

If you’re already sold on the idea and you’ve been asking yourself: “How do I start a financial advice blog?” you’re in the right place.

• As a financial adviser, your content must be Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) compliant. If you have your own in-house compliance team or you work under a financial services network that has one, they will be able to check your content before it is published. It’s vital that this is done before it is out in the public domain. If you don’t have access to a compliance team, you could turn to a company who can provide compliant wording for you, or who can check to make sure yours falls within the guidelines.
• You’ll need to be able to access your website’s content management system (CMS) so you can upload your blogs.
• Establish your niche and the type of matters you’ll write about. By being consistent, you’ll appeal to a target audience which has an interest in what you have to say. And subsequently, you and your business. 
• Use traffic metrics to evaluate how well your blog is working for you. It’s well worth genning up on blog analytics so you can establish everything from the quality of leads to conversion rates and sales. Learning about engagement (how long is being spent on the page, for example) and subscriber growth (the rise in email subscribers) and so on, is so very useful as it enables you to refine your blogs effectively.  

To learn more about financial advice blogging services at WEBPRO Adviser, contact our team of specialists today. You can count on us.

How to write a good financial advice blog

Our blogging for business tips should help you get started:

• Whilst consistent content is important, keep it interesting. Have a schedule but if something newsworthy is likely to bring in more readers, adjust it accordingly. Vary it as much as possible, while keeping to your brand style.
• Your brand style should be standout, recognisable and professional. This applies to tone of voice, layout and visuals (such as infographics and videos). 
• Understand your target audience. And then consider what they’re likely to find read-worthy. 
• When picking topics, keep to your brand topics so your blogs make sense. Aim to make it so readers look forward to the next one; whether that’s on savings, pensions or mortgages.
• Use attention-grabbing headlines and subheadings that will make your blog easy to read.
• Keyword research is a must for capitalising on search engine rankings.
• And building backlinks is also a top tip as this is the way search engines establish your website’s level of authority and relevancy.
• Our final tip is an obvious one but is definitely worth a mention: save your work as you go so you don’t lose it. We’ve all been there: spent ages writing something important, only for it to completely disappear. The frustration at having wasted your time is real. So, getting into the habit of doing this is advisable.

Recap: Publishing blogs can be extremely beneficial. It may mean investing a little time but, done well, it can pay dividends. It shows clients and prospects that you are a guru in your chosen area and can give them the confidence to use you. And if you feel you could use some help, you’re not alone, WEBPRO Adviser can help with everything from writing your blog to adding it to your website.

WEBPRO knows

“Working with an editor pays off”. Almost 3 times more bloggers work with an editor now than in 2014. Most people are too busy running their business to think about these things, it’s ok to leave some of this to the experts.