Writing Market Commentary to be Read
We’re fortunate to be currently leading one-on-one interviews with financial advisors on behalf of a long-standing client. We always enjoy these discussions as a good way to vet the execution of strategic sales and marketing plans.
In a conversation yesterday, an advisor and I talked a lot about content, detailing what makes for good and bad commentary. He’s a savvy advisor, serving his clients for over 15 years and had myriad examples starting with “this is great” and “these guys waste my time with…”.
Reflecting on that conversation, I distilled two ideas to share broadly (others stay privy to our client, sorry).
- Add bullets to the top of any commentary longer than 3 paragraphs. I noticed as we walked through positive examples the role bullets play in his decision-making process (whether to read or not).
- Make sure the graphics and charts belong. He wanted information and data that told something interesting, not supportive. He thought, numerous times, an author included a chart to prove his opinion. He’s not looking for asset managers to show their work or use backwards-looking data to prove a case.
We find many more asset managers (relative to years’ past) relying on commentary to influence their prospective clients. As they do so, it’s crucial to produce content as client-friendly as possible.