4 Steps to Building Your Brand Via Blogging

It’s no great secret that the Internet changed the way we market ourselves and our firms. Glossy brochures have not yet gone the way of the T-Rex, but it really is your website that defines you and your website is defined by its content.

It is no longer enough to have a site that provides a catalog of goods, services and contact information. Users, who may know nothing more about you than you came up in a Google search or a referral from someone else, need to get to know the minds behind the site. Regular clients need to be drawn in and be reminded constantly of just how smart you are and how smart they are for hiring you.

One of the best ways to show how smart you are is through a blog. Blogging allows you to comment on current events affecting your business, e.g., market events, legislative rulings that affect the industry and more. It also allows you to explain difficult concepts and answer frequently asked questions. In short, blogging lets you prove you are the smartest person in the room. Flaunt your expertise!

For the last several years I have been the managing editor of AllAboutAlpha.com, the blog for the CAIA Association. Out of the thousands of financial blogs out there, AllAboutAlpha.com was selected by WalletHub.com as one of the Top 10 Financial Blogs and that included stiff competition from the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and many others.

How does a tiny “mouse” of a blog roar loud enough to be heard along with the lions of financial journalism?

First, we know our audience and we speak to them in terms they understand about topics they want to know about. We not only curate content and write to the audience that we have, but we write to the audience that we want. Like any good marketer, your blog must interest your current clients, but also serve as an outreach.

Second, we are focused and don’t waste our readers’ time. Style drift kills in blogging just as quickly as it does in investing. Write only about the things that you know.

Third, we share our content. The Internet is a huge place and just because you write a blog does not mean people will come. A strong social media strategy is mandatory and once again, you need to reach the audience you have as well as the audience that you want.

Last, generate content on a regular basis so that your blog is always fresh. You may decide that you want to share articles others have written, but if so, stay within the boundaries of fair use copyright and always include links and proper attribution. If you haven’t the time to write regularly and writing is time-consuming, hire a professional to do it for you. It is very important that your blog be current and ahead of the curve whenever possible.

A great blog can be the ultimate marketing tool and equalizer. No one need ever know if the roar behind the blog is a mouse or a lion. All they need to know is how smart you are.

FoxInspires LLC was formed by Kristin Fox in 2008 to help investors and managers understand the constantly shifting investment landscape. We provide clearly communicated access to intelligence and information, which helps investors and managers understand each other better, and provides for a more comfortable investing experience. With more than 25 years of experience in the hedge fund and CTA community, FoxInspires’ clients include hedge funds, ultra-high-net-worth investors, institutional investors and wealth management advisers.

This post previously appeared on CTAExpo.net.