How to Use Blogging to Connect With CPAs and Other Professionals

Written By : Clifford Blodgett

As a financial advisor, you get clients from a variety of sources. It’s all about networking with family, with friends, with social media followers, and particularly with other professionals in your field. You already know that CPAs and other financial professionals can be valuable sources of referrals for new clients. But you can actually reach out to them directly, in very much the same way that you might reach out to potential clients.

Your blog allows you to use highly personalized communication to connect with a target demographic, by showing them the person behind the business name and website. And just as you can reach new clients by writing about topics of interest to them, you can also showcase your expertise to your peers. When it’s done right, blogging can increase your website traffic as well as your referral rate from other professionals.

The process works much like any other blogging campaign:

First, you should write engaging, conversational blogs that will appeal to your target demographic. In this case, you want CPAs and other financial professionals to read your blog, so you would highlight areas of your profession which overlap with their specialties. Make sure to point out the benefits of working together to give clients optimal service.

Next, you want to contact these professionals via email. Invite them to read your blogs. Remember to address each one by name, as this will increase your open rates. Everyone likes to be contacted personally.

Use LinkedIn– It’s the ideal social media platform for connecting with other professionals. Join some groups, particularly ones containing local financial professionals, and post links to your blog there. Make connections and build online relationships that will eventually move offline.

Then, repeat that process with Facebook. Search for other financial professionals in your area, and send them friend requests. Post your links to your blog, on both your personal and professional pages. Because of Facebook’s news feed algorithm, all of your followers may not see all of your posts. However, Facebook offers you the opportunity to boost your posts, so that a wider audience will view them. And the best part: When you boost posts, you choose your audience. By directly targeting these viewers, you can ensure that you are reaching your desired audience.

All of the above methods ensure that CPAs and other financial professionals will be presented with a link to your blog. But how do you know they will click in to read it? How can your blog help you develop a following and attract more referrals from loyal readers?

It’s simple: Remember that content is everything. If you want your target audience to read your blog, then you have to offer them something they want to read! Your blogs should be unique, and focus on topics of interest to other professionals. They should also be engaging and easy to read. Consider this: the average financial professional spends hours per day staring at numbers and legal jargon. A blog that is well-written, conversational, and not too technical will stand out in their minds.

Also, avoid “selling” an idea too hard. Remember that you are asking your contacts to choose to click in and read your blogs. It’s about offering them ideas and information, not about asking for favors.

Once you have begun writing and distributing your blogs, you have one more step to follow: Use your analytics programs to track your results. Check statistics such as email open rates and click-through rates. This will tell you which blog topics are more highly valued by your target demographic, and you can even learn the source of most of your traffic. Use this information to continue honing your blogging, social media, and email marketing skills.

We are all spending more time than ever online, and in the future the importance of online networking will grow even larger. Over time, blogging can help you make a memorable impression and develop relationships with other professionals in your field. These are the loyal connections who will eventually help you grow your practice through referrals.

 

Filed under: Financial Advisor Marketing