How to use LinkedIn to increase your digital reach

How to use LinkedIn to increase your digital reach

The View

BirdMobile-1 How to use LinkedIn to increase your digital reach

Have you been tasked with the job of building your Fund’s LinkedIn presence? Whilst it may seem a little daunting at first (especially if you’re not familiar with the site), you will soon find it very beneficial and even enjoyable to use. Here we’ve shared some of the ways you can utilise LinkedIn to increase your digital reach.​

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samuel-beckett-bridge How to use LinkedIn to increase your digital reach

Don’t treat it like Facebook or Twitter.​

Don’t treat it like Facebook or Twitter

Before you get started on using LinkedIn to increase the digital reach of your fund, it’s important to bear in mind that it’s not your average social media site. Whereas people expect to be marketed to on sites like Facebook and Twitter, LinkedIn users do not have the same expectations. In fact hard selling and overt marketing is frowned upon. Instead you need to take a more tactful approach to increasing your digital reach on LinkedIn. It’s all about building meaningful connections and presenting your fund as an industry leader via your profile and participation in groups.

Create a strong company profile

Your LinkedIn profile needs to be fully branded so that viewers instantly recognise it as belonging to your business. Make sure to use official company logos as your imagery and keep the tone of the content consistent with that of your website.

Remember it’s not enough to simply build a profile on LinkedIn for your fund. In order to increase your digital reach and help people find it, you need to update it on a regular basis and appear active.

Offer compelling content

As we mentioned before, LinkedIn is not the place for gimmicky sales pitches or spam links to your website. Instead it is a place for highly compelling content. You can either post directly on LinkedIn; using the blogging tools or you can link to content you have created on your website or an external blog. Either way, it’s important to deliver thought provoking content that educates and informs your audience. It should be the type of content that highlights your fund as an industry leader.

Post great content directly to LinkedIn and it may have the potential to go viral. LinkedIn are always on the look out for good content and if yours ticks the boxes, they will increase its visibility and send more readers your way.

EMDS3 How to use LinkedIn to increase your digital reach

Make it personal

As well as creating a LinkedIn company profile for your law firm, it is recommended that you get as many employees at the firm as possible to create their own profiles. This will help clients put a face to a name and see that your firm is far more than just a website.

Join groups and participate

Joining groups and actively participating in discussions is a great way to increase the digital reach of your fund. Make sure you join groups within your niche and spend time getting a feel for the discussions before you participate. Use LinkedIn groups wisely and you may end up finding a number of new investors there.

Use sponsored updates

Like many other social media platforms, LinkedIn allows firms to advertise their content on a pay per click basis. So if you are looking to give your content a boost and target it at potential clients, this may be something you want to consider. Sponsored updates will feature on individuals’ LinkedIn feeds and stand a higher chance of being read. Just make sure your content is worthy of their time or you’ll be wasting your money.

So if you haven’t already, now’s the time to sign up to LinkedIn, create a strong profile and start making those all-important connections that will increase the digital reach of your company.

Please contact us if you have any questions about using LinkedIn for Marketing.

EDWARD SIMPSON

emds@finscoms.com

How do you differentiate your fund?

How do you differentiate your fund?

Funds, The View

BirdMobile-1 How do you differentiate your fund?

What is it that truly makes your fund different to 95% of other funds? Can you describe it in 2 to 3 sentences? It may be a combination of a few different variables. But it must be something that you won’t see on other funds marketing decks. Something that makes you stand out in the mind of investors in an important way.

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samuel-beckett-bridge How do you differentiate your fund?

Finscoms can help you define and promote your USP helping you to stand out in a busy place.

All fund marketing material starts to look the same after awhile. Most funds base their pitches around diversified funds, diversified portfolios, capital appreciation goals, performance, protecting the portfolio.

Of course these are all very important and need to be communicated but they are not unique. And this helps to explain the difficulty in raising capital, if all funds look relatively the same who will be chosen? If all funds are pitching the same selling points then investors will look for other criteria and generally be swayed by the larger fund or the fund with the best brand.

In an overly congested market, defining and promoting your unique selling proposition(USP) is the difference between success and failure. Usually the USP is created from any of the components, below, or a combination of these components.

Team

Your team can be a USP. You can showcase their pedigree or their high levels of experience in the industry or history of successfully raising capital. Your fund may have hired an industry star, he/she should be showcased.

KMCWeb How do you differentiate your fund?

“Your team can be a USP.”

Process

Promote your processes if they are consistent and sophisticated. A USP could be based around the transparency fostered by your fund, it could be based around the fact that your methods are not easily copied or you provide greater liquidity than the competition.

Knowledge and Insight advantage

Your USP could be built around a strong advisory board that may be diverse and well known providing your fund with regulatory insight and other industry intellectual knowledge.

Finscoms can help you define and promote your USP helping you to stand out in a busy place.

KEN CARMODY

kmc@finscoms.com

Are Investors Listening to You?

Are Investors Listening to You?

The View

BirdMobile-1 Are Investors Listening to You?

It would be fair to say that in general there is a disconnect between an asset manager’s financial acumen and his marketing prowess. Asset managers are now beginning to realise that they are much more in the business of marketing than in the business of investing.

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samuel-beckett-bridge Are Investors Listening to You?

Reach out to Finscoms for professional guidance.

It is common place for asset managers to use complex financial jargon when presenting to investors. Vastly different to the type of language a fund manager would use day to day with colleagues and lacking resonance from the investor’s point of view.

A relationship must be built between the asset manager and the investor before any capital is acquired. You are far more likely to build a relationship with an investor if you communicate in their language. You will be far more convincing if you present using the language and stories that you utilise daily rather than relying on tired industry rhetoric.

Strictly presenting figures on performance, portfolio diversification, portfolio risk management etc…will not engage the majority of investors. They’ve heard it all before, again, and again, and again. Of course these topics are important but the investor will not focus on them until he/she is engaged. You need to make an impression. Performance doesn’t matter if the investor has forgotten who you are as soon as you leave the room.

You need to detail the opportunity for the investor, show the investor how you will interact with them once they are clients, describe how your fund fits their portfolio, describe the journey you will take together and how transparent your processes are. Make the presentation edgy, visually striking and memorable. Put yourself in their seat, could you sit through one of your presentations? Are you just going through the motions?

KMCWeb Are Investors Listening to You?

“Shouldn’t your marketing strategy be as sophisticated as your investment strategy?”

If you are ready to re-evaluate your content and modernise your methods of fund communication, reach out to Finscoms for professional guidance.

KEN CARMODY

kmc@finscoms.com

Distributing a Fund Successfully

Distributing a Fund Successfully

Funds, The View

BirdMobile-1 Distributing a Fund Successfully

Fund distribution plays an enormous role in the success of an investment fund. The asset manager’s distribution strategy should include fund marketing, fund communication, knowledge of distribution channels and regulation, and the construction of tools to measure the distribution risk.

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samuel-beckett-bridge Distributing a Fund Successfully

The top funds are proactive and well prepared.

This is certainly not an easy task for the fund, the asset manager must cope to provide optimal distribution for today but must keep one eye on what is coming down the pipeline. The top funds are proactive and well prepared.

Understanding the full scope of distribution

Fund distribution is not complete without fund marketing and fund communication. These two components are often neglected and thus can result in the fund making a negative impression unbeknownst to the fund manager. In a congested sector, of over 25,000+ funds, investing in marketing and communication post AIFMD is critical. It is no coincidence that the most successful funds have strong brands and use communication strategy as a competitive advantage. Having a strong brand and identity helps strengthen the trust between investor and the fund. Strong communication strategy strengthens the relationship between the investor and the fund.

Understanding each jurisdiction’s distribution channels

Knowledge of the distribution channels per targeted jurisdiction is of course vital for building an effective distribution strategy. Each market differs from the next in terms of public offering listing, regulated public distribution, private placement, local distribution networks, regulatory requirements and more.

Understanding your distribution partners

The distribution network is still viewed as complex and somewhat opaque. A fund should make sure to complete full due diligence on the distribution network and on would be distribution partners. From there the fund needs to grow a strong relationship with the local distributors and agents on a business and operations level.

KMCWeb Distributing a Fund Successfully

Understanding the regulatory environment

Complying with local regulatory requirements is an area that needs constant supervision as regulations are constantly changing. Asset managers working with fund lawyers will need to get to grips with regulatory requirements on local agents, eligibility, investor disclosure, registration and continued registration, and marketing.

Understanding future challenges

An adept asset manager will be looking at what the future holds for the industry and will have the fund prepared. For the near future in the asset management sector we can see the following:

  • An almost complete move from the traditional style of marketing to digital marketing. And the ‘Death of PDF’ in 2017.
  • An even greater evolution of fund products to match investor demand
  • The emergence of new distribution channels
  • The wide use of video to engage prospects taking into account the IT savvy nature of the ‘next generation of investors’

An awful lot for the asset manager to contend with and this is why so many look to outsource the majority of these tasks to Finscoms thus freeing up time and providing comfort that operations will run smoothly and cost effectively.

KEN CARMODY

kmc@finscoms.com

Fund Distribution services for the Fund Lawyer?

Fund Distribution services for the Fund Lawyer?

The View

BirdMobile-1 Fund Distribution services for the Fund Lawyer?

Fund Lawyer’s provide ‘traditional’ legal services to the Fund or should they expand their range of services to assist a Fund in its route to the investor and/or Fund Distribution?

This subject is often discussed by fund lawyers ‘how do the accountancy firms offer legal, advisory, and more recently fund distribution services to their fund clients?’. Many fund lawyers are keen to roll out additional services moving away from the ‘traditional legal services model’. We work with a number of law firms, some on a white label basis, to help them serve clients better, and increase revenue.

Hiway500-1024x683-2 Fund Distribution services for the Fund Lawyer?
samuel-beckett-bridge Fund Distribution services for the Fund Lawyer?

We work with a number of law firms, to help them serve clients better, and increase revenue.

Why should the Accountants have all the fun?

The fund lawyer’s role has remained very traditional, providing legal services from a fund structure to regulatory and compliance related work. If a fund for example goes through the process of setting up a fund with the fund lawyer, inevitably this fund on being launched is left to its own devices, the relationship with the fund in a way ceases. How can and/or should the fund lawyer advise assist the fund after launch?

Fund lawyers today operate in a both the traditional and digital environs, fund lawyers should show equally that they understand how to operate in these environs, this should be reflected in their marketing, create that all important first impression. Successful fund lawyers require a different set of marketing rules, often the central marketing resource doesn’t understand the terminology (UCITS, ICAV’s, KIID, NAV, ETF etc). That the fund lawyer is understanding of the traditional and digital world, to the traditionalist and the next generation coming through all using smart phones alike.

How does the Fund lawyer decide how better to service their fund clients, or to remain a traditional provider of legal services only. Our research has shown that fund lawyers who remain traditionally legal service providers are competing not only with the accountancy firms, but also with the fund lawyers that have and are expanding their range of services to their clients. Funds today require so much more than legal services, should the fund lawyer remain on the fence, risk being left behind by the accountants and the evolving fund lawyer.

Cue Finscoms, we work with the fund lawyer to either implement effective niche fund marketing to promote the fund lawyer, their practice area, and to work with the fund lawyer often on a white label basis, to identify and implement additional services to their fund clients. We are in the main looking at small to medium sized funds, the larger funds require different advisory services.

What kind of services can the fund lawyer offer without going into unknown territory, or expose the firm to risk?

The design of legal documents such as a KIID, Nav, or Fund prospectus, are traditionally very plain, lack colour, are fairly indigestible, we work with the fund lawyer often on a white label basis, to ensure the fund receives their legal documents that present the fund in the best possible way – all in line with regulatory and compliance. Add to this the design of factsheets, there are immediate gains for the fund lawyer to expand this area of service.

EMDS3 Fund Distribution services for the Fund Lawyer?

The design of legal documents are traditionally very plain.

What are the other areas?

We create with the fund lawyer a ‘fund start pack’, in addition to the legal services that the fund lawyer offers to the fund, now we can add extra services to assist the fund in its marketing and distribution, ultimately to raise capital. Funds today are window shopping, by expanding some of of your traditional service, this is looked favourably by funds, and helps to narrow the choices faced by a fund when instructing fund lawyer.

The services within fund distribution, fund marketing, and fund communications range from design of marketing materials, building websites (which need to be checked from a regulatory & compliance perspective, disclaimers added and so forth), to social media, content marketing, to a fund prospectus video. Some of these areas Fund lawyers are not comfortable with, but are happy to support their fund clients by referring the fund to us.

We service the fund, maintain the relationship the fund has with the fund lawyer.

Why not contact us to explore further the idea of how to service your clients, the potential that exists if you expand or discuss options to move on from offering traditionally legal services to servicing a client in a digital environ, not to mention additional revenue growth and long lasting relationships with your clients.

EDWARD SIMPSON

emds@finscoms.com

A New Year for Law Firms, Marketing same old strategy and investment as last year?

A New Year for Law Firms, Marketing same old strategy and investment as last year?

Marketing, The View

BirdMobile-1 A New Year for Law Firms, Marketing same old strategy and investment as last year?

Law firms are facing stiff competition from their peers, in house counsel (many are increasing their number of legal staff), accountancy firms, the relationship between the law firm and its referrer/client are being questioned, efficient and effective marketing/business development invested by law firms, and accountancy firms have yielded significant increase in revenue as well as evolving practice areas reacting to market trends.

Tortoise500-1 A New Year for Law Firms, Marketing same old strategy and investment as last year?
samuel-beckett-bridge A New Year for Law Firms, Marketing same old strategy and investment as last year?

Video marketing is where the action is.​

And yet many law firms continue to invest in ‘run of the mill’ marketing which yields little or no success, the tangibles are often categorised under the ‘grey area’ of marketing and its non return on investment. Professional Services Marketing is a form of ‘niche’ marketing granted, in my opinion for too long it has remained behind ‘Professional Services Marketing’, being a late adopter of new proven marketing initiatives, it should take the lead.

On your website do you include ‘publications’ ‘news’ ‘brochures’? If so, this an example of ‘run of the mill marketing’, your firm should at the very least in this digital age include ‘blogs’ ‘webinars’ ‘videos’. Don’t get me wrong there are some parts of ‘run of the mill’ marketing that show a return on investment, we work with our clients to ensure they maximise the returns on ‘effective’ and ‘run of the mill’ marketing.

Ask yourself is your marketing, your personal brand, that of your practice area, and that of your firm, proactive or inactive? Do you find yourself or your colleagues printing out brochures at midnight prior to leaving for a conference? Do you send out your practice area/firm newsletter to all contacts? Produce a practice area brochure and post up on your site? Run an event and also post up on your website? Repeat yourself at the introductory stage without charging the billable hour?

There are many many more examples I can add to the above, all of which fall under ‘run of the mill’ marketing. You’re comfortable where you are now, for a law firm to compete, to invest in efficient marketing, means changing the mindset, law firms are often reluctant to change. Why invest in and adopt ‘run of the mill marketing’ adopted by a high number of law firms? How many law firms have a brochurial website, worse still that’s not responsive? That this website describes how ‘wonderful’ the firm is, how ‘big’ the firm is – Finscoms work with law firms to move away from ‘vanity’ marketing to ‘converting’ the recipient/user to contact you for more information.

I would argue that ‘run of the mill marketing’ does little or nought to increase an awareness of the firm, its practice areas, or its fee earners, nor to increase its brand equity. To give you an example, if you send out a newsletter, many clog up the recipient’s inbox, or go directly to spam, with those that do get through the various email filters often are of little or no relevance, leading to negative branding ‘why is this firm sending me this newsletter when it is not my area of interest?’

Effective and efficient investment into marketing and business development is where the the smart law firms are at, they can show that they are comfortable working in a traditional and digital environment, creating that all important first impression.

By becoming your own publisher (why pay to place your expertise?), by adopting ‘effective’ marketing, you will for example drive quantifiable traffic to your site, that those researching your firm can do so on a pc, tablet, phone, build online communities around your practice areas. Webinars are the best tool to enable you to market and communicate to your target audience globally, we work with our clients to adopt and implement a webinar strategy.

Video marketing is where the action is, a video has many purposes from when you are dealing with a referral/client/potential client, monitors in reception/conferences, youtube, Mondaq, videos are used to convert the viewer, drive traffic to your site, but more importantly a video blog is the most effective way to market/communicate period. Whether you are a large firm (Norton Rose Fullbright) or a small firm (GANADO Advocates in Malta) video blogs build online communities, this is one of the best investments you can make, do contact me to explore how video not only ticks all the right boxes, is affordable, but saves you time and can generate new income.

EMDS3 A New Year for Law Firms, Marketing same old strategy and investment as last year?

​​Social media presents the opportunity for you and your firm to build online communities, how you engage with social media, content marketing is often the difference between failure and success.

Linkedin with over 4 million registered users is arguably the largest legal directory, why then is it not supported in the same way as legal directories? There are other examples of content marketing like Mondaq which not only distribute your content onto say Reuters, Lexis Nexis, Dow Jones, but through their website they tell you who has read your article including full contact details/email address.

Be smart with your investment into marketing, show the tangibles, marketing is no longer a poisoned chalice, it is now embedded in all that we do on a daily basis, get it right then its a great place to be….

Contact us today for more information.

EDWARD SIMPSON

emds@finscoms.com