Building a Full Funnel Content Strategy: Connecting Customer Touchpoints to Win More Decisions

Who We Are

Adam Dunn

PublisherALM Investment Advisory Group(ThinkAdvisor.com, Investment Advisor,

Research)

Jamie E. Green

Vice President, Content & Market Strategy

ALM Marketing Solutions

Josh Heitsenrether

Vice President, Marketing Solutions

ALM Marketing Solutions

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What We’ll Cover

• Advisor Decision Making – Client Recommendation Process

• Highlights from our new “Advisor Information & Media Index” Study

• A deep dive into building a research-driven content marketing strategy

• Best practices for maximizing conversions at key decision stages

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4

ADVISOR DECISION MAKING

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Content Marketing Supports Informed Decision-Making

Awareness Consideration Preference Decision

Reach and Attract Engage and Nurture Convert to Leads Connect to Sales

The Traditional Model

MARKETING TASKS

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Needs Identification

Solution Investigation

Detailed Evaluation

Decision

Needs Identification

Solution Investigation

Detailed Evaluation

Decision

Identify goal, problem or opportunity

Build initial list of solutions/brands

Seek thought leaders & important sources

Establish initial decision criteria

Gather Information to investigate solutions

Solicit expert & peer feedback

Compare solutions

Build short list

Map short list solutions to needs

Engage with solution expert(s)

Build business case

Outline plan for change

Reach out to shortlist companies

Confirm assumptions

Detailed evaluation

Make final decision

The Advisor Decision Process

PUSH PULL

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7

2015 FINANCIAL ADVISOR INFORMATION & MEDIA INDEX STUDY

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About the Study

Conducted Summer 2015

600+ qualified completes (+/-3.9% confidence interval)

Respondent characteristics:Years licensed: 15.7 yearsIncome: $204,000Age: 57.3 years oldGender: 88% male; 12% female

Mission: To understand how advisors are finding and utilizing the information they need to advise their clients at each stage of the “solution recommendation process”

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Decision Process Stages

Types of Information

Sought

Types of Content Used

Types of Media Used

(Information Sources)

CredibilityInformation Discovery

Six Dimensions of the Research

All leading to an understanding of how financial professionals make decisions to help their clients and expand their own businesses.

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A Complex Ecosystem

65%

62%

60%

60%

60%

55%

54%

52%

48%

43%

37%

34%

34%

34%

32%

24%

20%

15%

14%

4%

Webinars/webcasts

Printed magazines

Feedback/input from professionals like yourself

In person industry events, conferences, and seminars

Whitepapers

3rd party research and reports

Industry media news and information websites

Company websites

Formal training offered by company

Feedback/input from individuals at company

Printed books

Formal training offered by groups other than company

Web videos

Industry association and trade group websites

Interactive tools/widgets

Product solution demos

Blogs/forums

Audio podcasts

Social media platform(s)

Virtual tradeshows

Sources utilized during client advisement decision process

Note: Websites also include eNewsletters

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53%

53%

53%

40%

38%

37%

37%

32%

31%

30%

28%

28%

27%

26%

24%

24%

24%

23%

17%

16%

41%

42%

41%

42%

51%

58%

59%

62%

59%

67%

66%

64%

67%

66%

61%

62%

70%

59%

70%

69%

6%

5%

6%

18%

11%

5%

4%

6%

10%

3%

6%

8%

6%

8%

15%

14%

6%

18%

13%

15%

Social media platform(s)

Web videos

Webinars/webcasts

Audio podcasts

Blogs/forums

Interactive tools/widgets

Industry media news and information websites

Whitepapers

Formal training offered by company

3rd party research and reports

Company websites

Feedback/input from individuals at company

Feedback/input from professionals like yourself

Industry association and trade group websites

Formal training offered by groups other than company/carrier

Product solution demos

Virtual tradeshows

In person industry events, conferences/, and seminars

Printed magazines

Printed books

The Ecosystem is Evolving

More frequently

Frequency of information source utilization compared with three years ago

Base = used source in past 12 months

About the same Less frequently

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Social Media Usage

YES29%

NO71%

Use of Social Media for Professional Activities (Past Month)

63%

56%

53%

53%

52%

45%

36%

Sent a note/reached out to one or moreexisting clients

Visited or read a trade/media companysocial media feed

Visited or read a financial company socialmedia feed

Shared something you read on a trade/media company’s social media feed

with others

Sent a note/reached out to one or moreprospective clients

Sent a note/reached out to one or morefinancial sales professionals

Shared something you read on a financial company’s social media feed with others

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MAXIMIZING CONVERSIONS: A RESEARCH-DRIVEN CONTENT MARKETING STRATEGY

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This requires a well-orchestrated mix of information types, content types and

media types

Our research supports four factors of meaningful engagementthat marketers must consider:

At right decision moment …

Deliver the information and content needed

at that moment …

Via the appropriate

media…

From the most trusted source

Accelerating Engagement & Conversion

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Most Important Media & Discovery Sources for Financial Advisors

21%

19%

17%

14%

13%

9%

2%

Websites from industry trade media

Feedback/input from sales professionals likeyourself

Websites from financial companies

Internet search engines

Feedback/input from individuals at a company

Websites from industry trade associations

Social media sites

Other = 5%

Likely source for finding information that can be usefulwhen engaged in product/solution recommendation process

15

50

60

70

80

90

100

110

120

130

140

150

DecisionDetailed EvaluationSolution InvestigationNeed Identification

Industry Average

Peer feedback/input

Industry media websites

Media Impact Index

Trade association websites

Company Personnel

Company websites

Google/search engines

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Media Impact Index: Top Choices at Each Stage

Need IdentificationSolution

InvestigationDetailed

EvaluationDecision

Google/SearchEngines

Trade association websites

Company Personnel

Company websites

Company Personnel

Trade association websites

Industry media websites

Peer feedback & input

Industry media websites

Peer feedback & input

Company Personnel

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Most Valuable Information Types for Financial Advisors

64%

49%

40%

39%

39%

20%

20%

14%

Evaluations of particular products

Business strategies and best practices specific toyour industry

Evaluations of particular companies

News and information specific to your industry

Case studies/experiences with specificcompanies/products

Survey findings on attitudes and experiences withspecific product/planning solutions

Opinion and commentary specific to your industry

Product/vendor listings or directories

% ‘very valuable’

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Information Type Value Index

70

80

90

100

110

120

130

140

150

Need Identification Solution Investigation Detailed Evaluation Decision

Opinion and commentary

Survey findings on attitudes and

experiences

Case studies

News and information

Business strategies and best practices

Evaluations of particular

products Evaluations of particular companies

Product/vendor listings or directories

Industry Average

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Information Value Index: Top Choices at Each Stage

News and information

Opinion & Commentary

Case studies

Survey findings attitudes/experiences

Product/vendor listings/directories

Case studies

Evaluations of products

Evaluations of companies

Evaluations of particular products

Opinion & Commentary

Business strategies and best practices

Survey findings attitudes/ experiences

Evaluations of products

Evaluations of companies

Need IdentificationSolution

InvestigationDetailed

EvaluationDecision

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76%

64%

62%

62%

53%

50%

47%

42%

10%

19%

12%

18%

26%

32%

22%

26%

14%

17%

26%

20%

21%

18%

31%

32%

News and information specific toyour industry

Opinion and commentary specific toyour industry

Product/vendor listings ordirectories

Survey findings on attitudes andexperiences with specific solutions

Business strategies and bestpractices specific to your industry

Evaluations of particular company

Evaluations of particular products,including features, specifications,

pricing and ROI

Case studies/experiences withspecific vendors/products

The Credibility Factor

Most Credible Source

Industry trade media Financial companies/insurance carriers

Other salesprofessionals

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TAKEAWAYS: IMPACTING ADVISOR DECISION MAKING

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5 Keys to Increasing Mid and Deep Funnel Conversion

1. Content Utility

2. Timing & Targeting

3. Ease of Access

4. Responsiveness

5. Relevance & Consistency

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Content UtilityDeliver useful and appropriate content mapped to the unique

information needs at the middle decision making stages

Content Utility Index

80

90

100

110

120

Need Identification Solution Investigation Detailed Evaluation Decision

Webinars/webcasts

Web videos

Whitepapers

Interactive tools

3rd-party Research

Demos

Industry Average

Blogs

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Content Utility Index: Top Choices at Each Stage

Whitepapers

3rd-party Research

Videos

Interactive Tools

Videos Webinars/Webcasts

Demos

Need IdentificationSolution

InvestigationDetailed

EvaluationDecision

Whitepapers

3rd-party Research

Demos

Blogs

Blogs

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Timing & Targeting

Use segmentation and behavioral targeting to increase your precisionand behavioral data to anticipate what they need next.

Segmentation

• With content mapping for each segment

• Sequence content assets based on utility, information value, media impact and credibility

Behavioral targeting: Anticipate need and deliver appropriate content based on:

• Intent indicators

• Content consumption (topic, type)

• Deep cycle asset actions

• Direct input (interactive digital experiences, lead forms)

Lead scoring and marketing automation to determine the right moment to initiate contact vs trying to push the process too early

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Ease of Access

Mid-funnel content needs to be easy to find and accessible in all the places advisors will be looking for information. Avoid barriers to

information gathering.

Connect content to your social strategy: Less utilized but growing as a source of discovery – will only grow as more content becomes available

Leverage industry media at ALL DECISION STAGES: Use a combination of earned, paid and owned media

Appear on Every Screen: Mobile-optimized website and landing pages

Social Media Platforms used consistently

throughout first 3 stages

Industry Media Magazines & Websites

Strongest during first and last stages, but used

throughout

Research Information Sources

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Responsiveness

Quickly deliver the information they need, when they need it. Avoid long gaps in response once they’ve engaged with your content.

Deploy tactics that enable content self-discovery and self-nurturing – such as interactive content that provides recommendations based on user interactions or answers to questions

Score leads and prioritize follow up. Provide the content most appropriate to their previous action and what they’ll need next.

Use Marketing Automation to nurture leads: Requires robust content with a strategy for mapping appropriate content to each branch of the journey

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Relevance & Consistency

Tailor your content, messaging and value proposition specifically for financial advisors at each stage of the recommendation process.

• Connect advertising message to content marketing and other tactics

• Link messaging and content from the first touch/engagement to mid-funnel stages to the desired end decision

• Use research and feedback mechanisms to carve out unique thought leadership perspectives based on advisors’ pain points

• Deliver it via the most effective mix of media, information, and content types

Be present with relevant content everywhere they are doing their research or risk getting passed over…

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Company websites

Company Personnel

Top Media Impact

Must Mix: Solution Investigation Stage

Product/vendor listings/directories[from trade media]

Case studies

Evaluations of particular products

Top Information Value

Interactive Tools

Videos

Demos

Top Content Utility

From both industry media & companies

ADVISOR RESEARCH TASKS:Gather Information to investigate solutions| Solicit expert & peer feedback

Compare solutions | Build short list

From ALL 3 SOURCES

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Top Media Impact

Must Mix: Detailed Evaluation Stage

Evaluations of particular products

Top Information Value Top Content Utility

From both industry media & peers

ADVISOR RESEARCH TASKS:Map short list solutions to needs| Engage with solution experts

Build business case | Outline plan for change

From ALL 3 SOURCES

Trade association websites

Industry media websites

Peer feedback & input

Evaluations of companies

Webinars/Webcasts

Blogs

Decision Process Stages

Types of Information

Sought

Types of Content Used

Types of Media Used

(Information Sources)

CredibilityInformation Discovery

Six Dimensions for Successful Full Funnel Content Marketing

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QUESTIONS

Contact us:Adam Dunn: adunn@alm.comJamie E. Green: jegreen@alm.comJosh Heitsenrether: jheitsenrether@alm.com

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