7 time-saving investment commentary tips
Are you involved in the portfolio manager/regulatory commentary process? By that we mean MRFPs, financial statements, monthly, quarterly and semi-annual commentaries, and annual reports. If so, you know that timelines are tight and extra rounds of review can derail the project.
To help you make the process as efficient as possible, we’ve put together a list of seven tips that could save you hours. They’re easy to implement and you’ll see results immediately.
1. Know your benchmarks
A fund’s official benchmark may not be the one that your portfolio manager used during the period, especially if it is sub-advised. Getting that right before reviews is an easy win. If you’re wondering what else you may need to document before the process starts, here are some other facts to get in order.
2. Heads up!
Let everyone – portfolio managers, analysts, project managers and your compliance team – know their timelines well in advance, and then remind them again a few days before the process gets underway.
3. Use the right language
Don’t send copy to compliance that won’t be accepted. That means removing investing jargon and overly technical terms like “risk on/risk off,” “headwind/tailwind,” “hawkish/dovish” and “when rates backed up.” We can help you find suitable alternatives that an average investor would understand, check this post out for more jargon to avoid.
4. Think about repetition
Does every single fund need a different outlook? It’s important to spend some time on that question because if you choose “No” you could cut down on a significant amount of work by repurposing copy.
5. Shorter is better
Tight copy that gets to the point will always win. Your readers will appreciate your brevity if it helps them get a better picture of what happened over the period. Here are some more tips on simplifying your commentary writing.
6. Know your reporting period
Six-month marketing commentaries and MRFPs can be a problem because investment teams are more familiar with quarterly and annual reviews. In your communications leading up to the project, explain the time period in bold typeface.
7. Create a style guide
Does your firm write sector names with an uppercase or lowercase letter (e.g., the Energy sector or the energy sector)? Does your firm use a serial comma or not? If everyone is on the same page, reviewing will take less time. Here’s how to strengthen your brand with a style guide.
There you have it: seven simple ideas that can save you hours. We’ll return to this topic from time to time throughout the year, so keep checking our blog and social media for more insights.
If you want to improve your commentary process, contact us today at 416.925.1700, 1.844.243.1830 or info@ext-marketing.com.
Read more:
https://ext-marketing.com/commentaries-articles/outlook-comments-mrfps-required/
Are “outlook” comments in MRFPs required?
At least every six months, communications, product and investments teams gather to produce MRFPs for mutual funds and ETFs.
While it’s unlikely that MRFPs are your most-read documents, it’s important to deliver on what’s required – to keep your current and future investors informed about the issues that affect their investments and to meet your regulatory requirements.
Should you or shouldn’t you include “outlook” comments in your MRFPs? The regulatory language is vague, and it puts the onus squarely on those responsible for producing the MRFPs.
In this article, we refer to “National Instrument 81-106 Investment Fund Continuous Disclosure” (“NI 81-106).
NI 81-106: Language specific to outlook comments
NI 81-106 is a big document. Even though it’s a little intimidating, it’s worth reading a few times. There are two sections that we want to focus on for this article. The first is 2.4 Recent Developments:
“Under the heading ‘Recent Developments’ discuss the development affecting the investment fund, including … known material trends, commitments, events or uncertainties that might reasonably be expected to affect the investment fund.”
The second is a little further down in the document, in INSTRUCTIONS (1):
“Preparing the management discussion necessarily involves some degree of prediction or projection. The discussion must describe anticipated events, decisions, circumstances, opportunities and risks that management considers reasonably likely to materially impact performance. It must also describe management’s vision, strategy and targets.”
So far, we believe the NI 81-106 is clear on the matter: include outlook comments. But the vagueness arrives quickly.
Watch out for promissory language
Immediately after the instructions above, we find this sentence:
“There is no requirement to provide forward-looking information.”
By this, we take it that regulators are referring to performance-specific comments. Your portfolio managers and sub-advisors should not promise performance in their outlook comments, and regulators are well aware of that.
“Forward-looking information,” however, could also encompass anything that refers to the future.
It’s up to you
MRFPs were created in the spirit of keeping Canadians better informed about their investments.
If you include outlook comments in your MRFPs, write about possible events that may affect fund performance and future activity in the fund. For example, a corporate bond fund will be affected by changing interest rates. That might be obvious for people in the investment industry, but may not be quite as obvious for investors.
If you don’t include outlook comments, create a brief business case for why you chose not to do so. If your firm believes there is a business risk to including these kinds of comments, have an explanation as to why. Also, be sure to highlight that your outlook comments won’t deliver on the regulators’ intentions. Keep this on hand in case you’re asked about your choice.
More resources
- Check out our ebook on commentaries, Your commentary prep-book: Get ready for crunch time – in no time
- We share our commentary best practices on our blog, check them out here
- NI 81-106 (page 44 is a good place to start)
- Ontario Securities Commission, Latest instruments, rules and policies
- Canadian Securities Administrators, Letters, statements and other reports
Ext. Marketing can help
We produce thousands of monthly, quarterly, semi-annual and annual commentaries – many of them MRFP commentaries – every year.
Our clients are among the world’s largest and most successful investment firms, and our daily interactions with our clients have given us a unique perspective – and dozens of best practices – for writing, editing, designing and project managing portfolio manager commentaries. We can help you produce better commentaries too.
To start creating better, faster and even cheaper commentaries, contact us today at 416.925.1700, 844.243.1830 or info@ext-marketing.com.
Read more:
https://ext-marketing.com/commentaries-articles/7-time-saving-investment-commentary-tips/
Why MRFPs are so important
The Management Report of Fund Performance (“MRFP”). It’s a report that’s often, and quite appropriately, viewed as a regulatory document. But it can be so much more.
MRFP commentaries can also be a story from the fund’s past to help explain its future.
You know the format: the macroeconomic environment, performance versus the benchmark (including contributors and detractors), trading activity and current positioning. All of these are vital components from a regulatory standpoint.
Share vital information
But maybe more importantly, they are also vital pieces of information for advisors and investors. Advisors want to ensure that portfolio manager objectives and strategies are aligned with their own and those of their investors. Certainly not an unreasonable ask.
Advisors want to ensure that portfolio manager objectives and strategies are aligned with their own and those of their investors.
With so much choice in the industry these days, advisors are tuning into the objectives, strategies and processes of portfolio managers to ensure their recommendations are the right match for their clients.
Speak directly to investors
How can you help inform advisors and investors? By looking at MRFPs not only as regulatory documents but also as a chance to speak directly to investors.
Whether your fund outperformed or underperformed, if you give investors a well-integrated story about why the fund performed as it did, you can build a strong and long-lasting relationship with the investor.
You can build a strong and long-lasting relationship with the investor.
So put additional effort into it and explain what sectors, geographic regions and individual holdings contributed to and/or detracted from performance.
More importantly, explain why these sectors, regions and holdings performed the way they did. Those are the insights investors can’t get elsewhere but should always have available in their funds’ MRFPs. Including this information shows investors that you are working towards your objectives, following your strategy and executing on your process.
At their most basic level, MRFPs are regulatory documents. But they are also an opportunity to speak directly to investors. Don’t pass on the opportunity to tell these investors why your fund is the right option for them.
For investment commentary support (including monthly and quarterly commentaries, as well as MRFPs), contact us today at 416.925.1700, 844.243.1830 or info@ext-marketing.com.
Read more:
Save time and resources with clear brand guidelines
Creating clear brand guidelines is not just about ensuring that the look and feel of your marketing materials are consistent. It’s also about saving time and resources.
Let’s take a look at how brand guidelines can help your bottom line. They will:
1. Enable team members to work more effectively together
There is tremendous value in consistency, especially if people are in different areas of the office, in another office altogether or working remotely. With this consistency comes a higher level of confidence and your marketing team will feel an immediate boost to their creative output.
2. Provide practical instructions on daily usage
By ensuring that everyone is using the right font, colour palette, graphics, etc., you’ll have to answer fewer questions, and make fewer corrections during your day.
Answer fewer questions, and make fewer corrections
Brand guidelines have the added benefit of providing a quick education about your brand for new members of the marketing team, so you can cut down on the time that you need to commit to training.
3. Make brand updates easier
For better or worse, brand guidelines are not set in stone. We can’t think of a company that hasn’t done a review of their brand over the past few years.
A major brand refresh – or even a minor update – can be complicated from the get go. But less so if you have well-documented brand guidelines, which will give you and your team a strong starting point. A refreshed brand guideline will also help you disseminate the new brand info much faster.
More time and more resources at your disposal: it’s hard to deny the benefits of creating clear brand guidelines.
Brand questions? Contact us at 416.925.1700, 844.243.1830 or info@ext-marketing.com.
Read more:
https://ext-marketing.com/commentaries-articles/rounding-for-non-math-types/
Rounding for non-math types
The demise of the penny gave us all a refresher course on rounding.
Most of us know that one to four rounds down and five to nine rounds up, but there can be some surprising pitfalls when dealing with the kinds of numbers that are common in financial services marketing, especially in commentaries and reports.
Let’s get to the bottom of this.
How to round
A common rounding task is to express large monetary units in words instead of numerals. For example, $1,000,000 is often written as $1 million (or $1.0 million, depending on your style) in tables and copy. Depending on the context, you may want to highlight that the figure is approximate.
The key to rounding is to do it once only – looking only to the number just to the right of the last desired digit to determine whether/what rounding is needed.
The key to rounding is to do it once only – looking only to the number just to the right of the last desired digit.
If your style calls for numbers rounded to one decimal place ($x.x), then you would round the following amounts as follows:
- $7,576,000 becomes $7.6 million – 7 rounds up 5 to 6. Don’t be tempted to keep going and round again to $8.0 million.
- $1,986,000 becomes $2.0 million – 8 rounds 9 up to 10, causing 1 to become 2. This is the only situation in which rounding affects a second column.
- $4,746,000 becomes $4.7 million – 4 leaves 7 rounded down to 7. If you start rounding too early, with 6 rounding up 4, then you’ll arrive at $4.8, which is incorrect.
Another rounding rule to watch for
You cannot “unround” figures.
If you have a return of 7.6%, but your style calls for two decimal places, then you need to go back to the source, rather than simply adding a zero to the end (7.60% might be incorrect). In this example, the correct figure could be anything from 7.55% to 7.64%.
That concludes our rounding lesson for non-math types. Hope you enjoyed it!
For editing help from those who know how to deal with numbers, please contact us at 416.925.1700, 844.243.1830 or info@ext-marketing.com.
Read more:
https://ext-marketing.com/marketing-articles/5-tips-better-infographics/
But can you make a PowerPoint?
But can you make a PowerPoint? We’re asked this question all the time.
It’s no surprise. “Financial services marketing and investment commentaries” covers a broad range of possibilities. To find out more about investment commentaries, click here. To find out more about financial services marketing, read on.
Services at Ext. Marketing Inc.
Yes, we make PowerPoint presentations – and we can do much, much more for you. Here are just some of the ways that we can help you and your firm achieve your marketing goals while alleviating many of your concerns and challenges around resourcing:
- Copy and design for PowerPoint presentations
- Copy and design for newsletters
- Digital newsletters and eBlasts
- Copy and design for brochures, infographics, sales tools and fund sheets
- Copy and design for websites and microsites
- Strategize and execute custom content campaigns
- Write blog posts for content marketing and other usages
- Help you brand and get the word out about a new product or services
- Conduct marketing materials audits
- Copy for executive speeches
- Copy for press releases
- Lead brainstorming sessions
- Enhance your social media activity and presence
- Script, storyboard, shoot and edit videos
- We even offer print production and translation services!
You get the picture – we’re a full-service marketing and communications partner for financial services firms.
If you have a marketing challenge, we can help you work through it. Contact us at 416.925.1700, 844.243.1830 or info@ext-marketing.com.
[Insert catchy headline]
Headlines are the first words your audience sees. And, if your headlines don’t catch your audience’s attention, they may be the last words your audience sees.
That’s why it’s so important to create headlines that grab your reader’s attention and act as incentive to read the rest of the piece you have taken the time to write.
The following are a few key tips for writing better headlines.
Keep it aligned with the content
Okay, we’re starting with the practical here. If your article is about your economic growth outlook for emerging markets, it’s probably a good idea to have the words “economic” and “emerging markets” in the title, or at least allude to these concepts in some way.
If your title for this article is “Strawberries and cream make for a proper outlook,” people may read on, but you will quickly lose them and their trust, possibly for good.
Keep it tight
Our motto is “the fewer words, the better.” Instead of writing, “The five best ways to improve your portfolio management process,” try “Improve your portfolio management process today.” The second option has almost half the word count and is way more active.
Our motto is “the fewer words, the better.”
And speaking of active words…
It’s always better to use strong, active words over a more passive tone. Verbs tend to draw in readers a lot more than adjectives and nouns.
Start your “search” engines
We’re not sure we’re saying it right, but these days it’s important to consider using words in your headlines that people are likely to “Google.”
If you’re writing about small-cap investing, include “small-cap investing” in the headline to improve the chance that your piece will be picked up by search engines and, when people punch in “small-cap investing,” hopefully your article will be close to the top of the list!
Avoid industry jargon
Financial professionals tend to use a lot of industry words that aren’t necessarily used or understood by the masses. It’s a good idea to save that jargon for the body copy in your piece, where you will have more room to explain what those jargony words actually mean.
You should also avoid largely unknown acronyms in your headlines.
These are just some of the tips we believe will help you write better headlines to better engage readers. Please weigh in if you have other tips on this topic!
Looking for writing help? Contact us at 416.925.1700, 844.243.1830 or info@ext-marketing.com.
Read more:
Five techniques for more effective self-editing
You’ve finished your first draft of that challenging article, blog post or brochure you’ve been working on for days, maybe even weeks. You’re excited to get it off your plate, whether that means publishing it or submitting it for review.
Not so fast! You may not enjoy editing your own work, but it’s an essential part of the writing process. These five simple, yet effective, self-editing techniques will make your writing cleaner, more concise and easier to read. Plus, they’ll save your editor some work.
1. Break up long sentences
Try to keep your sentences under 30 words, especially when you’re writing for the web. Scan your work for long sentences and, if you find any, try splitting them into two.
Before: It is really difficult to come up with an example of an overly long sentence when you are not used to writing that way, but put your mind to it and we are sure you will come up with something.
After: It is really difficult to come up with an example of an overly long sentence when you are not used to writing that way. But put your mind to it, and we are sure you will come up with something.
2. Delete unnecessary words
Some good examples of this are “in order to,” “really,” “very” and other filler words that don’t add to your sentence. Get into the habit of automatically searching for these words and deleting them. Then, take another look at your document to make sure you haven’t used two or more words when one would do.
Before: It is really difficult to come up with an example of an overly long sentence when you are not used to writing that way. But put your mind to it, and we are sure you will come up with something.
After: It is difficult to come up with an example of a long sentence when you are not used to writing that way. But put your mind to it, and you will come up with something.
3. Use contractions
You want your writing to sound natural and mirror the way you talk. That means occasionally using contractions.
Before: It is difficult to come up with an example of a long sentence when you are not used to writing that way. But put your mind to it, and you will come up with something.
After: It’s difficult to come up with an example of a long sentence when you’re not used to writing that way. But put your mind to it, and you’ll come up with something.
4. Stick with an active voice… most of the time
There are times when you’ll want to use passive voice, but most of the time, active voice is more engaging and easier to read. We published a separate blog post on why active voice rules, how to identify passive voice and when to – occasionally – use it. Go check it out.
5. Keep a dictionary close by
Here’s a not-so-secret secret most professional editors will admit to: they don’t know how to spell every word in the dictionary. What they do know is when to look things up. They also know that spellcheck isn’t always reliable. Keep a dictionary on your desk as you’re editing your own work, and look up anything you’re not sure of.
There’s much more a professional editor can do to make your work more polished and professional. Consider working with one before you publish your next piece.
To find the right editor for you, contact us at 416.925.1700, 844.243.1830 or info@ext-marketing.com.
3 tips for sustaining your editorial calendar
Producing content over the long term takes resources and commitment. To ensure you stick to your plan, the best path is to create an editorial calendar. Here are some ideas for sustaining your editorial calendar through good times and bad:
1. Include the right categories
Occasionally your readers will want to search your content for relevant subject matter. Assigning categories makes it easy for readers to find what they’re looking for, especially as time goes on and your content accumulates. If you’re two years in and you’ve been sharing and producing custom content daily, you need to give readers the option to find what they are looking for with a keyword search; nobody wants to hit the “previous posts” button again and again.
Make a point of including these six important fields in your editorial calendar:
- category
- keyword
- post date
- status
- tags
- working title
2. Revisit older content
So, a year has passed and it’s time to update your editorial calendar. Wait! Don’t do that just yet. Take time to reread some of your older content and ask yourself:
- What, if anything, has changed since we wrote that?
- Have we changed our opinion and, if so, why?
Can you expand on what you wrote? Are there new findings or ways of thinking that might add to the discussion? If yes, then refresh and re-post. Updating old material is an important strategy to keep in mind when developing content.
3. Expand your editorial calendar
A social media editorial calendar that outlines when and what you want to share on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook involves even more planning than a content calendar as there are many more posts involved. But you can build on your existing calendar to get you started.
Just like your core editorial calendar, well-planned social media updates will cut down on wasted resources, keep you focused on what’s coming up next and help you generate better content for all your campaigns.
Contact us today at info@ext-marketing.com, 416.925.1700 or 844.243.1830 to discuss creating the best-possible editorial calendar.
Read more:
The relationship between financial literacy and communications
4 ways to create an amazing editorial calendar
Creating content over the long haul takes dedication. To guarantee you stick to your plan, the best tool at your disposal is a well-organized editorial calendar.
A good editorial calendar will:
- Cut down on the time and effort involved in creating content
- Act as an internal to-do list that everyone can rely on
- Help you frame the content required for campaigns.
Here are four tips to help you create a solid editorial calendar:
1. Create a communications goal
In many ways, creating an editorial calendar is just like any other project. Put together a work-back schedule with S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-based) goals and give key stakeholders an early heads up.
Outline what you want to achieve with your content. Is it higher engagement? Increased sales? To build a positive reputation around education? Your answer will drive your creative, so make sure you’ve got buy-in from the whole team.
2. Focus on bench strength
Content marketing is an ongoing commitment. To keep readers engaged and interested, you’ve got to publish through good times and bad. The best way to ensure you stick to your schedule is to create a reliable team of all-stars who can make things happen.
Consider looking outside your usual marketing communications team — including accessing individuals from your executive, sales, operations and finance teams for fresh ideas.
3. Time to brainstorm
You know your goals and you’ve put together your content team. Now what are you going to write about? We’ve found it helpful to build a database filled with as many content topics/ideas as possible.
If your plan is to post one article per week, try to leave your brainstorming session with at least a dozen ideas. Keep any extra ideas you don’t plan to use in the near term — they might get you out of a pinch one day.
If you’re looking for some guidance about leading effective brainstorming sessions, click here to read our post on the subject.
4. Stay flexible
Even if you’ve built out your editorial calendar for three months, six months or a year, you still have to expect the unexpected.
Let’s say something dramatic happens in the markets, but your scheduled content that week is on health and wellness. Gather the troops: it’s time to produce something fresh. Find an expert to give you a few talking points and give your readers something timely. Write about what’s happening in the news, and save the health and wellness post for another day.
We hope you find these four tips useful as you prepare your next editorial calendar.
Can you benefit from a solid editorial calendar? Contact us today at info@ext-marketing.com, or 416.925.1700 or 844.243.1830 to discuss your editorial needs.
Read more:
An introduction to accessible design
Not everyone is talking about accessible design. But they should be. This article provides an introduction to accessible design concepts and links to more information.
The following are just a few of many ideas that will get you thinking about taking on a broader, more thorough accessibility review.
Making print accessible
Accessible design for print is about clear messages – making sure that your readers understand what you’re saying.
Colour
People’s perception of colour can be affected by specific visual ailments, the environment or injury. While colour blindness impacts a certain portion of the population, the contrast between colour hues affects everyone.
It may now be a little passé, but do you remember the blue dress meme? If you haven’t seen it yet, it’s time to review issues such as contrast and colour.
Font
“Big letters” are important but it goes much further than that. In the corporate world today, the majority of accessibility discussions around fonts focus on kerning (the space between letters) and leading (the space between lines), as these have a dramatic impact on print legibility. So, avoid complicated fonts. Choose fonts with recognizable letters and don’t overcrowd your copy,.
Hierarchy
This is a slightly more abstract idea than colour and font. Hierarchy is about the organization and prioritization of content in the overall structure of your document.
When attempting to improve hierarchy, designers often increase header size, add subheads and create bullets (where possible). Hierarchy is incredibly important in web design as well, which we’ll get to next.
Making web design accessible
While the three concepts above also apply to the web, accessible web design is about clear navigation – making sure your visitors can find the information they need. Here are two ideas that are a little more specific to the web.
Logic
Content must be intuitive. Your visitors should be able to predict specific elements, such as navigation, on each page.
Operability
People must be able to access and navigate through content no matter what tools they use to do so, from a mouse to a keyboard, as well as voice recognition.
A note on AODA
When it comes to web design, accessibility goes beyond look and feel. You need to develop your website according to accessibility principles.
Although the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (“AODA”) currently applies to companies with 50 or more employees, we think investment firms of all sizes should think seriously about incorporating AODA principles into their next redesign.
Examples of AODA best practices include:
- Do not add content through Cascading Style Sheet (“CSS”) because it may be inaccessible to screen readers
- Tag PDFs so that they’re accessible to screen readers
- Add ALT attributes to IMG elements in your HTML
Links for more info on accessible design
There’s a lot more to say about accessible design. Check out these sources for all the info you need:
- For more details tips and insights, read RGD Ontario’s Access-ability
- Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act
- For web development issues, visit W3C
- Global Accessibility Awareness Day
Contact us at 416.925.1700, 844.243.1830 or info@ext-marketing.com to start making your print and web design more accessible.
Read more:
https://ext-marketing.com/commentaries-articles/5-reasons-investment-commentaries-arent-bad/
Wondering if you should impose a news embargo?
If you’re in media relations or corporate communications, you’ve likely encountered (or will encounter) the issue of news embargoes. Here’s a primer on what they are, why you might consider doing them and what challenges may arise.
What is embargoing?
Essentially, companies impose a news embargo (also called a press embargo) when they want to announce to the media something significant, complex and newsworthy, before the news is scheduled to go public. In the financial services world, this news could be a major portfolio manager move, a change in CEO or other senior executive position, a big fund closure, the launch of a unique product or service, a corporate merger or acquisition, etc.
Use a news/press embargo when you want to announce to the media something significant, complex and newsworthy, before the news is scheduled to go public.
Why should you consider doing it?
From the company’s perspective, imposing a news embargo may serve several purposes:
- Relationship building. What better way to “reward” a media outlet (or specific journalist) who has treated you fairly than to entrust them with important news ahead of the masses? This outlet will appreciate your gesture and will likely continue treating you well
- Controlling the message. You have something big that you wish – or need – to announce, so you want the media to cover it as favourably as possible. Depending on the announcement, influencing the message is an effort to mitigate corporate reputational risk or enhance your company’s status
- Getting the message right. When you provide information to the media before official dissemination, you’re giving them time to absorb details, ask questions and get the facts straight. Maybe you even offer up the CEO or another spokesperson to provide a compelling quote or two. Bottom line, it’s always best to run an accurate story
Why would the media want to do it?
There could be a few reasons, such as the first and third points above, but the primary benefit of accessing embargoed news is the opportunity to “get the scoop” first. In such a competitive media market, who wouldn’t want to type or say those two magical words: breaking news! Much of it revolves around privilege and cachet – earning the reputation as a strong media outlet that’s worth following.
The primary benefit of accessing embargoed news is the opportunity to “get the scoop” first.
Keep these points in mind
While the premise of a news embargo is simple, the execution can be complex. Here are a few things to consider:
- Along with the CEO and other key stakeholders, develop a corporate policy on embargoing. For instance, with whom are you willing to embargo? In what situations will you embargo? You should establish your policy before a significant situation arises. In the heat of a big moment, you might not make the best decision
- Embargoing involves a giant leap of faith. You need to trust that the media outlet won’t deliberately or inadvertently leak confidential information, or run their piece before your announcement (huge disaster!). The outlet needs to trust that you’re giving full and accurate details, and that you’re not engaging all other media (which would negate any competitive advantage)
- Be clear regarding what and when you are announcing, and when you expect the embargoed piece to run. This can be challenging since the outlet wants it out ASAP after your press release, but you can’t be perceived as “playing favourites.” If their story drops only minutes after your press release, exquisitely crafted and replete with well-placed quotes, that will raise eyebrows. You don’t want to destroy any goodwill you’ve gained with other media outlets
- From a legal, regulatory and – for what it’s worth – ethical viewpoint, be mindful of selective disclosure. Love it or hate it, the press release is the great equalizer when it comes to disseminating information, as it democratizes access to material (or other noteworthy) changes. Seek an internal legal opinion if you’re not sure whether or not the news can be embargoed
Want more insights on how to work effectively with the financial media? Contact us at 416.925.1700, 844.243.1830 or info@ext-marketing.com.
Read more:
Five easy ways to create better newsletters
Newsletters are a great way to keep your clients and prospects engaged because they allow you to share stories that educate and inform.
The number one rule for producing great newsletters is to write articles that engage your target audience. Let’s move on to some other ideas that will help you write better newsletters.
1. Focus on a theme
When you’re flushing out your editorial calendar, find some overarching themes that: (1) your clients and prospects will want to know more about and (2) will show that you are a subject matter expert. Focus each and every edition of your newsletter on just one theme.
For example, if your topic is retirement, you can write articles about staying healthy in old age, long-term financial planning, estate issues and financial education for young people.
2. Write killer headlines
This advice is just as true for newsletters as it is for any other marketing or advertising material. Given that everyone’s attention is being pulled in many different directions these days, a strong headline is often the best way to grab the readers’ attention – and convey your one key message.
Everyone’s attention is being pulled in many different directions these days. A strong headline is often the best way to grab the readers’ attention.
3. Add images that will maintain focus
A killer headline paired with an appealing image will help keep your readers’ attention. There’s no set rule for what images work best. Traditionally, images with smiling faces and/or images that take a moment for the reader to “get” tend to work well.
4. Keep it current
There’s an old saying that goes “put the news in the newsletter.” Our clients’ most popular newsletters – the ones that result in great responses and requests for more information – are often tied back to the news of the day.
Current content often means tighter deadlines, but it’s worth it. So make sure you have enough resources available to create this content as needed.
Current content often means tighter deadlines, but it’s worth it.
5. Do the research
Writers should be able to back up what they say in their articles. And, to add value, newsletter publishers should have more data and resources on hand as well. That way, when clients ask for more information, you can keep the conversation going and continue to add value.
To learn more about creating stronger newsletters, contact us at 416.925.1700, 844.243.1830 or info@ext-marketing.com.
Read more:
https://ext-marketing.com/marketing-articles/five-techniques-for-more-effective-self-editing/
When technical terms attack: Avoiding jargon in investment commentaries
Sometimes jargon is useful, and can be used as an efficient way for investment professionals to discuss obscure and complex topics with precision.
More often though, jargon is used as a mental and verbal shortcut. Instead of thinking about what we really mean and using clear and unambiguous language to say it, we use jargon, even when talking to non-specialists – in this case, an average investor.
Instead of thinking about what we really mean and using clear and unambiguous language to say it, we use jargon. It’s a verbal shortcut.
At its worst, the result can be incomprehensible writing.
For example, here are a few jargon terms that often pop up in investment commentaries, along with some ways to avoid using them:
Alpha
Instead of “negative alpha,” it’s easier for the average reader to understand that “the fund underperformed relative to the benchmark.”
Bottom-up
When describing this kind of investment style, try “focusing on a specific company, rather than an industry or economy.” Likewise, don’t assume that your reader will understand “momentum” without explanation.
Fundamentals
Instead of discussing “the company’s strong fundamentals,” try “the strength of the company’s financial statements and management team.”
Headwinds
This term is popular in the investment industry, but try “challenges” instead – or better yet, name the particular challenges you mean. Similarly, instead of “tailwinds,” try a term such as “favourable conditions.”
So are we saying you should never use technical terms in your writing? No, of course not. But think hard about what you’re trying to say and the best way to say it.
Think hard about what you’re trying to say and the best way to say it.
Sometimes only a technical term will do. If that’s the case, define it clearly up front. For example, you will probably have to discuss duration when writing about fixed income funds, so explain that it is a measure of the interest-rate sensitivity of a bond.
Your investment commentaries will be livelier and more readable if you use technical terms sparingly.
Sometimes it takes a few more words to say what you really mean, but getting the point across clearly is worth it.
If you want support for your investment commentaries, contact us at 416.925.1700, 844.243.1830 or info@ext-marketing.com.
Read more:
https://ext-marketing.com/commentaries-articles/prepping-for-mrfp-season-get-your-facts-in-order/
https://ext-marketing.com/commentaries-articles/5-reasons-investment-commentaries-arent-bad/
Three more ideas for writing better speeches
Last week we shared four tips to help strengthen your next speech. Since we still believe that speech writing involves a highly refined set of skills – and that communications professionals who have these skills are a hot commodity in the financial services industry – we wanted to provide you with three more tips you can quickly implement when writing your next speech.
1. Simplify everything
There are a few ways you can simplify your speeches. First, you can simplify the topic. People who can simplify a complicated topic are the true superstars in the world of marketing and communications.
Second, you can simplify your language. Capitalizing on strong verbs, removing unnecessary adjectives and avoiding jargon are three easy wins for speech writers. Third, you can simplify your structure. Too many asides will distract your audience, so stick to the topic at hand.
Simplify the topic, your language and your structure.
2. Write like you talk
The spoken word is a different kind of animal than the written word.
Whereas in the written word, you can convey a certain level of formality by avoiding contractions and using sophisticated words, the spoken word should almost always be delivered with a more casual tone of voice.
The spoken word should almost always be delivered with a more casual tone of voice.
In speeches, contractions like “we’re” are better than “we are.” And words like “commence” should always be replaced with simpler words, in this case a word like “begin” would be appropriate.
3. Finish with a bang
It’s important to wrap up your speech by reminding your audience what you’ve told them. For bonus points, some sort of flash of creativity (like a clever quote) at its conclusion will undoubtedly make your speech more memorable in the minds of your audience.
Looking for more ideas about writing better speeches? Contact us at 416.925.1700, 866.243.1830 or info@ext-marketing.com.
Read more:
Four tips for writing great speeches
Speech writing is a refined skill, and communications professionals with the ability to write strong speeches are a hot commodity in the financial services industry. Here are four tips that will help improve your next speech.
1. Start strong
Professional speakers – and authorities in their field – have the experience to start their speeches any way they want. People are often there to see them as much as to hear what these speakers have to say.
Everyone else should take one of the following approaches when writing the start of a speech: humour (but not a “joke” per se), a quote, a challenging question or an engaging story.
2. Appeal to emotions, not logic
It’s tempting to try to appeal to people’s sense of logic when speaking because you want to show them that you are right. But that approach doesn’t always work.
Appealing to people’s emotions, however, will. We’ve never heard of an audience “getting caught up in the logical nature of the argument.” It’s the emotional pull of an argument that works because it appeals to something that’s deeper than reason.
In a way, financial services marketers have it easier than marketers in other industries because people generally have a strong interest in those issues that impact their finances.
3. Focus on one idea
Choose a topic and stick with it.
If your speech is too short, resist the temptation to switch topics. The last thing you want to do is confuse your audience or muddle your argument. So keep it simple and straightforward – focus on one idea and one idea only.
4. Refine your transitions
Transitioning between proof points is the no-man’s land of speeches.
If you’re stuck on a creative way to move from point A to point B, you can at least summarize what you’ve said. That approach will keep people focused, while also giving them a little break.
The best approach, however, is to treat transitions the same way you did your introduction – with another little story or some humour.
Looking for more ideas about writing better speeches? Contact us at 416.925.1700, 844.243.1830 or info@ext-marketing.com.
Read more:
3 reasons to create a reference guide for your next sales tool
Sales tools are a great way to get information about a new product or campaign into your sales people’s hands so they can begin using them with clients.
But don’t send your sales tool out without a little support. Even the best sales tool will lose its impact if busy sales people aren’t fully aware of the key messages.
Also, language used during a sales presentation can differ from person-to-person, and the tool may end up not being used as effectively as it should be. Enter the reference guide, which can take the form of Q&As, detailed diagrams with callout boxes, or even basic microsites.
A reference guide:
1. Helps control the message
A reference guide speaks in clear voice from management, sales, product marketing, etc. about the tool’s most important messages.
Furthermore, the “internal use only” nature of reference guides provides a forum for direct and clear instruction regarding a product’s features and benefits.
The “internal use only” nature of reference guides provides a forum for direct and clear instruction regarding a product’s features and benefits.
2. Serves as a reminder on “how to”
The reference guide should go through the set-up of the sales tool and explain how to navigate it properly. For example: What needs to be highlighted? What is the goal? The reference guide should contain details that the sales team needs to know when they start using it.
3. Reduces training time for employees
Although getting everyone together and discussing a new sales tool is effective, having a reference tool can cut down on training time, meetings and emails. All the details required about the tool and how to use it should be included in the guide.
All the details required about the tool and how to use it should be included in the guide.
A reference guide can also build confidence in new employees, as they don’t have to memorize everything and will have a resource that can act as a refresher as time goes on.
For more information about creating effective reference guides, contact us today at 416.925.1700, 1.844.243.1830 or info@ext-marketing.com.
Read more:
Six ways to give more productive feedback
We’re not talking about your annual review here. We’re talking about finding more productive ways to give feedback on creative – whether it’s design or copy.
One thing is for sure, creative types in financial services marketing usually have pretty thick skin. Nevertheless, vague feedback can cause unnecessary stress, as writers and designers try to help you achieve your goals.
Here are six ways to give more productive feedback to the creative types in your organization:
1. Be specific
Referring to specific issues will help you avoid falling back on phrases like, “Well, it’s hard to say but something about that colour just doesn’t work for me.” Instead, you should express more focused ideas like, “We used this blue on a campaign last year, and we got some negative feedback from sales. Can you try a darker shade?”
2. Provide feedback in writing
If for no other reason than to provide a reference, providing your feedback in writing is often a good idea. This is especially important if you weren’t able to give your feedback in person and had to make a phone call. Be as precise as possible with the language you use in your communications.
Be as precise as possible with the language you use in your communications.
3. Tie feedback into project goals
This is just as good for you as it is for the person receiving the feedback. By tying your ideas back into project goals, you’ll ensure you aren’t just giving your opinion.
4. If your feedback is substantial, book a meeting room
The last thing anyone wants is to be embarrassed in front of their colleagues. So, if someone has really missed the mark – which is bound to happen now and again given tight turnarounds and multiple demands – book a meeting room and provide your feedback in private. It’s a classy move, and one that will be appreciated.
Book a meeting room and provide your feedback in private. It’s a classy move, and one that will be appreciated.
5. The “bad news sandwich”
I think we can all agree that even if we know we’re being fed a bad news sandwich, we still prefer it to the alternative. What’s a bad news sandwich? It is when you nestle your feedback in between positive comments. There’s no better way to maintain a great working relationship than to share some praise while offering a critique.
6. Facilitate a conversation
Feedback can be much more constructive if there is a back and forth, and hearing the reasons for why something was done one way might even change your mind.
If you have marketing questions, we can help. Contact us at 416.925.1700, 1.844.243.1830 or info@ext-marketing.com.
Read more:
Idea-generating tips for financial services pros
With new product launches, ongoing regulatory updates and an ever-growing demand for increased communications, financial services professionals have had a lot on the go recently. No surprise that it is hard for people to find the time to come up with great new ideas.
Here are five easy ways for you to generate more great ideas:
1. Keep pen and paper handy at all times
The idea toolkit is simple: all you need is an open mind, a pen and some paper. We know that mobile devices are just as good as pen and paper but, from our experience, these “old school” tools help us to log our ideas, and also help to spark more ideas once we get writing.
Whatever your approach, make sure you are able to record your ideas at all times and in any location.
2. Move your body, clear your head
The irony of great of ideas is that they often pop up when you’re not trying to find great ideas. If you’re in a jam and stuck for ideas, get moving. Exercising – like simply going for a walk – can provide well-needed creative fuel.
3. Cast a wide net
Get everybody participating in idea generation. The best ideas often come from unexpected sources. Try setting up quick meetings, hosting one-off brainstorming sessions and sending unexpected emails to anybody willing to participate.
4. See the trends
If you’re looking for great ideas for your business, you’ll want to keep an eye on trends. Business success often depends on determining what people want today and what they’ll want tomorrow – and then delivering on these preferences.
To get there, you’ll need to be on the leading edge. You can start by listening to what your clients and prospects are saying on social media.
5. Test the water
Just because you think it’s a good idea, that doesn’t mean it is. Put your ideas to the test by getting your colleagues to review them. Be prepared for some honest – and occasionally painful – feedback!
For more creative ideas – and solutions to your most pressing marketing issues – contact us at 416.925.1700, 1.844.243.1830 or info@ext-marketing.com.
Read more:
Top 11 reasons to create clear brand guidelines
If you’re working at a smaller financial services firm, you may not have a brand guidelines document yet. The ideas and rules may be in your head … or they may be in constant flux. Either way, it’s time that changed.
Here are 11 good reasons why you and your company need to create clear brand guidelines. A brand guidelines document will:
1. Boost output
Enable different team members, especially in the marketing department, to work more effectively together.
2. Improve consistency
A brand guideline will help ensure that there is consistency across all of your firm’s communications, from internal HR emails to client-facing microsites.
3. Spread the word
A formalized and well-designed brand guideline will highlight the importance of the brand in relation to your firm’s public image.
4. Provide direction
Provide practical instructions on daily usage, so you’ll have to answer fewer questions. Your coworkers will thank you for this clarity.
5. Strengthen reputation
An inconsistent look and feel can weaken your firm’s reputation. So provide guidelines that reinforce a positive perception of your company.
6. Guarantee look and feel
Little things, like the regular vs. the narrow version of a font, can have a big impact. Help ensure everyone is using the right font, colour palette, graphics, etc.
7. Build relationships
Build relationships with different departments by working towards a common goal.
8. Increase output
Boost creative output by focusing everyone on the message, not the design details. You can save your design team many hours by cutting down on the number of revisions they need to make.
9. Educate coworkers
Provide a quick education on brand for new members of the marketing team.
10. Speed up changes
A well-thought-out brand guideline can make brand updates plug-and-play as any question can be addressed.
11. Stay ahead of your competitors
You can help your company maintain a leading edge by creating a strong, recognizable brand.
It might seem difficult to find the time to create a clear brand guideline for your firm, but it’s worth the effort. So schedule some time over the next while, and enlist your team and Ext. Marketing Inc., to get it done.
We can help you craft your firm’s brand guidelines. Contact us at 416.925.1700, 1.844.243.1830 or info@ext-marketing.com.
Read more:
5 steps for a successful marketing materials audit
How to use the media to build the profiles of your people and products