retirement

A Digital Commitment Within Channel

Posted by Anu Heda on Jan 01, 2016, in Thoughts , tagged with , ,

When you look at sites like this, what do you think? I see a firm highly engaged in selling and servicing US plan sponsors seeking input beyond their recordkeepers. I think this raises the bar for everyone else.

Why?

  1. The thought leadership throughout is expertly curated for the audience.
  2. That thought leadership comes in multiple formats: video, product materials, whitepapers and blog posts.
  3. Access to product information is visible but not overbearing.
  4. The site renders quickly and uniformly on my laptop and mobile phone.

The missing component is straightforward access to contacting the US DC team. Make no mistake, this is not unique to AB (see BlackRock and SSgA for examples). Yet, I suspect we will a proliferation of similar DC sites in 2016. Stay tuned as we’ll update the blog as we find other firms’ competing efforts.

Is Custom Publishing Pertinent to Asset Management?

Posted by Anu Heda on Dec 28, 2015, in Thoughts , tagged with ,

As 2015 winds down, I’m thinking of interesting marketing initiatives seen this year. Custom publishing from AB came to mind. The above piece is from October and custom published through Pensions Expert in the UK. This effort succeeds on three levels. The piece:

  1. Introduces and/or strengthens the firm’s relationship with a magazine’s audience (U.K. Pension managers).

  2. Shows AB’s commitment and knowledge about U.K. retirement issues .

  3. Aligns AB with well-known industry experts such as AON Hewitt, adding credibility.

Is custom publishing right for every firm? It’s hard to say, yet if a goal is building relevancy in a new channel in a growth region, then this could be a solid technique to consider.

Best Blogs of The Week

Posted by Anu Heda on Jun 27, 2011, in Best Blogs of the Week , tagged with , , ,

This week’s best blogs includes a newcomer,  US Funds, and two list regulars.

  1. US Funds – This post explains the relationship between gold bullion and gold equities.  Though a bit long-winded, the write shares some valuable information and intuitive relationships between bullion and firms.
  2. BlackRock – I like posts that take a high-frequency news item and relate the issue to investors.  I can imagine many FAs valuing this post because it relates current economic and political uncertainty to investments.
  3. Vanguard – The post itself – get college graduates to save immediately – isn’t that interesting.  The video linked from it is interesting.  For advisors with clients with children in college, this video is a 90 second refresher on typical students’ perspectives.  That can be helpful in discussing investing with those clients and how-to speak to their children about the topic.