10 years building marketing & creative materials for asset managers – Lessons learned
This will end up being the 100th article I have published. I have spent the last 10 years opining on marketing for asset managers. Here are a few things I have learned. The words marketing and placement are not interchangeable. The words marketing and placement are not interchangeable.The former has to do with building awareness…
Building brand is different than articulating your value proposition
Figure out what you stand for, think beyond performance, and embrace your brand values. I think about building brand in the alternative investment industry… a lot. I have pondered why it is such a struggle for asset managers. The reasons are involved. It starts with the fact that the stories asset managers tell, are not…
Marketing – 1000 subtleties working together
Think of marketing as 1000 subtleties all coming together to shape the perception of an audience. Let me explain. I like to pick on BMW, namely because they are brilliant at branding. When you encounter a BMW of any form, think about all of the touch points that have impacted how you perceive the vehicle….
The unmeasurable benefit of good marketing
A lot of asset managers are trapped in between ok and good enough. Because of this, their pitch lacks conviction and energy. Room after room, zoom after zoom, they say the same thing and hear the same thing – thanks, but we will watch for a bit. The surest way to change the trajectory of…
Asset management – A holistic view on marketing
To be successful, asset managers need to focus on three things: Brand Discovery Technology BRAND Brand is one of those nebulous words that no one really understands. This is why asset management doesn’t embrace it. It is subjective, marketing voodoo. To eliminate any confusion, your Brand is nothing more than how the outside world…
An asymptomatic problem asset managers have finally been forced to confront
Asset managers consistently tell us that they do well when they get in a room with a prospective LP. This can be expected. There is no stronger form of communication than a face-to-face meeting. Outside of the impact of words, it is also possible to project confidence, passion, and enthusiasm, amongst many other things. Subtleties…
Why asset managers need to abandon the Olympic athlete mentality
What do most asset managers and Olympic athletes have in common? They believe that if they are the top performer in their field, they will win a gold medal. In the case of asset managers, the proverbial “gold medal” is winning over an LP or reaching their fund’s capital raise target. Asset managers need to…
There is no marketing value in doing the expected
We talk to asset managers all day, everyday – people like you, searching for capital. With surprising regularity, managers confide in us that they truly don’t understand why investors aren’t allocating capital their way. “Look at our performance, it’s pretty impressive.” Here’s the thing, “doing what you are paid to do” isn’t a reason for…
Top ten tips for transition management
For pension funds, each pound inadvertently lost in a transition is a pound not used to fund their liabilities. With funding ratios continuing to be challenged as schemes age, it is more important than ever that a pension fund not only has the correct investment strategy but also implements change correctly and as efficiently as…
Asset management: Marketing explained
Most asset managers think they have something to sell when they really have nothing to sell. – – There is nothing wrong with having nothing to sell, but make sure your approach to marketing is aligned with current market conditions.