Are you marketing to the idea of an institution or the people within?
One of the biggest marketing mistakes hedge funds, private equity funds and venture funds make is directing their messaging towards the idea of institution and not the people within the institution. Building messaging that lacks emotion and designing decks that have no imagery are two great examples. This all originates from the desire to be…
Seven emails that increase your chances of re-up, co-investment or direct investment
In asking for a re-up, co-investment or direct investment, most people present the attributes of the given situation, frame the return profile and inquire about one’s interest level. This is a really bad idea. There are four reasons why: Every good salesperson knows to never ask for the order until you have minimized the risks…
Before you launch a fund: five essentials
Just decided to launch a fund? Congratulations! 🥳 Whether it’s your first or fifteenth, I can only assume this decision to launch a fund was based on strong investor demand… I mean, this launch is based on strong investor demand, isn’t it? You didn’t just have a few drinks with a couple of investors who…
Effective marketing requires repetition
It doesn’t matter how brilliant your story is if investors don’t hear it often enough. Repetition is the essence of effective marketing. Big brands know it. They spend millions of dollars on it. Hearing the name or seeing the logo triggers recall of their messaging: Nike: Just do it Capital One: What’s in your wallet? …
The difference between marketing & investor relations
In the asset management industry, marketing and investor relations are frequently lumped into the same bucket. Frankly, this is a mistake. They are very different things, and it is best to treat them as such. One of the most dangerous traps an asset manager can fall into is being very good at investor relations, yet…
Marketing communications: keep it simple
The urge to overcomplicate things in your marketing communications can be irresistible. When it comes to writing your marketing deck, the intention, of course, is always to clarify, rather than overcomplicate. You want to provide detail so investors can properly understand your strategy. Your strategy is complicated – if it wasn’t, anyone could do it,…
Stop marketing performance
Not marketing performance is a very hard concept for the industry to grasp. Some people just can’t get there, regardless of the logic. And the logic is hard to refute. Can anyone out there guarantee returns? The answer, a resounding no. Should you build messaging and brand around something you can’t guarantee? The answer, a…
Your marketing strategy must align with your investment strategy
And before you jump to conclusions, I am not saying what you think I am saying. We are very fortunate to work with some of the most adept investors on the planet. The strategies they deploy are sophisticated, deeply thought-out, technical, and innovative. Although the manner in which they present themselves is often elementary, unrefined,…
The marketing continuum
Marketing doesn’t need to be overwhelming. Although the subtleties and intricacies of each stage of the continuum below can become involved, the general path to follow is straightforward. First, you strategize and determine what you want to say. Second, you need to build tools that clearly represent your value proposition. Lastly, you need to implement…
Ten “do’s” and “don’ts” to using your marketing deck more effectively
As my colleague, Kyle Dunn, always says, “there’s a reason you don’t see paragraphs on freeway signs.” It’s too much information for anyone to read and retain when they’re zipping by at 75mph. Hence, the need to sequence your message throughout your marketing deck and process at a pace that aligns with the actual process…