Last December, the Wells Fargo Investment Thought Leadership Forum was held in New York City. The event featured some of the world’s most successful investors, including Howard Marks, co-chairman of Oaktree, Larry Fink, chairman and CEO of BlackRock, Michael Bloomberg, and Jamie Dimon, Chairman and CEO of JP Morgan Chase & Co. While the event focused on the role of investment firms and their leaders, there is no single definition for investment thought leadership.
An example of investment thought leadership is the publication of an investment journal. Investment journals are a valuable source of investment information. Some of the leading investment journals have their own investment thought leadership sections. But there is more to investment thought leadership than a quarterly journal or a white paper. AIQ magazine, a quarterly publication of the Aviva Investors, is an excellent example of this. Aviva’s editorial staff adheres to strict editorial standards, avoids explicit product pushes, and publishes articles on investment topics of great interest. The magazine covers such topics as AI, big data, and the effects of monetary easing.
While investing thought leadership is an excellent way to establish credibility, it is not a substitute for a solid plan and consistent effort. Your readers need to be educated about important events now, especially those with financial consequences. A cookie-cutter fund manager analysis does not qualify as thought leadership, and a fresh perspective is necessary. Thought leadership is not a gimmick, but a unique way to elevate your voice and attract more followers.
Developing an effective thought leadership platform requires a strategic approach. While each thought leadership platform will have its own unique focus, it should have a bigger goal that will help the business. This overarching goal should be reflected in the name. The ideal name is one that encapsulates your aim and demonstrates its purpose to your followers. Try a few out to get feedback from your audience. They may have suggestions for a name or a different perspective.
When executed correctly, thought leadership is a powerful strategy. By focusing on the big picture, thought leadership can help you differentiate yourself from the competition. The result will be a better company perception and increased sales. And all this without sacrificing any of your brand values. Think of it as investing in your company’s future. Your future will be bright! You should make the most of it and invest in your business’s thought leadership marketing strategy today!
Investing in Investment Thought Leadership
The concept of investment thought leadership is not new. The Wells Fargo Investment Thought Leadership Forum took place in New York last December at the Plaza Hotel, and featured the world’s top investors. These individuals included Howard Marks, co-chairman of Oaktree Investments, Larry Fink, chairman and CEO of BlackRock, Michael Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg, and Jamie Dimon, Chairman and CEO of JP Morgan Chase & Co.
In order to attract investors to your firm, you must differentiate yourself from the crowd. A content marketing engine focused on investment thought leadership helps to build credibility and awareness. When launching an investment content marketing engine, identify the uniqueness of your firm and publish thought leadership content. This will educate potential investors and partners about your unique offering and increase your credibility. Think of investment thought leadership as a way to differentiate yourself from your competitors. Once you’ve identified this difference, you can begin creating a content marketing engine that showcases your unique selling points.
The CAMRADATA Live online manager research database includes a Knowledge Bank that allows asset managers to deliver investment thought leadership, views, and capabilities to their institutional investors. More than 2700 institutional investors access CAMRATADATA Live, making it a must-read for those who need to find out more about the asset management industry. Savvy Investor tracks the top 100 investment thought leadership papers and tracks the topics and regions that generate the most views.
The investment industry is dominated by a few topics that have become perennial on the thought leadership agenda. Leadership is an important subject for companies, and many will be looking for lessons from the recent turmoil. Topics such as purpose-driven leadership, the shift from a command-and-control approach to a more networked approach, empathy, resilience, and mental health will remain hot topics. Moreover, many business leaders have experienced stress during their careers. Thus, interest in mental and emotional health will be high.
Investing in thought leadership requires consistent, relevant, and useful content. Initially, the audience will only be made up of friends, family, and a dog. It will take six months for your platform to see any kind of significant uptick in followers. If you are launching a podcast, leverage existing listenership. If you’re starting a real estate blog, post on social media and Bigger Pockets. While it may take a little work, the rewards are tremendous.
By enhancing the perception of your business, you will open the door for increased sales and a stronger business. Think of your investment in thought leadership as an investment in your brand. Think of it as an opportunity to differentiate yourself from your competition. Think of it as a tie-breaker. Consider this in 2006.
Asset management executives and investment service provider executives should keep investment thought leadership on their to-do list. Investing-related thought capital is an essential tool in defining the differentiators in the industry. Moreover, this strategy has helped firms differentiate themselves from competitors and create a better environment for investors. For example, 58% of C-suite executives have rejected proposals from competitors because of poor thought leadership. And a similar percentage (29%) say it has prevented them from awarding a company business.
While the need for investment thought leadership is critical, it is important to maintain a balanced narrative about active and passive investment management. The Active Investment Management Council sponsors research, develops thought leadership, and organizes educational events that help investors and policymakers understand the issues surrounding both approaches. The council represents the different business models and perspectives of the investment industry and promotes its findings through a growing library of commentaries. With these insights, it is possible to formulate informed decisions on active and passive investments.
The field of impact investing is rapidly evolving, and thought-provoking opinion pieces are essential. The GIIN publishes Op-eds, Investor Spotlights, Investment Profiles, and third-party research. GIIN co-founder Amit Bouri shares his thoughts on building a sustainable, inclusive future. To read more about his thoughts, check out the GIIN blog. It’s a great example of a thought-provoking blog post.
How Asset Managers Can Create Investment Thought Leadership
Investing thought leadership is crucial in today’s investment industry, where investors need to be kept up to date with major events occurring in the financial world. Cookie-cutter fund manager analysis is not investment thought leadership, and a longer-form analysis cannot always keep pace with the news cycle. Creating a fresh perspective is essential to investment thought leadership. This article will examine the different ways in which asset managers can create investment thought leadership. Here are some examples.
Publish high-quality content on your platform. Investment thought leadership is best accomplished through original content presented in an accessible, interesting and relevant way. Avoid writing twenty-page PDFs that will only confuse your readers or make them uneasy. Your audience will not appreciate generic investment thought leadership. Likewise, don’t rely solely on marketing spiel – provide sharp insights and analysis in addition to regular marketing spiels. Make sure your investment thought leadership is original, relevant, credible, and easy to read.
Publishing articles on how to start, grow, and run a company shows investors that you have an unique approach to running a company. By publishing articles on the steps that you took to build a business, you’re demonstrating to investors that you can lead, keep your finances in order, and make wise decisions. By publishing articles about investment ideas and trends, you’ll also be demonstrating your niche expertise within your industry. Ultimately, it will pay off when your investment thought leadership material is considered “client-ready.”
If you’re looking to establish a thought leadership platform, consider starting by following the best practices of other established thought leaders. In this way, you’ll have an advantage over the rest when creating your own platform. Don’t forget to give your platform a name that conveys your goal to your followers. Try asking your audience for feedback on potential names. This will give you an idea of what name would work best for your thought leadership.
CAMRADATA, an institutional investor data provider, has recently launched The Knowledge Bank – an investment thought leadership platform powered by its live survey of over 44,000 institutional members. The Knowledge Bank enables asset managers to provide thought leadership and insights, and information on their capabilities. More than 2700 institutional investors across the world can access your thought leadership material and gain a competitive edge. That’s investment thought leadership at its best! So, get your investment thought leadership content to the right audience and watch the revenue flow pour in.
With the business competition accelerating across all industries, thought leadership is crucial for your business to succeed. Using your brand’s voice as a thought leader is a great way to differentiate yourself from the rest. It builds your brand’s reputation, unlocks more sales and makes your business stronger. Think about what your competitors are doing and use your insight to create a better product and service. And then make sure you incorporate thought leadership into your marketing strategy.
