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Financial Services Digital Marketing

We talk with a number of Private Equity firms each month and the one thing that comes up about 50% of the time in our conversations is “Should their firm being doing SEO?” and “Does SEO even work for Private Equity?”

The other half believe that SEO for Private Equity works but needs to better understand how so they move forward on getting the results they need it to produce.

Here we explore how your firm can increase exposure, acquire new investors, increase deal flow and attract talent to your firm all using SEO tactics specific to the Private Equity space.

 

Does SEO Work for Private Equity Firms

Yes. Private Equity firms are actually in a position to capitalize on SEO better than many other industries. The reason being that the majority of firms aren’t actually doing it. Many firms just don’t think about it or they don’t think it’s necessary, but this is old school thinking that you see across a lot of industries (manufacturing as an example) that hang on to only the tactics of the past and keep out any of the new methods to market and attract investors, deals or talent.

The basic logic of how SEO works alone makes sense for all firms to be doing it. If someone searches for your firm, searches generically for a private equity firm or searches for a private equity firm specializing in a specific industry you would want your firm to show up.

Some would argue that no one is searching for private equity firms online but that is simply untrue.

Take a look at the Keyword Chart below that shows almost 10,000 searches per month for Private Equity Firms, 720 searches per month for Dallas Private Equity Firms, 2,900 searches per month for Providence Equity Partners and 90 searches per month for Private Equity Firms Energy.

seo for private equity keyword chart

This example shows that people are searching for firms in different ways, in specific areas and in specific verticals.  So Yes, SEO does work for Private Equity firms.

 

Build Awareness for Your Private Equity Firm Using SEO

By implementing an SEO Strategy for your Private Equity firm it will immediately bring you new visibility that you previously did not have. Image showing up in the search engines for a variety of different searches with different intents. This exposure is building awareness for your firms brand that otherwise wouldn’t have been gained.

This result is a longer term, brand building benefit but it comes regardless of your primary objective. We speak about it as a positive byproduct of doing the SEO work.

 

SEO Strategy for Private Equity Firms

Something that is grossly overlooked by most agencies who say they do SEO is mapping the SEO Strategy to the firms goals and targets. What you’ll find much of the time are agencies showing you how many times the term Private Equity is searched on Google, but the problem with that is it isn’t focused.

Your firm is involved in acquiring investment, raising capital, and deal origination. So the SEO strategy is going to focus on content that speaks to the questions potential investors or target business owners are searching that relate to your firm.

For example: Investors might be searching for a specialized private equity firm OR a new investor might be searching for a way to diversity their investment portfolio in something other than securities or bonds. For the latter you would do keyword research on and optimize for answering that exact question.

Another Example: A business owner may be searching for alternative financing options to purchase new equipment so they can expand production. Your firm could do keyword research and optimize an article on doing exactly that but using your private equity firm as a way to capitalize the business.

Thinking about what your target investors, partners, owners or new hires are asking will give you the foundation for creating an SEO rich content strategy for your private equity firm.

 

SEO Tactics for Private Equity Firms

Again this is where most agencies go to immediately when talking about SEO to firms like yours. The problem is this is the part you care about least. You want results. Results like acquiring new investors, increasing deal flow and recruiting top financial talent.

But the reality is that these tactics must be executed (and we at Acumen Studio do this very well), so we’ll briefly share with you the things that need done to ensure you are technically and strategically optimized for the search engines to get visibility, build awareness, build authority, generate traffic, leads and close more of everything.

Develop Your SEO Strategy

We talked about this earlier in the article, but you need to start here. Do this first! Define your targets and create content based on their needs and how you meet those needs.

Do Keyword Research

This is done once you’ve defined your targets to ensure the Keyword Research is being done from the correct perspective. Without the right target or intent while doing this research you’ll end up with an unfocused set of results.

Technical SEO

This the implementation of SEO tactics that include things like optimizing your firms Title Tags, Meta Descriptions, H1 tags, increasing page speed, creating a sitemap, etc.

On-Site SEO

This the implementation of updates to the copy on your site to include keywords, complimentary keywords that support the primary keywords, as well as adding elements related to conversion optimization such as submission forms, click to call phone numbers, etc.

Off-Site SEO

This the implementation of tactics that are not done to your website directly. Most commonly this is optimizing your Google My Business listing and then doing other tasks such as getting your firm listed on directories, backlinking, running PR campaigns to get off-site exposure, etc.

*At Acumen Studio we don’t run PR campaigns, do backlinking or directory listing. We encourage the firms we work with to do this, but PR is a completely different skill set and backlinking being done by an outside agency has an imbalanced ROI

 

Doing all of these SEO related tasks for your Private Equity firm are guaranteed to generate more attention from investors, increase your deal flow and allow you to be found more often by new hires looking to join a firm.

 

If You Are Looking to Close New Investors, More Deals or Have Questions, Call Us at 866-357-7422

Or Submit your information below

    Commercial Real Estate Funds have HUGE opportunity to grow with so many deals to be made in the market.
    The great news for funds like yours is that investors are clamoring to find reputable firms who are engaging in profitable deals and developments.
    The question that most commercial real estate funds have though is, “How can I find new investors?”.

    In this post we share two of the easiest ways to connect with these new investors.

     

    Competition in the Real Estate Fund Space

    Competition online from platforms like Fundrise, Crowdstreet are real competitors that are crowding the space, but real accredited investors aren’t using these platforms. Private Accredited Investors, Institutional investors and family offices are all looking for the expertise of successful / proven firms & funds that can the get job done with deals that will pay off big.

     

    How Commercial Real Estate Funds Can Increase Investor Leads Online?

    Most real estate funds simply reach out to their existing network. Previous investors, partners, colleagues, friends and family are all strong sources for raising funds. And while that will bring success there is the obvious limit our how much liquidity exists within that network.

    But what if you want to go bigger by raising more capital and closing larger deals?

    To increase capital you have to expand to outside of your current network and using digital marketing will get your there. Advertising to investors online is literally the most effective way to scale your visibility and generate new investor leads. Here are a couple strategic approaches to how this will work.

    1. Investor Acquisition Online using LinkedIn Advertising
    2. Advertising on Investor Networks and Publications to Increase Awareness & Investor Leads

     

    Finding New Commercial Real Estate Investors for your Fund using LinkedIn Advertising

    Most fund managers know that LinkedIn is a great network to connect with and directly reach out to commercial real estate investors, but what most don’t know is how to run successful campaigns on LinkedIn that are efficient and scalable which deliver a consistent flow of eager accredited investors.

    Running these ad campaigns get you in front of those investors and makes it easy for them to see your message and connect by calling, messaging or getting more information to start the conversation on investing with in your fund.

     

    Increase Visibility for Your Commercial Real Estate Fund by Advertising on Investor Networks & Publications

    This is similar to the LinkedIn ad campaign strategy but different in that you aren’t targeting individuals but instead making your firm / fund visible on the finance, real estate, and investment websites and publications those investors are reading.

    By sharing the message on your ability to drive big returns for investors, you’ll have a consistent flow of opportunities that will fuel your funds growth.

     

    If You Want to Talk With Us About How You Can Increase Your Investor Leads or Have Questions, Call Us at 866-357-7422

    Or Submit your information below

      The two things every firm needs to grow and thrive are Investors and Deal Flow. They both have to exist and can’t live without the other.

      So in this article we are going to address how your firm can increase it’s Deal Flow by using digital marketing tactics that most firms aren’t doing.

       

      How Can Private Equity Firms Increase Deal Flow?

      Most firms have been doing this by tapping into their personal and professional networks which works well but has it’s limitations built in to the reason that it is so successful for them / you. Your Network!

      Digital marketing strategies focused on deal acquisition are the most effective way to scale your visibility and generate new leads on prospective deals. Let’s look at a couple strategic approaches to how this works.

      1. Deal Acquisition Online through LinkedIn Advertising
      2. Investor Network Advertising to Increase Awareness & Deal Flow

       

      Increase Deal Flow for Your Private Equity Firm through LinkedIn Advertising

      Most deal origination teams know that LinkedIn is a good place to connect with and gain direct access to brokers, owners or partners, but what most don’t know how to do is take the strategies that are successful in connecting & sourcing deals on LinkedIn and turn that into a scalable ad strategy on the LinkedIn ad platform.

      These ads get you in front of the exact people you want to connect with and those same people who have assets that fit your deal criteria will see your message and connect by calling, message or getting more information to start the conversation on making that acquisition.

      It really is that simple!

       

      Increasing Deal Flow for Your Private Equity Firm by Advertising on Investor Networks

      Similar to the LinkedIn strategy but different in that you aren’t targeting individuals but instead making yourself visible on the finance, real estate, or commodity websites and publications those brokers, owners and partners are reading.

      By sharing the message on your ability to drive returns for the deals you acquire, you’ll have a consistent flow of opportunities that will fuel your firms growth.

       

      If You Want to Talk With Us About How You Can Increase Your Deal Flow or Have Questions, Call Us at 866-357-7422

      Or Submit your information below

        As we enter December now is the time to finalize plans moving into 2021.

        Specifically focusing on your Marketing Plan for 2021 is what we’re most concerned about as a Marketing Agency.

        Even more specifically we want you think think about your lead and customer acquisition strategy for the new year.

         

        Questions We’re Asking

        1. Do you have a Lead Acquisition plan for 2021?
        2. If not, In 2021 are you looking to gain NEW Customers?
        3. If so, Do you currently have a overall / broad marketing plan for 2021?

         

        If you want to bring in new customers next year and don’t have a broad marketing plan for 2021 at all we suggest at a minimum roughing out ideas you have on promoting the business. But if a big part of your strategy is new customer growth then even more important will be your lead acquisition strategy.

         

        Here are the components of a 2021 lead acquisition strategy that you should consider

        • Is your website optimized for search engines (do you rank well for everything you do / sell)?
        • Is your website optimized to convert visitors when they get to your site?
        • Are you actively publishing content / blogs to your website?
        • Are you actively publishing content to your social media channels?
        • Are you actively running ads that target your primary customers to drive them to your website or to the phone?
        • Are you sending out at a minimum monthly emails to your email list?

         

        If you answered No to any of these then your 2021 marketing strategy should turn those No’s to Yes’s.

        Prioritize these to comprehensively attack getting new business.

         

        If You Want to Talk With Us About Your 2021 Marketing Strategy or Have Questions, Call Us at 866-357-7422

        Or Submit your information below

          Our friends at Everplans provided this great research into why it is so important to keep the all relationships in the families you advise strong.

          It’s time to start remembering kids birthdays and maybe sending a gift!

          93% of advisors think that they will continue to manage the assets of a client that dies.
          Fact: 85% of children Fire the financial advisor their parents used!
          Only 7% of children know / knew who their parents financial advisor was.

          Read more in the infographic below.

          Infographic financial advisor and family marketing

          The Question: “What should I include in my content marketing?”

          Here are the things that YOU SHOULD be including in your content marketing efforts.

          You don’t just need content, you need Awesome Content!

          Developing relevant content does not have to be a difficult. It doesn’t require any special tools, secret or magic. It all begins with understanding who your prospects & customers are, how they behave and what they crave.

          The formula:
          Useful x Consumable x Inspired = Innovative Content

          This process begins with the creation of a piece of a REAL IDEA, Not some 2,000 word “evergreen” piece or ebook. Something Awesome.
          Many marketers will tell you this should be a 50 to 100 page ebook or massive how to guide. The problem is most people can’t handle it. Big = Overwhelming.

          Everyone wants to believe there is a magic bullet. So create the Magic Bullet!

          Highly valuable & easily consumed content is the gift that keeps on giving. This content will attract links, generate traffic and build brand awareness.

          Once your content is created, blast it EVERYWHERE: Company pages, email, blog, sponsored updates, Display ads, SlideShare, PPC, Twitter, etc.

          Simple Execution
          In many cases it is easy to develop a set of goals, but a plan is specific, executed over time and measurable. After determining what your Big Idea is going to be, write that out into a series or digestable snapshots that can easily be distributed over time. This can include videos, infographics, blog posts, 3rd party posts, podcasts, etc.

          Week 1: Publish & Schedule Your Content
          Week 2: Conduct a Webinar
          Week 3: Run a Contest
          Week 4: Lead a Twitter Chat
          Week 5: Do an interview: On TV, Online, At a Conference, etc.

          While all of this is running your content is being promoted though influencer outreach, promoted posts, email, sponsored updates, paid search, retargeting, organic social, organic search, etc.

          Everything gets tagged and tracked for performance evaluation and follow up.

          Your Blog
          Make your blog content diverse, relevant and structured.

          Monday: Case Studies, Statistics / Infographics, Industry (35% time spent)
          Tuesday: Strategic Research & Analysis, Points of View, Thought Leadership (20% time spent)
          Wednesday: How-To Posts, Guest Blogging, Peer Content (25% time spent)
          Thursday: Bold Points of View / Strong Opinion, Challenger (5% time spent)
          Friday: Light-hearted, Cultural, Funny Amusing (15% time spent)

          A Quick View
          SEO – Lays the groundwork
          Social – Fuels the content
          Content – Fuels the demand

          Winners:

          • Consistently deliver content that their target wants to consume & share
          • PR efforts guide their vision as a leader in the space
          • Deliver amazing experiences on and offline
          • Build a thriving community

          Make a plan, make it Asesome, deploy, track & measure, optimize, close new business and WIN!

          And this is why we are considered the best content marketing agencies in St. Louis.

          A 2013 study calculated that over 500 websites are created each minute.

          That is a HUGE number.

          Let’s be conservative and say that today in 2016, 75 of those new websites are being created and are scheduled to replace an existing website every single day.

          That is a very large number of sites putting themselves at risk!

           

          How are they putting themselves at risk you say?

           

          Well, let us give you an example.

           

          Imagine you have a website that looks so 2005.

          You want to update the look, the copy and make it responsive.

          All with the goal of turning more visitors into customers.

          These are Awesome goals!

          Let’s say your site has an average conversion rate compared to the industry and 75% of your site traffic comes from Organic Search.

           

          HERE IS THE THREAT!

          When migrating your website in most cases, your URL structure will change.

          This will make all of your old URL’s or links to your site break and generate either a 404 error or some other server error.

          If that happens:

          • Visitors are very unhappy and will leave your site

          • Google will penalize you for a bad user experience

          • Your rankings will drop

          • You could be dropped from the search engines completely for a while

           

          What can you do to FIX This?

          Map your current website URLs to your new website URLs

          Create 301 redirects (using .htaccess or a plugin or whatever you use choose to create this)

          Test the redirects to make sure they are correct

          Submit a new Sitemap to the search engines

          This is the Number 1, Most Critical Step in Preserving Your Website’s Current Authority, Visibility and Integrity.

          If you don’t, then you will most definitely use the acronym FML in a tweet, text, post, etc. soon after.

           

          Social Media is a must do when it comes to growing a business, communicating with customers, acquiring new customers and becoming a real brand.  Many companies are not doing it, Many companies are “kind of” doing it, few companies are doing it successfully and only a small fraction of businesses are running social media at the highest level.

          We break out Social Media Marketing effort into 3 Phases.

          1. Table Stakes (thanks to Eliot Frick from BIGWIDESKY for this name)

          2. Successful

          3. Top One Percent

          *We don’t even consider not doing it a phase.  If your company is not on Social Media, please call us right now, at this very moment so we can get you up and live on social.  Every second you are not online and up on social media the quicker your company will die.

           

          Table Stakes

          When it comes to Social Media Marketing there is a minimum level of effort that must take place.

          Having live profiles that contain consistent and accurate company information, imagery, posting content regularly at some frequency and linking to these profiles from other places on the web including your website, other social profiles, email, etc.

          This is easy and will give you a boost in the search engines, overall customer visibility, website traffic, foot traffic, leads and sales.

          Example Table Stakes Social Media Profile

          The Dallas Furniture Bank

          https://www.facebook.com/DallasFurnitureBank/

          https://twitter.com/dalfurnbank

          The Dallas Furniture Bank has consistent and accurate information, while posting regularly.

          There is not an a large amount of engagement and obviously not running any paid promotion.

          This is fine for many companies and should be getting done, but could be getting done in a more significant way by moving into the Successful Social Media Marketing phase.

           

          Successful

          To be running at the Successful Social Media Marketing phase, you must be doing everything in the Social Media Table Stakes phase plus driving consistent meaningful engagement through strategic organic & paid tactics as well as relevant strategic content (copy, images, videos, documents, etc.).

          Example Successful Social Media Profile

          The Watering Bowl

          https://www.facebook.com/TheWateringBowl/

          https://www.instagram.com/thewateringbowl/

          The Watering Bowl has consistent and accurate information, while posting regularly.

          There is good engagement, they respond, comment, message and are running some paid promotion.

          This where most companies should be, but there is still one more level that your business could be reaching, it is the Top One Percent Social Media phase.

           

          Top One Percent

          To be in the Top One Percent of companies on Social Media you must be everything from the 1st and 2nd phases, plus creating a massive amount of content, promoting accurately through all means possible, engaging like your life depends on it and having passionately dedicated resources to work on this 100% of the time.

           

          Example Top One Percent Social Media Profile

          Red Bull

          https://www.facebook.com/redbull/

          https://twitter.com/redbull

          https://www.instagram.com/redbull/

          Red Bull does everything on social media, all the time, in every corner of the web and is engaging, relevant and passionate.  Strive to be like Red Bull when it comes to the social media part of growing your business.

           

          I recently posted an article on the History of Snapchat, What it means for us Today and direction on How to Use it Well.

          I’ve been experimenting with posting on different platforms, so you can the full article on…

          Medium – https://medium.com/@johnbracamontes/the-history-of-snapchat-how-to-use-it-well-9a28db7eb8e7

          or

          LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/history-snapchat-how-use-well-john-bracamontes

          Below are a handful of GIF tutorials on how to use the platform

          Snapchatting a Video vs. Photo

          How to Add Filters and Double Filters on Snapchat

          How to Use Snapchat Video Filters

          How to Save a Photo or Video on Snapchat
           

          Accounts to Follow on Snapchat

          This is just a short list of people who are killing it on the platform. There aren’t that many yet because people still aren’t taking it seriously. So get on it now.

          DJ Khaled: @djkhaled305
          John Bracamontes: @acumenstudio
          Casey Neistat: @caseyneistat
          John Bracamontes: @johnbracamontes
          Diplo: @diplo
          Kate Hudson: @khudsnaps
          Gary Vaynerchuk: @garyvee
          Eva Longoria: @realevalongoria