It’s hard to believe that we’re already a quarter of the way through 2019. While as an ETF issuer you may have a lot on your plate, it’s important to never lose sight of important marketing initiatives that can help take assets under management to the next level. So without further ado, what follows are 4 important ways for you to turbocharge your marketing in 2019.

Start blogging (and update it regularly!)

Although it can seem cumbersome and time-intensive, and never seems to be at the top of your list of things to do, blogs are one of the most effective, time-tested ways to boost your firm’s profile, search rank, and, ultimately, assets under management. However, if you’re not going to update your blog at least semi-regularly (say, 2 posts per month), then it may not be worth the trouble. A regularly-updated blog loaded with content relevant to your ETF will boost your rankings in search results (search engines, particularly Google, love to see long articles chock-full of detailed content) and will consequently help drive traffic and eyeballs to your website. As an ETF issuer, you should be sure to draft content that is relevant to your funds, without striking a tone that could be misconstrued as “salesy.” You can of course make a case in support of individual funds but be sure to keep the discussion high level.

Here’s a Guide to Help You Get Started with Blogging

Start an email list

Posting high quality content on your blog is an excellent way to draw eyeballs and additional traffic; an email list takes the relationship a step further. By positioning sign-up widgets on your website, you can start to grow an email list that allows you to communicate directly with interested parties. You can use the email list to send out newly-published blog articles, for exciting new company announcements, and to develop a more personal connection with potential investors. Best of all, since you build an email list yourself, you don’t need to pay anyone to access it or send content out through it. How refreshing!

Hire an outside firm to move marketing initiatives forward

If you’re like any of the dozens of ETF issuers we’ve met over the years, there are more than a few marketing initiatives that you’ve had on the backburner for months or even years. Whether it’s an animated video you just can’t get off the ground, a pesky blog that you can never seem to get written, or even a full blown website overhaul and redesign, an outside firm can do wonders for your existing marketing team, freeing up resources that can best be directed elsewhere. Moreover, an outside firm can provide the focus needed to move a stalled project across the finish line.

Try a PR campaign

Public relations is a little-understood, though powerful tool in an ETF marketer’s toolkit. By establishing a spokesperson as an authority on a subject relevant to your ETF, mainly by pitching them out to the media, over time you can get more value and third party credibility than you ever could with traditional advertising. The road to PR success can be a long and winding one (reporters are by no means obligated to reply to your emails, much less interview your spokespeople), but with persistence and a little bit of luck, ETF issuers utilizing PR as a marketing strategy can reap big rewards.

Put it all together…

A blog, an email list, a PR campaign, and an outside firm to help you really move the needle on your marketing initiatives. If you take this advice to heart, your firm will be well-positioned for success when it comes to growing mindshare and AUM.