Why Blogging Doesn’t Work for Advisors Anymore (and How to Fix It)

If you spend any amount of time on LinkedIn, you’ve probably come across at least one marketing “thought leader” declaring that blogging is dead. 

The reasons vary: 

• Gen Z/TikTok killed it

• 60% of searches end without a click

• Nobody reads anymore, only video matters

• Search sucks now

• Google’s algorithm updates can randomly kill your best-ranking content at any moment (see: the March 2024 core update)

• AI is constantly spewing garbage content onto the internet

Some of the reasoning here makes sense (it must if a LinkedIn thought leader said it, right?). 

Surely after years of blogging by thousands of advisors, we’ve said everything there is to say about retirement planning, right? 

Maybe it’s time for a new approach.

Maybe the old strategy where you publish keyword-based blogs and get new website visitors through search results isn’t as effective as it once was. 

Maybe winning the right keywords has become too competitive for the average advisor.

Maybe videos can be more effective than blogs.

Maybe nobody reads anymore. (Okay, this one’s just plain wrong. People still read and always will.)

Like any marketing advice (including my own), these proclamations should be taken with a huge grain of salt. 

So let me respond with my own: In the Year of Our Lord 2024, blogging (and writing in general) is still the most effective communication channel for advisors—if you approach it with the right perspective.

Here’s how:

Write for Your People

Rather than writing for strangers on the internet, write for your built-in audience: your clients. Write content that caters exclusively to them, and they will reward you for it with higher engagement and more referrals. 

The secret is this: Write about things your clients care about. How do you do that? Ask them. 

Send out a survey asking your clients to share their biggest financial concern right now, then write a short blog addressing one concern each week and email it to your clients. 

Go All-in on Perspective

Sure, countless blogs have been written about retirement planning, but there’s one thing only you can write about: your perspective. No one can duplicate it, no AI can generate it. 

As an advisor, your unique perspective is your single greatest selling point. Use stories, use metaphors, take a firm stance—raise your flag high!

Here’s the thing: The internet is jam-packed with vague content created by outsourced writers with no industry experience and a loose grasp on the concepts at hand. 

That kind of blogging definitely doesn’t work anymore—it’s indistinguishable from AI writing. Content that ignites interest today requires a compelling perspective.

Write it Yourself

This may seem counterintuitive coming from someone who writes content for advisors for a living, but I’m a firm believer that advisors should write for themselves (or at least be heavily involved in the drafting process).

It’s a lot to ask, I know. But how else will you infuse your perspective? Set aside one hour per week and see how far that will get you. No heavy research required. Just personal, relevant insights.

As you might have guessed, what I’m promoting here requires that you take the longview. If you’re a fast-growth-tactics-only type of advisor, this approach is probably not for you. 

A client-first, perspective-heavy, personal approach to blogging will resonate on a small scale, and that’s the goal. As the internet gets less and less personal, smaller, deeper connections are the best way to produce lasting results.

Even if blogging doesn’t work the way it used to, if you can prioritize people and perspective in your writing, you’ll find that it enriches your business in ways it never has before.

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