By Emilie Totten

The criteria used to evaluate and select an automation solution vary from firm to firm, but there are some common trends. As part of our ongoing research to understand our customers, prospects, and target market, we make it a regular practice to interview current and potential clients as well as the lead sponsors of lost opportunities. Based on buyer persona research we’ve conducted over the past year, we’ve identified what marketers see as the most important criteria when evaluating and purchasing an automation solution for collateral production. Please note, while this research is largely qualitative and the sample size does not support true statistical measurement, it has shown us some clear and recognizable patterns of decision making and the value systems that drive these patterns.  We plan to dig deeper into this research over the next several months and provide a full report. In the meantime, I’m confident that these preliminary findings hold water for the vast majority of asset management marketers.Read More

In today’s fast-paced, tech-driven environment, investment product marketers can’t really afford to dismiss document automation as just a “nice to have”. Marketing departments at investment management companies of all sizes are increasingly utilizing automation to improve productivity and mitigate risk. Good marketers in any industry plan for the future to ensure that their operations scale in pace with their growing business. Similar to their colleagues, to remain competitive, investment product marketers must be strategic. They must determine how to effectively use automation to produce key sales support materials such as fund fact sheets, commentaries and website content — and it’s important to get the timing right.

There are typically three key indicators that your firm should start seriously considering a marketing production automation solution:

• You’re marketing 14 products or more
• Your current process can’t keep pace with demand
• Your data processes have become unwieldy—and risky

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Ten years ago the average adult attention span was 10 seconds; today it’s five. With this emerging data, we now know that attention deficit disorder is not just limited to today’s younger generations. With the advent of personal computers, laptops, tablets and hand-held devices, delivery and interpretation of information happens so quickly it’s hard to keep up. Ad banners streaming along the top of a screen, icons flashing mid-screen and cartoon figures flickering along the bottom and we cannot reasonably expect anyone to pay attention off-line at the same pace that they do on-line. These trends can be particularly challenging for the traditional face-to-face sales presentation, even when accompanied by a laptop or tablet. This holds true whether the presentation is for one or two people in a back office or for a crowded room. For these reasons alone, a strong and distinctive launch into a presentation is increasingly critical. As one financial services professional puts it: “We must establish and invigorate the trust, respect and engagement of our audience—immediately.”  Securing instantaneous trust is much more easily said than done, though. The key is to be authentic, someone who truly wishes to have a personal connection with their listeners. There is an overabundance of articles and books on the topic of establishing authenticity, but three key themes seem common to all:

• Be personable, not personal
• Brand yourself
• Make it a conversation

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Incorporating a productive workflow into your project life cycle can greatly improve the accuracy and time-to-market of your marketing communications. We refer to “workflow” as a series of repeatable steps that transform a product into a desired end result. The idea is to move the product along in the project life cycle to catch and fix any potential errors early on in the process.Read More