Factsheets are a staple of the investment marketing collateral mix.  Studies show that they are still the most widely used sales tool in the field.  Every quarter, there is a rush to get them into the hands of the sales force faster than competitors.  Many factors slow down factsheet production timelines, but the most critical factor is… data.

The efficiency, accuracy, and consistency of marketing and communication output is directly tied to a firm’s data management strategy. Firms can significantly reduce their time-to-market and risks associated with factsheet production by automating their data management process. (more…)

Due to the competitive nature of the financial services industry, content automation has become a strategic priority for many.  With a finish line goal to improve scalability, risk management and brand compliance, the race is on to improve marketing and sales operations.  The challenge firms face is knowing how to approach content automation.  Is it better to build or buy?  What are the differences between the leading vendors, and their approaches?

In 2017, we commissioned some research on how asset managers are automating content production.  The research found 3 common models: Fully outsourced, DIY, and hybrid.  Here’s a brief description of each and the pros and cons.

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One of the criteria often overlooked by asset managers during the vendor evaluation process is data management.

The urge to minimize the data problem during these discussions is understandable. Document or website production is the marketing team’s goal.  Data aggregation and quality control shouldn’t be part of the marketer’s life, but very frequently it is. This is a challenge that should be addressed clearly and upfront in evaluating document automation options.

In beginning conversations, the first thing we try to find out is how their firm is currently handling data. We do this because data really lies at the heart of the communication problem; the question of how to clean up your communication effort goes hand in hand with the question of how your data process will be addressed. Thus, as you’re defining your document automation requirements, it’s wise to look at your data management scenario. In doing this, you determine whether you have the bandwidth and skills in-house to implement quality data feeds and controls or whether outsourcing is the better or more realistic option.

In this blog, we are going to discuss why your data process should drive your automation vendor decision. There are a variety of different kinds of vendors who can automate your marketing documents. So, you’ll want to determine whether you want a vendor/product that requires internal data source and process management or a vendor who will take responsibility for creating and supporting a quality data process.

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(The following blog post is the third in a series on the need for the Investment Management Industry to embrace sound data management practices. You can access the first and second posts here.)

Earlier today I was on a conference call with one of the largest asset management firms in the world.  The call was with marketing people representing operational groups in London, Hong Kong, Vancouver, and New York. The purpose of the call was to discuss factsheet automation and the need to unify their operations.  Interestingly, we could hardly stay on topic about documents and automation tools because their real problem was source data.

During the call, each group expressed their internal challenges in collecting clean, verifiably accurate and finalized data for reporting use.

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