In the third of a series of guest blogs, David Hetling, industry marketing director at SDL, explores how asset management firms can overcome the impact of regulation to create persuasive fund content that not only engages consumers but enhances their corporate brand.
The sharp increase in the amount of content produced by asset managers in recent years has been matched only by a corresponding rise in the amount of regulation.
As well as the supply chain inside a firm for creating, reviewing, approving and publishing fund content, the external chain involves legal advisors and regulators, often in multiple jurisdictions.
Amid all this process, it can be easy to forget that consumers of your content, be they institutional or retail investors, need to be educated, charmed and engaged. So how can asset management firms ensure that this opportunity to differentiate is not lost or diluted?
Regulators expect content to be compliant, accurate, uncomplicated, accessible and auditable. Sales and marketing teams are keenly aware of this, but they also need the content to articulate a message, tell a story and, ultimately, invoke a response.
In asset management, this means content that goes beyond the mere reciting of data, but avoids the more explicitly self-promotional messages frequently used in other industries.
Appropriate translation is a key part of this process, as discussed in an earlier blog. But technology also has a part to play in accelerating content workflows and allowing suitable time for creating persuasive content.
By implementing a content supply chain that fosters a collaborative process and minimises delays around regulatory approval, asset managers can ensure their content is compliant and helps differentiate their products.
Technology can also help formulate and curate glossaries, a key element in making content more digestible and captivating. While compliant, these simpler definitions of financial terms are far easier for customers to understand, giving investors greater confidence in what they are reading and strengthening the asset manager’s brand.
When integrated effectively, content management and delivery technologies like these can increase speed-to-market for regulated fund content, new product launches and ongoing communications.
Our eBook, A New Global Content Operating Model for Asset Managers, discusses how the asset management content supply chain can be better joined up to co-ordinate people, processes and technology.
We do not pretend that this happens overnight – it is a vision for firms that are held back by factors like an absence of centralised content control, or a lack of alignment between the legal and marketing teams.
Overcoming these challenges sometimes seems insurmountable. But organisations we work with are achieving change with improved efficiency and reduced costs. It is one such example of transformation that will be discussed in the next blog in this series.