One of the surest ways of attracting new clients and establishing oneself as a thought leader is by creating a media presence. Gaurav Mashruwala of A Cutting Edge says an advisor needs clarity, consistency and continuity to make his media presence effective.
Clarity on ‘Why?’
Gaurav feels that advisors must first be clear on why they want to create a media presence. “Is it to create awareness or to acquire clients or to make money or to get attention? Only if an advisor is clear on why he wants to create a media presence, will he be able to evaluate if he has succeeded in it. Often I have met advisors who say they want to create a media presence so that they can share their knowledge, but later they complain that they have not acquired any clients through their media exercises. So before an advisor approaches a media, he should first evaluate answer to the question –why?” he says.
Know your target audience:
According to Gaurav, advisors must define who their target audience is. “Defining your target audience will help you overcome the anxiety of losing clients,” he says.
Gaurav gives the example of a tea vendor and a five star hotel, “Both earn profits and both know their target customers. They know the services their clients expect and provide only those, neither feels bad for losing a client who is not from their target group,” he explains.
Which kind of media:
Another important aspect is choosing the right media. According to Gaurav, the choice of media is largely dependent on the purpose for using media and the target audience of the advisor.
“Before penetrating media, advisors must also understand the role of each media. Print media is the most credible source of information and needs good writing skills. Electronic media, on the other hand, requires giving short and specific answers. Social media and digital media are more dynamic, they are mass communication tools that enable two-way communication. So advisors must be careful about what they put up as it can both make and break their reputation,” he says.
Another important factor according to Gaurav is to know which media your target audience follows. “If your target audience is primarily housewives, it will be better to write in women’s magazines than in business newspapers. Similarly if you are targeting HNI clients it would be advisable to write in medical journals or in-flight magazines,” he says.
