Why Actuaries Should Write and Publish Articles
Four Ways Published Articles Can Deliver You New Business
By Ken Lizotte
Innovators & Entrepreneurs, October 2021
In a world filled with tweets, ever-breaking news, thousands of TV channels and millions of podcasts, is there any point to toiling away at an article? Or seeking a journal or magazine willing to publish it? It would seem that no one is likely to read about your hard-earned wisdom in this jam-packed world, much less be influenced or educated by it.
Yet many of the reasons that have always propelled actuaries and their companies to take the time and trouble to publish an article (or two or more) still ring true today, ensuring that those of us who do make the effort will surely reap business development benefits. The likely competitive edge is just that strong.
What competitive edge am I talking about? Here are four reasons how and why this is so, especially when measured against competitors who would never bother with this remarkable tactic:
1. Publishing Articles Promote Your Products and Services
If your clients span multiple specific industries, spreading the word about your firm via industry publications can amplify and extend the reach of your marketing. While advertising can do the same thing, that can be quite expensive not to mention encouraging skepticism toward such a pay-for-play approach.
Recognizing that someone is paying for an ad causes us to doubt its veracity. In contrast, content verified by a third party, such as the editorial staff of an objective publication, does not. Thus, your article in a publication may transmit virtually the exact information found in an ad, yet the article and its author will be considered more believable.
2. Publishing Articles Offers a Higher Level of Credibility
A white paper posted on a website or sent to connections on LinkedIn is nothing more than an article that its author never bothered to get published. Although most unpublished articles are perfectly worthy of publication, the fact that they have not been published typically means an author simply chose not to take the next logical step. As a result, a white paper that could’ve elevated an author’s credibility to the status of “thought leader” has missed the boat.
3. Published Articles Are High-Level Sales Tools
For instance, retirement benefits thought leader Dan Cassidy makes it a practice to show up at sales meetings with a briefcase filled with reprints of his many published articles. When his prospect’s talk turns to a particular topic that Dan has written about, he quietly interjects, “I actually published an article on that very subject in a business journal recently. Let me see if I have it with me.” Dan then shuffles through his case until he finds the article, pulls it out and slides it across the conference table. For those that are paper-averse, sending published links to clients can make the same impression.
The relevant reprint serves as an additional credibility touchpoint that moves Dan a step closer to landing the client. His tactic is a fine example of how published articles can function not only as marketing tools but as selling tools as well.
4. Publishing Articles Can Lead to Actually Writing a Book!
Many actuaries long to write a book of their own but get stuck on how to make time for such a lofty goal or where to start. The idea of sitting down for hours on end and plugging away at such a lengthy text can be off-putting. By writing and publishing smaller “chunks” of what might eventually become a full book, however, is one approach for making things easier. After a year or so of such “piece work,” voila … a book is born! Writing articles that can later be used as chapters can make your daunting dream of a published book, at long last, come true.
Publishing articles separates you from your competition given the fact that only a scant few of your competitors, if any, will also be engaging in it. By positioning yourself as a published thought leader, you and your company will be viewed as the go-to expert in your field and industry, bar none. Once that transformation takes place, clients will seek you out and tell all their colleagues and clients to do the same.
Ken Lizotte, CMC, is chief imaginative officer (CIO) of emerson consulting group inc., which transforms business consultants, executives, attorneys and companies into published “thought leaders.” Author of hundreds of magazine articles and eight books, including The Expert’s Edge: Become the Go-To Authority that People Turn to Every Time (McGraw-Hill), Ken has been interviewed by The Wall Street Journal, National Public Radio, CBS-TV, Fortune, Business Week, Investors’ Business Daily, Financial Times, Newsweek and many more. Ken can be reached at ken@thoughtleading.com.