For CFP Jeff Rose, video is next

Independent financial planner Jeff Rose wants to stay ahead of the pack and the Carbondale, IL, CFP thinks video will help him get there.

Rose, a National Guardsman who served in Iraq in 2005-06, started his blog just two years ago. As an independent financial advisor and founder of Alliance Investment Planning Group, he created Good Financial Cents to provide a source of finance and investment advice to help people “better their lives financially" and to generate media attention for his business.

Today the blog is one Technorati.com's top-ranked CFP and financial advisor blogs. Clearly the venture has been worthwhile, gaining traffic, credibility, and more business for Rose's practice.

But as blogging becomes more commonplace among planners, Rose is seeking a way to continue standing out.

I wasn’t one of the first financial advisors to blog, but I was one of the few that…got more recognition for it, so knowing that people are starting to catch on, what can I do next? How can I keep being different?

The answer, in part, is video. Up to now, Rose has used video to introduce himself on his site and to post media appearances.

But in the midst of our conversation Rose came up with another idea for incorporating video-- including links to video clips in the newsletters he sends to just under 2000 subscribers to his GFC blog.

I’m trying to do a monthly newsletter, and why wouldn’t I include that [video link]? Anyway, FYI, in my May newsletter, I’m going to put in my clip. Thank you!

Rose says video is important because it engages the audience in a way that print does not. Referring to his plans to include a personalized video message in his emails, he said:

I just think it’s awesome, just to have another way to differentiate yourself from your competition and everything that’s out there. And for the topics that are a little heavy or dry, if you can add some video to make it exciting, it just makes it that much more fun.

Rose's next big project is a military-themed personal finance book. With the book will come a new blog incorporating video posts.

I want to have some short videos to correspond with different topics in the book to make it more real, more dynamic, more fun and engaging. I want to get the site going and have some videos on there to get the buzz for the book and the idea going.