Putnam Launches Advisor Technology Blog

Known for its cutting edge use of technology, Putnam Investments released a new technology-focused blog specifically for financial advisors on Monday.

The Advisor Tech Tips blog hosts an array of videos, articles and infographics offering advisors information, explanations and tutorials on the optimal use of practice management technology tools.

This marks a continuation of Putnam's concerted effort to deepen its commitment to financial advisors and its progressive use of technology, especially since Robert Reynolds became president and chief executive officer in 2008.

Putnam was one of the first firms in the asset management industry to widely distribute iPads to members of their sales force and Reynolds was one of the first CEOs to use Twitter.

In 2011 Putnam launched a site dedicated to advisors. Earlier this month, Kasina, an asset management consultant, named it the number one site for advisors in the asset management industry.

Mark McKenna, Putnam's head of marketing, said that presenting the technology information in a blog format will allow advisors to "view it, consume it and share it."

"This is the first of its kind to be put out there in a blog format and to pull all of [the information] together like this," McKenna said.

In an effort to make "quick, digestible content for advisors" roughly 75% of the information on the blog will be short 30-90 second videos, said Putnam spokesman Jon Goldstein.

Some of the tutorials are very basic, such as copying and pasting on your iPad or locking your screen. Others go a bit deeper, like how to optimize your LinkedIn profile and URL or how to use Putnam's Fund Visualizer technology to show data to clients.

"It's designed to shorten the learning curve," Goldstein said.

And it's in response to the wants and needs Putnam's sales team hears from advisors, McKenna said.

"They know technology is incredibly important to connect with current and future clients," said Brian Kelley, director of sales and marketing for Putnam.

But it's not always easy to keep up with the rapid changes in technology.

"The most precious commodity we have is time. These are quick hits, 60-90 seconds, to show them how to use this device to connect with clients. Boom, a week later they can come back," Kelley said about the site's offerings.

Whatever form they take, ultimately these technology tips are meant to help an advisor "improve productivity and connectivity with clients," said McKenna.

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