How this business uses content to really connect.

Marguerita Cheng, CEO and co-founder of Blue Ocean Global Wealth, a mother of three, and a woman who knows how to use words to connect.

Marguerita Cheng is the Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Blue Ocean Global Wealth, a company based in Gaithersburg, Maryland, US, that offers comprehensive financial planning and wealth management solutions to families, entrepreneurs and executives. She’s also a CFP professional, a Chartered Retirement Planning Counsellor, Retirement Income Certified Professional and a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst. 

Oh, and she’s also a mother to three children. 

With creds like that you’d be forgiven for wondering how she finds the time to eat, let alone market her business. But rest assured, Marguerita can’t go past a big bowl of Sansai udon and successfully markets her business on a regular basis thanks to one core skill.

You guessed it… content.

Better yet, content that connects. 

Where it all began...

When Marguerita took the leap to work in personal finance, she knew she needed to network in order to grow her business. The thing is, attending networking events isn’t always feasible when you have three small humans at home.

So, while the kids do their homework each night, Marguerita sits down beside them to write.

“I first decided to give it a go because my clients would ask me questions and I thought, ‘gosh, if they have questions and found this helpful, perhaps others might as well’,” she says.

“For example, there was one day where three separate clients asked me the difference between a home equity line of credit and a home equity loan. That told me it was content that was both timely and relevant for my target audience.”

The many benefits of making it personal 

While Marguerita uses clear, concise content to answer questions that her clients ask, she also strives to use her writing to connect with prospects on a deeper level, too. 

“While I enjoy writing about financial planning, I have also become more creative over the years and have tackled topics I think will really make an impact on my audience. 

“I’ve made lifelong friendships while writing articles about diversity and inclusion and mentoring – because if someone goes to the effort to retweet my article, I thank them for it with a direct message and our conversations grow from there,” she says.

Drawing on her own personal experiences has also seen her create some of her most successful content to date.

“I was featured in an article about long-term care planning and insurance for the New York Times where I spoke from both the planner and caregiver’s point of view.

“I believe that story was successful because I was able to address a very difficult topic for readers, prospects and clients by combining my professional expertise with my personal experience caring for my Dad,” she says. 

“I also wrote a piece for Kiplinger about Sweetheart Scams, of which my Mum was a victim a few years ago now.  One reader reached out to me to thank me for sharing my story because it helped her family avert a sweetheart scam – they’re the moments where content helps us to truly connect and they’re the moments of which I’m proudest.”

A selective strategy 

While content is key to Marguerita’s business strategy, she’s selective about the publications she contributes to. Always wary of context, she’ll refuse to contribute to financial planning sites that promote hot stock tips or encourage day trading.

“Those strategies don’t align with how I serve my clients, and that’s not something I’ll compromise on just to be published,” she says. 

“Instead I’ll focus on my own, carefully planned themes and topics, and use social media – specifically Twitter and LinkedIn – to gather intelligence, follow influencers and essentially observe the world around me to ensure my content remains relevant.”

And while writing comes naturally to Marguerita, she continues to engage the support of a copy editor to ensure each and every word she writes is bang on the money. 

“Content is a hugely worthwhile investment. As a CFP professional, I engage, educate and empower clients to plan for their financial future,” she says. 

“Yes, people can read about social security and other retirement programs, but providing tangible examples is incredibly helpful, as is taking the time to study the different platforms available and repurposing your content so that people can access it on demand. So put yourself out there, get creative and don’t be afraid to make it personal.”

As for future content? Marguerita’s kids are always telling her she should do more video… so watch this space.