The long tail is longer than you think

I left the world of financial aid and student loans way back in January 2010.

I had created a ton of content for the company I was working for at the time, including the very first financial aid podcast, and I’m proud that kids paid less for college based on the work I did.

But this should give you a sense of just how long the long tail of content is. I got this email today – October 23, 2014, almost 5 years after leaving the field:

Quick question could you recommend where my daughter should go/apply for a student loan? I remember you were connected with a student loan site or was I tripping?

This demonstrates the power and longevity of content online. Half a decade has passed since it was my job to answer questions like this, yet people still find me through evergreen content and ask questions. (I’m still happy to answer as best as I can, because it’s for a good cause)

The content you create today can come back to you years later. As long as content marketing programs take to get running, once they have momentum, they can continue paying benefits to you long into the future.

Financial aid stuff

For those interested, by the way, the answer to the above question is as follows. Before you go shopping for loans, be sure you’ve applied for scholarships. There are millions of dollars out there and many scholarships only get a handful of applicants, especially the low dollar ones. Winning 10 500 scholarships is just as good as winning 15,000 scholarship, and the competition is lighter. Googling for scholarships is simple to do, and just requires dedication and work.

One parent who was a listener of my podcast back in the day had a great tip: he paid his child 10 cents on the dollar for every scholarship they brought home. When Junior wanted a new car, new phone, new etc., this dad reminded him of the deal. By the time freshman year rolled around, the kid had the new phone, new laptop, etc. – because they brought home $138,000 in scholarships.

When it comes to loans, start by completing a FAFSA and then seeing what financial aid you qualify for. Every student enrolled in an eligible, accredited school can get an unsubsidized Stafford federal student loan. Students who file a FAFSA and are given approval by demonstrating financial need can get subsidized Stafford federal student loans as well. After that, students can either apply with a cosigner for private student loans, or parents can apply for federal PLUS loans. For complete information about federal student loans, go visit the US Department of Education’s website.

Your best bet before you begin the financial aid process is to talk to a qualified financial planner to look at all of your options. Many community banks and credit unions offer these services for free to members; typically they work on salary and receive no commissions or incentives to sell you extra stuff. Sometimes, taking out a home equity loan if possible may make greater overall financial sense than taking out a student or parent loan – but you can make that determination only when you look at the big picture, financially.

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