As a financial advisor, your main focus has to be solving your client’s financial problems versus solving your marketing problems, in particular your social media challenges. You know the best way you can market your services and conduct your business is substantially different than it was just a year or two ago. All of this need for change and evolution has been accelerated by the impact of the virus.
The internet has made it easier for investors to validate your professional credentials by visiting your website, Google searching your name, reading your blog posts, and viewing social media profiles on Facebook and LinkedIn.
Public data has made this process much easier for investors. But, you still have to reach investors and convince them to meet with you - in person or virtually. Some advisors call this process lead generation.
So how do you solve the problem of knowing how to optimize the impact of your social media interactions? What should you post so it enhances your credibility and trustworthiness?
Start by knowing what you want to accomplish with social media.
- Social media is a way to communicate with investors you know (leads, prospects, clients) and people you don’t know in particular when it is no longer possible to be in front of them.
By posting on relevant topics that are related to your advice and services, you become a valuable resource for investors who are seeking that type of information. It can be as subtle as posting a short article, or commenting on a post by another writer. Every time you post, you are leading the reader back to you as the originator of the post.
Social media is a very powerful form of marketing for the financial advisors who master it.
- Social media allows you to showcase your knowledge without coming across as a salesperson
When you pick relevant articles that are well written or write them yourself, you are displaying your financial knowledge in a professional manner. If someone is not interested in your posts, they simply stop reading. This is more comfortable for you and the reader. It’s a safer arena for you to share knowledge that establishes your authority as a financial expert.
Financial Advisors that know how to use social media know that when they post, they are informing their readers on important financial topics. They become known for this type of information which creates followers who are interested in these topics.
They call the Internet a super information highway for good reason. Everything you ever wanted to know can be found on the Internet. Social media is part of the delivery system. Except social media for financial advisors can create targeted interest groups based on particular topics.
Making it work for you is as simple as finding a good resource for articles that you can use as your own, following certain writers, or creating your own content (more time consuming).
If you decide to create your own posts, think about the top 10 questions your clients ask you and start with those. You can assume if your clients have these questions or concerns so will other investors who will benefit from your knowledge. This is not rocket science. It is as simple as putting you in your clients’ situation and producing answers that benefit them.
Helping educate followers on important financial topics is a huge credibility builder that makes your job easier when you are marketing your services to leads and prospects. Think about the competitive advantage when investors already perceive you as a trustworthy financial expert. This is the number one reason why all financial advisors should use drip email marketing to keep their names in front of investors.
- To be effective with social media topics, plan an editorial calendar for topics and posts. You should plan ahead, but not so far ahead your information is no longer timely and relevant.
Posting 1-3 times per week is recommended as a starter and it can be a compilation of your own writing, purchased content, or reposts from another source. If you are writing the posts yourself there is no reason to post each day. On the other hand, if you hire a digital marketing agency to do the posting for you there is no reason not to post daily or multiple posts per day - as long as the posts stay relevant. More is always better on the Internet.
And it is important to note there is no such thing as over posting. However, you don’t want to give current clients the idea you’re on the internet all day when you should be taking care of their financial needs and assets.
- At the end of the day, the role of social media is to build relationships in ways that create leads and convert them into revenue-producing clients.
Social media should be one of your most effective solutions for reaching strangers and reinforcing relationships with people who already know you.
Social media will also help you transition from old and obsolete Outbound Marketing Tactics when advisors used cold calling to contact investors who did not want to be contacted. More and more financial advisors are using Inbound Marketing tactics to reach investors they don’t know. Social media makes this type of marketing work because it is a way for investors to find financial advisors and learn more about them.
Editor's note: This blog article was originally published in 2016 and has been completely revamped and updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness. Originally published July 18, 2016, updated November 16, 2020.
