Digital marketing for financial advisors is about more than your website and keywords. It also encompasses the marketing strategy you will use for social media. Even before the pandemic, social media was becoming a primary source of information for consumers.
Now it can’t be ignored as a vital source of lead generation as well as information for your current and prospective clients. If you’re looking to enhance your social strategy or perhaps get started on social, read on for some top social media post ideas for financial advisors.
Choose Your Platform(s)
Before diving into social media posting, it’s crucial to define the social media platforms you plan on using. There are many different social media channels (and new ones are added all the time), but there are some mainstream channels that are most widely used for financial advisors:
Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
All of these platforms offer different experiences for users, so content should be crafted for that specific platform. Additionally, the makeup of your audience or followers may vary from platform to platform. If you do your research and determine the best practices for each channel, you can appeal to that specific audience and increase engagement on your page.
Content
Once you’ve decided on your primary social channels, the next step is to choose the type of content you’re going to share on these channels. For financial advisors, there are 2 main types of content:
Original Content: As its name implies, original content is content that is created by you (or on your behalf) for the exclusive use of sharing your ideas or thoughts on a subject. This can include blog posts, videos, infographics, white papers, eBooks, links to your website, and overall commentary.
3rd Party Content: Inserting 3rd party content into your social channels can achieve multiple results. It can help provide content to your audience that can be helpful and timely, and while the information didn’t directly get created by you, it can still provide value to your audience and boost your appearance as a thought leader in financial advice.
Note: When sharing 3rd party content, be sure it’s from a trusted source and if applicable the facts can be substantiated. Also, confirm that your disclaimer includes language about 3rd party content and opinions and if advised by your compliance officer, include that disclaimer (or a link to it) in all social posts or references to the 3rd party content.
Become a Trusted Source of Information
Now more than ever, your clients and prospects are looking for reliable information about how current events are affecting the markets and their future financial plans. As a financial advisor, you’re in a unique position to be able to quickly produce content that can be shared with your audience.
This can be anything from a video explaining the latest tax and financial legislation being proposed to a blog explaining how changes in the market can affect portfolios and what can be done about it. In order to be of most use to their clients, financial advisors need to be prepared to produce content quickly.
If you’re not in a position to be able to spend a lot of time creating content, but you still want to be visible and seen as a trusted source of information, consider partnering with a digital marketing agency. Having someone help you with the content behind the scenes can be a huge asset – and allows you to do more of what you are best at, which is looking out for your clients and their overall financial success.
Pat Yourself on the Back
Don’t be afraid of pointing out your awards and achievements. If you’ve received an award or have been recognized for any accomplishment – your social media audience would like to know. While to some it may seem boastful, your audience is likely comprised of people considering you for their financial advisor.
If they’re following your social media, it’s likely because they want to get to know you and your firm better to help them make important financial decisions. These awards or other types of recognition don’t have to be 100% tied to your role as a financial advisor.
For example – if you’re involved in any organizations outside of your business such as a local charity or youth sports as an example, you can (and should) share any accolades you have received as a result of your involvement. While you’ll want to avoid any political or deeply personal aspects of your life, you can let your audience get to know you a little better by celebrating your accomplishments as a pillar of our community.
Be Transparent
When using social media, keep in mind that it’s not meant to be a direct sales tool. Social media has been around long enough to where most users are pretty savvy and can detect when they’re getting a sales pitch. This can happen frequently with webinars especially. For example, if you’re presenting a webinar and have promoted it as an educational/informational event, don’t turn it into a sales pitch.
Provide useful and actionable information and offer your contact information should they want to follow up. Remember, becoming a trusted source of information is an important part of your social media presence, and if you come across as deceptive with your marketing practices, that won’t give prospective clients much confidence in you as a potential advisor.
Engage Your Audience
The beauty of social media for financial advisors is that it’s meant to be a 2-way street. Depending on your comfort level (and that of your compliance officer) you can use social media as a way to start conversations and boost engagements with your audience. You can utilize the polling feature to get your audience to vote on something, or you can ask an open-ended question and ask for comments.
Remember, these things don’t have to be strictly about financial advising or the markets. It can be as simple as taking a poll on who’s going to win the Super Bowl or asking about their favorite doughnut on national donut day. While it may seem silly and irrelevant, what you’re really doing is starting a conversation that could ultimately lead to a new client relationship.
