6 Social Media Tips for Financial Advisors

Written By : Clifford Blodgett

If you’re ready to harness the power of social media to grow your business, you may be wondering where to begin. Obviously the first step is to create your social media profile and build connections; but then what? Follow these six steps to social media success, and you’ll be on your way to increased lead generation and a thriving advisory practice.

1. Engage with your audience.  This means your social media means your interactions should be a two-way street. You should get to know them, understand their questions and concerns, and then offer content that addresses their needs. But there’s no need to stick to hard facts and figures; your social media content should also be entertaining, engaging, or personal in some way.
2. Check in regularly. Social media isn’t just a place to post links to your blogs or videos. Remember to check in every few days, answer questions, and engage with your audience.
3. Create conversations, not lectures. When you share information, avoid anything that feels as if you’re lecturing your audience. Instead, imagine your interactions to be the virtual equivalent of a networking event. Mingle with small groups, ask and answer questions, keep the conversation light, and work the crowd. Remember to show your personal side and ask your audience to share themselves as well.
4. Respond to negative comments.  You hope to never get negative comments, but it’s okay if you do!  Everyone won’t agree with you all of the time, but the way you respond to negativity or criticism demonstrates your character.  Delete anything that is overtly malicious, but a simple disagreement actually gives you an opportunity to address concerns and show your expertise. At times it may be more appropriate to take the conversation to private messages rather than duke it out in the public eye. Consult your marketing team when these situations arise, so that together you can formulate a plan to maintain your professional image.
5. Respond! When people comment on your posts, continue the conversation. Ask them questions or otherwise expand upon their comments. If the social media platform allows it, remember to tag them in your comments so that they know you’re specifically speaking to them. Usually this is done by using the @ symbol.
6. Learn from your missteps. It’s unlikely that every single post will receive dozens of likes or comments. Perhaps you posted it at a bad time of day, and your audience didn’t see it. Maybe the title of the post could be more enticing. It could be that the topic isn’t as interesting to your audience as you had expected. Social media is not an exact science, and you should expect to experiment as you hone your skills. Take notice of what works and what doesn’t work, and go from there.

As with all relationships, building connections on social media requires patience and persistence.  Above all, it requires you to make an effort and be “social” in an online setting.  Since a strong online presence will translate into a strong offline business, remember that the investment of your time will pay off in the form of increased leads. The bottom line is that you should strive to create an online presence that is trustworthy, engaging, and consistent – and the rest will fall into place as you continue to perfect your strategy.

FOR INSURANCE PROFESSIONAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR USE WITH THE GENERAL PUBLIC DM-0088 2015/4/10

Filed under: Social Media for Financial Advisors