5 Ways to Boost Sales Through Social Media

Written By : Clifford Blodgett

As the popularity of social media and mobile apps grow, more and more consumers are making purchase decisions from their phones, tablets, and laptop computers. Social commerce is rapidly growing, and will represent about $14 billion in sales this year. While major online retailers like Amazon will represent a large percentage of those sales, small businesses can adopt the same methods to boost their own sales.

As a financial advisor, you are a salesman at heart. Even though your products aren’t the type UPS delivers, you should still adopt a social media strategy to boost sales through platforms like Facebook and Twitter. Remember these five tips for boosting sales on social media.

Make it personal. Social media is the ideal place to nurture a relationship with your target demographic. In addition to industry news, post personal stories that evoke emotion and inspire conversation. For example, as a financial advisor you might post a story about helping a client with a unique problem (remembering to keep identities a secret, of course). You should also invite your audience to share their personal stories, questions, or concerns. An audience that feels connected to your brand is more likely to purchase financial products and services from you.

Respond to customer service inquiries. The last thing you want is negative publicity via social media, but you can often use questions or even complaints to your advantage. If a client posts negative feedback somewhere on your Facebook page, demonstrate your superior support services by responding quickly and providing a resolution to the problem. If the question or complaint goes unanswered for days, it might appear as though you don’t care about your customers. But by providing a swift response, potential customers learn to trust your dedication to the job.

Use hashtags. When Amazon tweets product deals to their fan base, they include a hashtag which links directly to customer shopping carts. As a financial advisor, you obviously aren’t selling products such as shoes or household items. But you can use hashtags to your advantage in a similar way. For example, if you are hosting a free Social Security seminar, you can include a hashtag so that potential clients can click and get more information. Make sure your hashtags are relevant to the topic, catchy, and memorable.

Go mobile. Over 85 million Americans say that their mobile devices are a part of their everyday lives. And with over one billion active users, the Facebook mobile app is not a platform you want to ignore. Keep in mind that many of your social media followers will be viewing your posts from a mobile device, and make your posts mobile-friendly. Including a picture with posts will lead to a higher click-through rate, and you should remember to link directly to your blog or lead-generation pages of your website.

View your Facebook page as your “online store”. Many online retailers are adding a “store” to their Facebook profiles. As a financial advisor, you can’t really add a link for customers to purchase annuities or life insurance. But you can still treat your personal page as a virtual storefront. Make sure to include your location, hours, and contact information such as email and phone numbers. This way, followers who are inspired to schedule an appointment won’t have to hunt for the information they need.

Filed under: Financial Advisor Marketing, Social Media for Financial Advisors, Uncategorized