As an advisor, you likely use social media to connect with clients and attract new ones. But are you seeing a return on your social media investment? Is your content reaching your target audience and helping you stand out in a sea of other advisors? And if it’s not, how can you fix it?
Fortunately, there are a handful of social media best practices you can use to give your content a #boost.
1) Provide the Personal Touch
People follow you to learn what they don’t already know, as well as get to know you. They want to feel like they’ve found something exclusive, interesting, and relevant to them. (What they don’t want? To hear about your services or be sold to directly.) If you don’t feel comfortable putting too much of yourself out there, take baby steps as you introduce yourself—using pictures helps!
You might also consider using multimedia (e.g., podcasts, videos, and webinars). Even if you use “canned” content, delivering via multimedia helps you establish authority because you personally deliver it.
2) Give Them What They Want
The key to being relevant is to post about topics your target audience is most interested in. A good place to start is with frequently asked questions. Also, don’t shy away from posting on hot topics (e.g., pending legislation or market news), but be cautious with polarizing issues. Even if everyone is doing it, try to do it better by putting your personal spin on a popular subject and expressing an educated viewpoint.
3) Vary Your Content
Cultures and expectations vary by social media platform, and you’ll want to give your followers a reason to connect with you in multiple places. You can show a Twitter follower a different facet of your business on LinkedIn, for example. Also, it’s a good idea to periodically cross-promote reasons to follow you on different platforms so you can continue to enrich your relationships.
You don’t want to post the same content on all your platforms, but you can streamline your efforts. An infographic that you post on Facebook, for example, can be turned into slides on Instagram as a gallery post. Figure 1 offers a handy guide on what type of content performs best and the ideal times to post it:
| Figure 1. Social Posting Guide | ||
| Platform | Platform Focus | When to Post |
| Position yourself as a thought leader and build long-lasting content; video, slides/PDFs, and other graphics are becoming more important. | Tuesday and Wednesday, 9:00 A.M.-12:00 NOON | |
| Foster your community, client interactions; use photos, videos, and infographics. |
Tuesday-Friday, 9:00 A.M.-1:00 P.M. |
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| Cover breaking topics; use GIFs to stand out. |
Wednesdays, 9:00 A.M.-3:00 P.M.; Tuesday and Thursday, 9:00 A.M.-11:00 A.M. |
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| Be creative and inspirational.; use video, graphics, photos, and anything visual. | Tuesdays, 11:00 A.M.-2:00 P.M.; Monday-Friday, 11:00 A.M. |
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4) Choose the Platform That Works for You
It can be challenging to successfully execute multiple platforms. So, if you’re thinking of choosing just one, go with LinkedIn. It’s the primary platform for financial advisors for several good reasons:
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It serves as a “second” website (in addition to your firm site) in Google search results and as a billboard of information about you and your firm.
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You can post less frequently and still be relevant.
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It’s the most efficient way to reach working people and enhance your professional network.
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It attracts new clients, employees, and business partners.
LinkedIn could serve as your one and only social platform. Based on your goals, though, you may have a fairly static LinkedIn profile page and choose to be active on a different platform. No matter what you decide, choose a strategy and execute on it.
5) Take Time-Saving Shortcuts
Social media requires fresh content on a regular basis, preferably daily. Whether you hire an outside agency or do it yourself, there is a cost to maintaining your content. Shortcut anyone? Here are a few ideas:
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Share an old post that is relevant again—people love a throwback.
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Turn a blog post into snackable social media posts.
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Trim a video or webinar and post a snippet on social media; post the full-length video on YouTube, Vimeo, or your website.
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Create one-message graphics using a tool (e.g., Canva or Adobe Spark) to highlight an important reminder or surprising fact.
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Share key takeaways, slides, and photos after holding webinars and events.
6) Set Social Media Goals and Measure Performance
To determine how you’re doing in your social media efforts, you’ll need some sort of measurement. That way, you can see what’s working (and what isn’t) and adjust your strategy, if necessary. Here are just a few ways to measure performance based on your social media goals:
| Figure 2. Social Goals and Measurement | ||
| Goals | Content That Supports Goals | How to Measure |
| Bolster brand presence and awareness |
1) Educational material that answers the questions your target audience is asking 2) Invites to webinars and events |
New followers who fall into your target market profile; content impressions (i.e., how many times people see your post, even if they don’t reply or share), shares, and comments; webinar registrations and event attendance |
| Strengthen client relationships |
1) Interact with followers by commenting on their posts when appropriate (Be sure to enter any meaningful life changes gleaned on social into your CRM.) 2) Educational material that benefits them and provides additional value to your annual reviews (e.g., talk about what your clients shared on social, like travel, children, etc.) 3) Invites to webinars and events |
Set targets to post weekly; track how many clients follow you |
| Generate leads and lead conversion |
1) Educational material that answers the questions your target audience is asking 2) Invites to webinars and events 3) Content offers within the platform that require an email address to download 4) Offers that lead followers to your website |
Webinar registrations and event attendance; downloaded offers; website clicks |
Please note: Other data (e.g., webinar registrations) will need to be gathered directly from the event, and website data can be found in Google Analytics.
Is Your Content Ready for a Boost?
If you’re not yet active on social media, there’s no better time to test the waters. You can use internal resources or outsource it—whatever works best for you. In any case, first determine what you want to get out of it and have a plan to reach those goals. If you’re participating, schedule the time and make it happen.
If you’re active on social media, just keep going and try to make 1 percent improvements as you go. What’s been performing well for you or your firm? Why do you think that is? Can you do more of it?
You and your business are unique, and you’re the only one with your set of followers. To keep them engaged—and reach new followers—why not try giving your content a boost with these social media best practices? I think you’ll like the results.
Please consult your member firm’s policies and obtain prior approval for any sales ideas or marketing materials you would like to use with clients.
