If you were asked about your firm’s Facebook or LinkedIn page today, what would your response be?
If a prospect who is a perfect fit for your firm checked out your social media channels, are you confident they would find added value?
You might need to rethink your social media strategy if these two questions have you rushing to check your latest posts.
We believe in two fundamental truths about social media for financial advisors:
- Social media is necessary for the future of a firm. It is vital for engagement and prospecting.
- Social media strategy does NOT have to be boring and dry. It can be relevant, exciting, and full of personality without compromising the professionalism of your brand.
Make sure your every post is maximizing its potential with these tips for an effective social media strategy.
Keys to Highly Engaging Social Media for Advisors
Make it Relatable – and don’t be afraid to go deep!
Consider customizing your marketing strategy for your audiences. Let your objectives and goals for your target market inform the kind of content you create for social media. Think about the lives of your target market and do your best to put yourself in their shoes. Catchlight’s affinity insights can help you determine what messages will resonate.
This may include heavier topics. Often clients need support or technical advice when they are going through difficult situations. Don’t shy away from tackling subjects about real life and open up the channel for discussion, offering support and tips.
For example, here is a post addressing the birth of a child that could accompany a link to your website or a simple graphic with three financial moves:
"Birth of a child is an incredible time; with a lot going on it’s hard to prioritize financial decision making. When you do have more than a 2 hour stretch a sleep at a time, here are a few things to consider..."
Make it Punchy
It doesn’t take hundreds of words to have an impact. In fact, that’s a great way to lose your audience quickly. Make your posts short by getting to the point quickly (think in terms of headlines). If you’re promoting a new blog post, offer a sentence or two and a link so users can read the rest on your website. One survey said the ideal post length for Facebook was about 50 characters, but you can experiment with different post lengths to see what resonates with your audience.
Pick Great Photos
Images are a cornerstone of nearly every social media platform. For example, posts with images on average result in a 98% higher comment rate than without on LinkedIn. It’s what your followers will see even before your text. Consider what kind of photos you’ll utilize, and explore using your own photos or videos instead of stock. Ensure they are good quality and properly sized for each platform. Take some candid photos during your next round of headshots so you have a library to choose from or get an istock subscription to find relevant photos quickly.
Address Immediate Conditions
What are today’s "hot topics" people are talking about? Things like inflation, recessions, market fluctuations, and elections are all major events having a drastic impact on personal finances. This doesn’t mean you need to spend hours writing blogs! Simply share helpful articles you’ve come across in your daily research (your compliance team can guide you on what can be used easily) with a few of your own thoughts. Position yourself as a trusted resource and consider utilizing a member of your staff to monitor comments.
Get Creative
The most successful social media accounts create nontraditional content. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box and showcase your firm’s personality. Help your prospects connect with you and the traits of your team. Do you love making short videos? Do you have an office mascot? Consider developing posts that fall into 3 to 5 categories for your strategy. Give your audience an idea of what it’s like to be a client, introduce the people at your firm (going beyond their time at the office), and include information relevant to your community.
Posting on social media shouldn’t be a tedious painstaking task. It’s an incredibly valuable tool you have at your disposal, one that can lead to actual ROI.
Are you ready to jumpstart your social success for actual ROI? Task your office manager or another assistant with content creation, take advantage of sharing posts from your parent organization, and set aside 30-60 minutes a week to dedicate to your strategy.
Remember that connecting with others is all about authenticity and the best way to demonstrate that is to create personal, informative content.