The Four Commandments of Social Media
This article first appeared in Advisor Perspectives on November 3rd, 2020, and can be found here.
Among consumers, 71% will recommend a brand based on positive social media experiences. Social media platforms are comprehensive marketing venues for businesses of all kinds – including financial advisors. By implementing a powerful social media strategy, you can get more eyes on your content and build your firm’s digital presence.
Yet mastering a successful social media strategy while running a business is no easy task. While getting into a groove with your social media plan may take some trial-and-error, there are some crucial commandments of social media to maximize your potential and reach.
1. Don’t start posts with “I,” “My” or “We”
Yes, social media allows prospects to learn more about you. Yet for advisors, learning about you is synonymous with learning about what you offer; and what you offer is the answers to your clients’ financial problems.
That being said, don’t allow fall into the “me, me, me,” trap on social media. Instead, make all of your posts client-focused. Focus on how what you’re sharing applies to your prospects. Speak in your audience’s language and address them directly.
In the LinkedIn post above (LinkedIn, also, is a great platform for financial advisors), the first version is all about “me,” “my beliefs,” and what “I share.” The second post is completely transfixed on the client, discussing why it’s important for your beliefs to align with those of your advisor. This is a grand improvement from the initial post.
2. Avoid passive voice
Active and passive voice aren’t just academic constructs. They’re marketing concepts, too. When I say passive voice, I’m referring to passive phrases such as “take a look” or “check out.” Phrases like that are weak; they’re not actionable and don’t stand out.
Instead of saying something such as, “Check out my latest blog post,” talk about what exactly is in the blog post. Give your audience a reason to click.
An effective strategy is to employ actionable keywords in your content and captions. These are words that inspire action and draw people in, such as “easy” or “quick,” and action verbs such as “use,” “consider” or “learn.”
3. Write for a specific niche audience
As a financial advisor, your clients typically have something in common; maybe this is their age, occupation or geographic location. Whatever it is, your firm serves a specific niche audience. This is the same niche you should be tapping into with your social media posts.
For example, if your client base consists of retirees and pre-retirees, share content specific to that audience and their concerns. In the example above, both pieces of content use the same premise – but the first could apply to anyone. The second is ultra-specific to retirees/pre-retirees; when they see that post, they’ll immediately realize that this is content for people exactly like them.
Make sure you’re attracting attention on social media from the right people, not the most people. When you share a post, be hyper-specific with your wording and content. Who makes up your client base? What questions do they need to answer? What information is pertinent to them?
4. Never share content without context
This is one of the biggest, yet most common, social media mistakes businesses make. If you’re sharing a picture, article or external link on social media, give context as to why your content matters and why it’s worth their time to click and read more.
The context you offer matters, even if you think the content you share speaks for itself. This is what makes your social media posts engaging. If you’re struggling to come up with something, look over the piece again. Is there a particularly interesting quote or statistic? What value does it have to your audience – what new information will it give them? Draw from all of these are things.
Social media marketing is daunting before you dive into it. Nonetheless, it will grow to be invaluable for your firm, even if you don’t have a large social media following. Again, ensure you’re keeping these four commandments in mind:
Doing so will give you a solid foundation in the social media game. The more you refine your social media strategy, the better equipped you’ll be to attract prospects and boost engagement.