We often hear advisors wanting to know how to navigate the social media waters. You may be asking yourself:
- Which platform is right for me?
- Am I allowed to do social media?
- What kind of content should I post?
- How often should I post?
People today are more than inundated with some type of digital message: text, instant message, email, Facebook messages (inbox, likes, comments, oh my!), Twitter messages, Instagram likes, and the list goes on and on. Much like your website and any other communication you send out to your clients and prospects, it’s essential to make sure that your social strategy includes relevant content from a trusted source.
“Which Platform is Right for Me?”
With options like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, etc., it’s hard to decide which platform makes the most sense for your business. According to a Pew Research Study, 35% of retirees use social media, and 56% of those use Facebook. With statistics like that, I would recommend implementing Facebook as a social media strategy for your practice; you want to be where your audience is!
“Am I Allowed to Use Social Media?”
Depending on your licensing, you may be prohibited from using social media in your practice. If you are only life insurance licensed, you are likely able to use social media without any issue. If you are securities licensed, you may have a tougher time. Be sure to check with your broker-dealer and RIA for recommendations on their social media policies.
“What Kind of Content Should I Post?”
Financial and educational content tends to work really well on social media, as it tends to be shared with friends and colleagues. Want to mix things up a bit and include content other than financial and educational sources? According to Wordstream, you should make your visuals stand out. Surprisingly, photos of animals (dogs specifically) and babies have a lot of engagement, as do short, enticing videos. Video content has been on the rise, and will only continue to grow in popularity.
“How Often Should I Post?”
Social media extends — or sometimes starts — conversations with your clients and prospects. You’ll want to find a delicate balance of posting too much versus not enough. Buffer Social has a great reference guide for posting to various social media outlets. Facebook posts should be done no more than twice a day, LinkedIn should be once per weekday (20 times/month) and Tweets should stop at a max of 3 per day before losing engagement.
If you have other questions about social media and the best way to implement it into your practice, contact your marketing manager for assistance.
