Facebook can help with other important information about clients. For example, an advisor can find out about a family graduation and send a congratulations card. If an advisor waits until the next meeting to learn about the graduation, the card will not have the same effect.
Pictures can also serve as an extension of building a brand. Shear mentioned he does a lot of charitable work and Facebook is a great way to show that personal side. One example he shared was when an NFL player and him spent three hours visiting the kids in the cancer and epilepsy ward at a hospital. He said the pictures were even shared with other NFL players, which gave him great exposure.
Not only do social networks help advisors to get to know clients better and build stronger brands, but they can help lead to new business. Shear gave an example of connecting with an old fraternity brother through social media. It later resulted in him moving over a half a million dollars in assets.
Some Other Social Insights
When it comes to Facebook, William Brill, a compliance supervisor at Raymond James Financial Services, recommended creating a business profile. “The non-financial posts get the most comments. A lot of times we will see the advisors say, ‘Here is an event we hosted.’ This is a great chance for you to upload photos.”
He shared an interesting example what an advisor who had bought a fluffy poodle. They had a contest to name the dog through social media. “It had the most comments that I have ever seen,” said Brill.
For Twitter, most Raymond James advisors are linking to content. For example, ‘Can you believe the latest statistic to this…’ and then link to the article. Brill also advised, “Use it as a listening device.”
Tools Raymond James Advisors Can Use:
• Hearsay social signals – this tool scans what people are posting in one’s social network to make it easier on the advisors to identify good times to reach out to them.
• Suggested posts – the Raymond James marketing department creates material to be shared. It does not need to be preapproved by the advisors, as that has already been done by the home office (unless the advisor wants to customize the piece). For example, May 29th is 529 day and there is a campaign to go with it.
• Published posts – there is interesting reporting available for advisors to compare the social engagement they get online.
It was also pointed out, that social media can help with search engine optimization (SEO) and that can draw in more prospects.
Mike Byrnes is a national speaker and owner of Byrnes Consulting LLC. His firm provides consulting services to help advisors become even more successful. Need help with business planning, marketing strategy, business development, client service and management effectiveness? Read more at ByrnesConsulting.com and follow @ByrnesConsultin.