It is easy to see the huge amount of stuff on YouTube, Leonard said, and he told advisors to "sit down with a flip camera and get started. There are two billion videos watched per day on YouTube. If you don't have videos, start doing them!"
When it comes to the importance of being on social networks, Leonhard shared, "Facebook is the biggest broadcaster in the world. Every fifth minute on the Internet is spent on Facebook ... You can run ads on Facebook and they are very efficient."
Regarding Twitter, he recommended checking out advisortweets.com to see how other advisors are using it.
Regarding LinkedIn, Leonhard said, "Almost all businesses check out a LinkedIn profile before a meeting." If they don't find someone, they wonder why.
"People want to be connectors," said Leonhard, giving examples of successful network businesses like eBay and Netflix. Yet he showed that only 35% of advisors are using social media for their businesses compared with 85% for other companies. "You might be worried about SEC and regulation. They are also subject to review via social media," he joked, which brought a lot of laughs.
Evolving Businesses
We all want to be found on the top of the list on Google. To do this, businesses are becoming publishers. "The more things you have out there, the more chance you can be relevant," said Leonard. "Think of yourself as a TV station."
Leonhard left the advisors at the FPA conference with a powerful thought: "People that use technology will in some ways replace those that don't. Use technology, but don't be enslaved by it. You need to dive in and do this. Add value to be valued."
Mike Byrnes founded Byrnes Consulting to provide consulting services to help advisors become even more successful. His expertise is in business planning, marketing strategy, business development, client service and management effectiveness, along with several other areas. Read more at www.byrnesconsulting.com.