Most financial advisors I speak with are either seeing fantastic results from social media—or none at all.
Those seeing none might start to believe it isn’t an effective marketing tool. But that’s far from the truth. In fact, advisors who participated in a 2019 Putnam Investments study said they received an average AUM of $4.9 million from social media initiatives.
So what should advisors like you do to see social media success? The key is to establish an effective content strategy, one that attracts prospects and grows your following.
Here I will outline five proven ways you can create an effective content strategy for social media. And though many of these tips could transfer to other platforms, they are specifically designed for LinkedIn.
Why LinkedIn? According to HubSpot, the platform is 277% more effective at generating leads than other social media platforms. So if growing your business through this medium is your goal, then read on.
1. Start With An Optimized Profile
Your profile will act as the foundation of your brand on social media. Before you start posting, you’ll want to ensure your profile is optimized. Here’s how you can do just that:
• Provide high-quality images: Your personal profile should contain a high-resolution, branded banner and profile picture. Your profile picture should be well-lit, professional, and friendly.
• Optimize your headline: Beneath your profile pictures is your headline. This should be clear and concise by answering the following: Who do you help, how do you help them, and what makes your services different?
• Tell a story with your profile: Your “about” section should not just repeat your experience, which is already shown on your profile. Tell a story here instead, showing how your experience, goals and brand come together.
2. Share The Right Content
Seeing results from LinkedIn requires a content strategy, which includes understanding what types of content do and do not work.
As a bottom line, the content you share needs to be valuable to readers. If it is not, then they will not engage.
The content you share also does not need to always be original. Yes, it is good to share your blog posts, but you can also reshare content from other users by offering an alternative opinion.
Here are some of the most effective forms of content for attracting prospects on LinkedIn:
• Original content: These are your blogs, podcast episodes, videos, polls, quotes or graphics—all the material you or your team has created.
• Reshared content: These are similar items, but they come from well-known publications or users and are reshared with an alternative opinion or perspective.
• Native content: This is content that does not link away from LinkedIn.
The last item on our list is particularly important for the LinkedIn algorithm, which we will cover later in this article.