A study has found that clients prefer lifestyle content from financial advisers on social media, according to Tara Clark, the founder of Vancouver-based social media agency Social T.
Clark, who has worked for the past 10 years helping advisers improve their social media presence, with an emphasis on LinkedIn, was speaking during the recent MDRT Global Conference Virtual Event. Her tips are based on hundreds of conversations.
The study she mentioned was conducted by Hearsay Systems which found that lifestyle content had the highest engagement rates from advisers’ followers at 48%.
But, she says, the study found this type of content is suggested the least by corporate marketing teams (23%) and as a result this limits advisers’ ability to present their personal authentic self, which their followers like to see.
Clark says that some 90 million senior-level influencers and 63 million decision-makers use LinkedIn and her social media tips can “…amplify your brand exposure and increase your thought leadership presence on LinkedIn”.
They also apply on any other social media platforms advisers might use.
Firstly, she says, advisers need to set goals to track ROI.
“To generate business results, you need to be clear with the result that needs to be accomplished. The first and most crucial step is to define what a ‘win’ is on LinkedIn. Determine what you want to get out of being on LinkedIn so that you can leverage this tool properly.”
Do you want to:
- Increase website traffic?
- Build brand awareness?
- Increase the number of likes, comments or shares on your feed?
- Generate leads and sales?
Once you define what your goal is you can then map out how you’re going to get there by answering these questions:
- What specifically does your audience want to know from you?
- How often will you deliver that content?
Clark says advisers should create a content calendar based on your audience’s needs and wants.
“Leverage LinkedIn analytics to uncover popular content that your network enjoys. Tweak your posting plan each month to ensure that what you’re sharing is relevant to your audience’s interests and industry trends.”
She says that when you know what success looks like on LinkedIn for your firm and why you want to be active on it, it’s time to think about the types of content that your audience will want to engage with.
She provided a list of possible topics:
- Reshare content from trusted sources
- Your entrepreneurial journey
- Charitable impact
- Events you are attending or sponsoring
- Business or entrepreneurship tips
- Highlight your team
- Industry news
Clark says other methods of sourcing content intel include gathering stories and testimonials from your team. Ask them to collect one positive Google review each and contribute to your business’s brand awareness in the online world. Share one original blog post each month, providing value by posting original content.
She also advocates crafting quality captions.
“Use three hashtags that include your #businessname, #topic and #localtopic. Use your wealth of wisdom to extract three expert topics, and incorporate these into your social media posts. Be authentic and true to your brand while sharing information of value,” she says.
Her next point looked at how to keep your audience engaged so you stay top of mind. She says this is done by having great content that is shared consistently.
“Aim to post three to five times a week, and like and comment on your networks’ content daily.”
….studies show that social media posts with video have 48% more views…
And add a layer of engagement with video. Studies show that social media posts with video have 48 percent more views.
“Create your own live videos with time-sensitive industry and company news, or reshare videos by people you admire. Craft strong copy to accompany the video, and close with a measurable call to action to take advantage of this inbound marketing opportunity.”
Clark says LinkedIn is not just a sales tool; it’s also a recruiting tool and a digital portfolio that extends your website content to a larger audience.
“Company news and team highlights are easily shared in just one click. To save time and use LinkedIn efficiently, set goals, make a content plan, share information that adds value and incorporate video to tell your business story to your clients, contacts and colleagues,” she says.