Over 635 million people are on LinkedIn and that number continues to rise.

Being active on LinkedIn can help financial advisers establish authority, credibility and expertise. Rebecca Cofrancesco from Marketing Goodness shares her tips on how you can stand out on LinkedIn.

You got the memo, right? LinkedIn is the place to be right now.

Over 635 million people are on LinkedIn and that number continues to rise.

It’s the one social platform where people are in work mode. The audience is open to connecting, and they use the news feed to stay in touch with what’s happening.

There are more people consuming content than creating {hello Lurkers}. This means there’s a real window of opportunity for people who are brave enough to share.

So why LinkedIn for Financial Advisers?

LinkedIn is the place where financial advisers can establish authority, credibility, and expertise. Which leads to trust. And when you’re trusted, people think of you.

But how exactly do you get “seen” in a sea of 635 000 million users?

It starts with you (the first step in my YIKES framework).

You need to be clear on why you’re there, what you want to be thought of and who you’re talking to.

1. Have a great profile

Make a good impression with a well written, thought out profile that showcases who you are and how you help.

Many people make the mistake of treating their profile like a resume and making it all about them. But LinkedIn isn’t a resume. It’s a sales page where you get to talk about how you solve your ideal customer’s pain points and motivations.

You need to simplify things and talk like your ideal customers do. Bye-bye jargon. Use the words and phrases they would use to talk about the type of services or products you offer.

2. Use keywords to get found

LinkedIn works a lot like Google too.

Use words your target audience would use when looking for help. Pepper them through your profile.

Start by thinking about how your target audience would search for you. What are they looking for exactly?

Use those keywords in your profile in the places the LinkedIn search bots look.

• Headline
• Summary
• Experience and Skills

3. Nail your headline

The most viewed descriptor on your LinkedIn profile is your headline so it’s important to get it right. It’s not your job title. It should be What you do and how you help.

For example,
Financial Adviser I Helping you live the life you want now and in retirement.

4. Use a professional, friendly-looking headshot

First impressions count. No blurry selfies, cropped photos or artistic headshots. And it needs to be current.

If I meet you in real-life I want to recognise you from your photo.

Tip: Make sure your profile is visible. Change your privacy to public.

5. Be Social 

It’s no surprise. To be good on social media you need to be social. That means you need to step out from behind the scroll and start talking with people in your network.

Be more of a giver than a taker by commenting on your connection’s posts and send a private message. When you’re ready to share your knowledge and expertise start to create your own content.

6. Start connecting

It makes sense to approach connecting with a strategic lens. Start with people you know, people you’ve met in real life, your customers and suppliers.

Your network will fill with quality connections of people in your target audience.

7. Get active

Being active doesn’t have to be posting every day. It’s about being visible.

It’s your job to start or add to the conversations online, with the ultimate goal to meet in real life.

Active can mean:

• creating content
• commenting
• liking
• sharing
• conversing in groups
• messaging

And don’t be afraid to show your human side. LinkedIn is a professional networking site. But it doesn’t mean you should leave your personality by the door.

Are you active on LinkedIn yet?

Think of LinkedIn as the long-game, where consistent, active management will pay off.

It’s your chance to change the narrative and showcase the great work you do. It’s an opportunity to show the benefits of financial advice for the people you serve.

The post How to stand out on LinkedIn appeared first on AdviserVoice.

Rebecca Cofrancesco

It’s fair to say, marketing doesn’t work the way it used to.

New technology and lower-cost digital marketing channels like Social Media give businesses of all shapes and sizes easier ways to get in front of potential and existing customers.

Every business can be a digital publisher today

Your company website, social media channels (hello LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram), and email are what’s known as ‘owned’ publications.

You own what’s said, how it’s said and where it’s delivered.

You can quickly respond to current events, sharing what’s happening in the moment.

And when you show up consistently it keeps you top of mind and more likely to be remembered.

We collect more data than ever before

We know what works and what doesn’t because the analytics tell us. It means we can be more fluid in our approach to marketing, quickly stopping things that aren’t working and ramping up the things that do.

We can use what we know and the data we collect to create a more personalised experience much easier than before.

It’s a welcome change compared to times when the only way to stand out was to have a ridiculously creative direct mail, put an ad in a paper or splurge on Radio or Television.

Advisers who embrace digital marketing have a distinct advantage

But not all advice practices have seen the benefit of digital marketing yet. Believing word of mouth marketing will get them through.

But I want to tell you, Word of mouth referral marketing is not enough.

Don’t get me wrong, word of mouth referral marketing will always be a part of every advice practice marketing strategy, but it’s only one piece of the puzzle.

Great marketing relies on how all the pieces of your brand fit together.  Everything adds up – from the first impression of your website, the way you communicate on socials, to the experience you create for every interaction people have with you.

There are five key elements to a digital marketing strategy in 2020

1. A strong digital presence

Still think all your business comes from referrals? Guess where they go before they contact you? Yep. They go to Google, then your website, then to LinkedIn.

They’re a judgemental bunch too. Checking you out to see if you’re the right fit for them and whether what you say connects with them. And if they don’t like it – they move on. Quick smart.

If your digital presence is lacklustre, chances are, you’re losing potential customers, you just don’t know it.

Action: Review your digital presence. Invest the time and energy into ensuring your website, LinkedIn company page and other social media channels represent you and what you want to be known for.

2. Make it easy for Google and customers to find you

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is all about making google fall in love with your website and content. It’s not rocket science, but it is important that your site is set up properly so Google can index it and serve it up in search results.

Tip: Write for your customers first, answer the queries they type into the search bar.

3. There is power in your email list

Despite contrary belief, email isn’t dead. Boring emails are dead.

Find a way of producing relevant engaging content and your customers will respond.

4. Get active on Social Media

You can’t ignore social media anymore. It’s time to go where your customers already hang out.

Everyone wants to know, like and trust the people behind the brand.

It’s why advisers are having success with LinkedIn  and other social channels like Facebook or Instagram. They are designed to help advisers be more personable, show their human side and join in genuine conversations.

It would be remiss of me not to point out, that social media isn’t usually a quick win.

It takes time and commitment. And is part of the content marketing long-game.

If you only broadcast your message (when you’re the only one talking), then it’s not going to work.

To win at social you have to be social, you have to engage in conversations.

Just like a real-life social setting.

5. Improve the digital experience across all your customer touch points

Companies like Google, Amazon and Apple have really upped the ante. Showing customers what true digital experiences look like.

Seamless. And enjoyable.

What would your customers say about working with you? Is your digital game on point or stuck in the 90’s?

Action: Make time to review your digital experience.

How’s your business going with digital marketing? Were you nodding your head in agreement or thinking oh crap, we’ve got work to do?

———

By Rebecca Cofrancesco, Marketing Strategist and Content Creator

The post If you’re not doing digital marketing, what are you doing? appeared first on AdviserVoice.