As much as the use of social media amongst the financial planning community is becoming far more prevalent, as a previous skeptic, I am well aware that there are many of you who remain cautious of Tweeting, posting and commenting for all the world to see.
The benefits you can reap are huge if you try and commit to devoting a little time and energy to it each day. If this is your first entry into social media I would suggest that LinkedIn is a great place to start and that perhaps the ‘safest’ way to start is a LinkedIn group. A LinkedIn group is essentially a forum and it’s a great place to ask questions and gain insight from your peers, colleagues. LinkedIn groups can also build your credibility and enhance your professional network, all of which can help you grow your business and client base.
Participating in communities of your ideal prospective clients is easy in a group. Engage, join conversations and find ways to give value to entire groups of potential clients – it is the ultimate networking tool!
Your input in a LinkedIn group can really help elevate your reputation as an expert although you do need to be prepared to be free and generous with your advice. Pass along helpful information and applaud people for their ideas and achievements. The golden rule is that your contribution must provide some value to someone in some way – whether that is on a technical or factual level or an emotional one.
The FPA has an active Members Forum on LinkedIn with nearly 2500 members and is growing steadily with an average of 40 new FPA members joining and around 30 comments posted each week. The forum is only open to FPA members and provides a great way for them to discuss views and exchange opinions with each other that affect them as members of the professional community of financial planners. I am always pleased to see the huge variety of topics that come up for discussion – from the pension bonus scheme to what the best overseas conferences are, or how to boost your profile to how many female CFPs we have in Australia – the conversations vary greatly but the value always remains. It’s also heartening to see how our members have come together as an online community that willingly help and encourage each other.
While it may not make the headlines as often as Facebook and Twitter, I firmly believe that if you are new to social media, LinkedIn is a good way to start and a little time and effort can bring about huge dividends.
My 3 top tips to finding your voice on LinkedIn
- An easy way to identify a good LinkedIn group is by noting what groups your peers belong to and how active the group is. To determine group activity, simply review the quantity and frequency of posts. An effective group will not allow posts where promotion or advertising takes over idea sharing and discussions.
- While you don’t need to post every day (2 or 3 times a week is ideal), put aside 10 minutes in your calendar daily to like or comment on post to make sure you keep engaged with the group.
- When you post leave it open ended – ask what other people think and invite discussion
