The old marketing adage that ‘content is king’ does not apply when it comes to advisers on social media, according to one industry expert.
Baz Gardner, founder of The Social Adviser, says that advisers should be using social media to build relationships through conversations, rather than pushing content.
“People can go online now and research anything,” says Mr Gardner. “They can also go online and ask an opinion from one hundred of their friends about who they should go and see for a particular service.
“In this new age, there are far more tools for people to use to make decisions. But advisers aren’t keeping up with that, and they’re not using those tools to help people to be able to make decisions about them.”
According to Mr Gardner, advisers are mistakenly following the same pattern as product manufacturers by using social media to ‘sell’.
“Social media is a great way to advertise something; to get impressions, to build brand awareness and to deliver a message. But what works for a product provider, like Red Bull, doesn’t work for professional service providers, because the ‘product’ they’re delivering is a relationship.
“For advisers, it’s not about ‘brand’, ‘message’ and ‘price’, it’s about ‘know’, ‘like’ and ‘trust’.”
Mr Gardner believes advisers should think of social media activity like a face to face meeting, where there is an opportunity to get to know someone better each time you interact. “Social media gives you the chance to show people who you are, what you believe in, what you care about, what you’re passionate about, and to express yourself.”
The power of using social media platforms to deliver that message, says Mr Gardner, is that it is multiplied across hundreds of people.
“Social media is the perfect place to build trust, to create credibility, to engage people in conversation, and to get referrals. Because an endorsement of you made on social media doesn’t just go to one person, it goes to hundreds.”
Social media is the perfect place to build trust … and to get referrals
Victorian adviser, Jenny Brown, who was a finalist in the 2012 AFA Adviser of the Year Awards, says she has experienced the power of using social media platforms to build relationships first hand.
“It’s all about making sure you interact with those who are on social media. You can actually build great communications with people, to the point you actually feel like you’ve met them.”
One way Ms Brown says she has achieved success with social media is by connecting with potential clients who are referred to her: “They’re not always ready to see me at the time of the referral. So I connect with them via LinkedIn. That way they can see my posts, and I remain top of mind, so that when they are ready to meet they already feel like they know me.”
Her top tips for advisers looking to build relationships through social media are:
- Always upload a photo and complete your profile information
- Personalise any retweets or links by adding your own comments, this adds value and helps people understand why you wanted to share the information
- Consider employing a ‘digital coach’, as you would a business coach
- Talk to colleagues and peers who are using social media and ask for help
Ms Brown will be joining Mr Gardner The Social Adviser’s Adviser Edge – Social Advice Summit on the Gold Coast in February. She recommends the event for all advisers, particularly those looking to get started on social media: “It’s a great opportunity to go and see what other practitioners are doing. You’re going to have a lot of advisers up there who are at different stages of the social media journey. You’ll get stories from people who are either well established, or just starting out. Talk to people about their experiences, what’s worked, and what hasn’t. I think that’s a great starting point.”
Click here for more information on the event.
