Advisers who have yet to embrace social media in their business are missing out on opportunities to connect with their current and prospective clients, says social media expert, Iggy Pintado.
Mr Pintado, a Director at consulting firm UXC Connect, has been a keynote presenter at Zurich’s national roadshow series, where the insurer is presenting it latest product initiatives to advisers as well as highlighting the growing power of social networks.
It’s not generational, it’s attitudinal…
According to Mr Pintado, people have an inherent need to be connected and a growing proportion of the population are using new online social networks to achieve this. Mr Pintado challenges advisers to consider their own approach towards social networks, contending that the use of social networks in business has more to do with attitude than age: “It’s not generational, it’s attitudinal,” he said.
For those advisers who believe social networks appeal mostly to younger, ‘tech savvy’ consumers, Mr Pintado presented statistics which show that by far the biggest users of Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and Linkedin are those aged 35+.
Given this fact, Mr Pintado stressed to advisers the substantial opportunities that exist for them to use social networks to connect with current and future clients and to build their busiuness in the process. To achieve this goal, Mr Pintado outlined the four ‘P’s of getting connected:
- Purpose
- Profile
- Participation
- Persistence
Purpose: Do your homework. Work out what you want to achieve by getting connected within social networks, such as creating your brand awareness, serving your clients and prospecting for new business opportunities.
Profile: Mr Pintado used the example of Susan Boyle to demonstrate how social networks, in this case, YouTube, can raise the profile of an individual or a business. While Susan Boyle became a global phenomenon, Mr Pintado’s point is that any advice practice can use networks such as YouTube to raise their own profile with their current and prospective clients.
Participation: Using chat rooms or blogs within Facebook or Linkedin etc… can become a key method of staying in touch with and engaging with clients, as can the use of adviser websites that offer interaction opportunities for clients and prospects, rather than simply providing static information.
Persistence: Mr Pintado used an example of a job seeker using Google Ad Words as a way to attract the attention of prospective employers within his field. The point in this example is that creative use of online social media can help advisers reach their target audience and achieve thier goals.
… getting connected is an opportunity, not a chore
Mr Pintado’s message is that getting connected is an opportunity, not a chore, and that advisers need to be active participants within the networks in which their clients spend more and more time.
