{"id":18732,"date":"2013-01-22T17:28:32","date_gmt":"2013-01-22T07:28:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/riskinfo.com.au\/news\/?p=18732"},"modified":"2013-01-23T06:40:23","modified_gmt":"2013-01-22T20:40:23","slug":"conversation-not-content-is-king-on-social-media","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/riskinfo.com.au\/news\/2013\/01\/22\/conversation-not-content-is-king-on-social-media\/","title":{"rendered":"Conversation, Not Content is King on Social Media"},"content":{"rendered":"

The old marketing adage that \u2018content is king\u2019 does not apply when it comes to advisers on social media, according to one industry expert.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Baz Gardner<\/strong>, founder of The Social Adviser<\/a>, says that advisers should be using social media to build relationships through conversations, rather than pushing content.<\/p>\n

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The Social Adviser’s Baz Gardner<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cPeople can go online now and research anything,\u201d says Mr Gardner. \u201cThey 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn this new age, there are far more tools for people to use to make decisions. But advisers aren\u2019t keeping up with that, and they\u2019re not using those tools to help people to be able to make decisions about them.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Mr Gardner, advisers are mistakenly following the same pattern as product manufacturers by using social media to \u2018sell\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cSocial 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\u2019t work for professional service providers, because the \u2018product\u2019 they\u2019re delivering is a relationship.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor advisers, it\u2019s not about \u2018brand\u2019, \u2018message\u2019 and \u2018price\u2019, it\u2019s about \u2018know\u2019, \u2018like\u2019 and \u2018trust\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

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. \u201cSocial media gives you the chance to show people who you are, what you believe in, what you care about, what you\u2019re passionate about, and to express yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n

The power of using social media platforms to deliver that message, says Mr Gardner, is that it is multiplied across hundreds of people.<\/p>\n

\u201cSocial 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\u2019t just go to one person, it goes to hundreds.\u201d<\/p>\n

Social media is the perfect place to build trust … and to get referrals<\/h6>\n

Victorian adviser, Jenny Brown<\/strong>, 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s 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\u2019ve met them.\u201d<\/p>\n

One way Ms Brown says she has achieved success with social media is by connecting with potential clients who are referred to her: \u201cThey\u2019re 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her top tips for advisers looking to build relationships through social media are:<\/p>\n