CHAPTER 10Leveraging Social Media
Whether you like it or not social media should be an essential part of every advisor's practice. There are a myriad of uses you can find for the various outlets and applications available to your practice. These are limited only by your interest, skill, time, and the safeguards and regulations that apply to our industry. Social media currently encompasses the available online communication channels designed for community and business-based sharing of content and for communication, interaction, and collaborative use.
I see three reasons for using social media. The first one is the opportunity to “give” to your clients, your community, and your industry. Your insights about the markets, your wisdom on how to help clients, and your ability to verbalize and comment on information that may be confusing for the outsider is a gift you can share without any assumption of a return. If just one person is better informed about the issues around retirement, interest rates, debt, etc., you can be assured you have done your job as a giver. The second reason is the opportunity to get to know your existing clients at a deeper level by engaging with them on one of these platforms. The third is to acquire prospective clients through social media introductions. Some of the most-used platforms are LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, Pinterest, and Facebook. You may also have your official team (corporate) or personal website to consider when thinking about social ...