For years, advisors were very limited in how they could use social media to connect with clients and other professionals. But with recent changes to compliance rulings, the doors have been opened for more advisors to take advantage of social media marketing.
If you’re fairly new to social media, we know it can be a little confusing starting from square one. Below we’ve provided some do’s and don’ts of sharing online, as well as best practices for your favorite platforms.
The Do’s and Don’ts
When it comes to building your presence online, there are some universal do’s and don’ts that apply to any platform. Here are four of our top tips for advisors:
Don’t Post and Ghost
One-sided conversations are the worst, aren’t they? That’s why it’s so important to put the “social” into your social media!
Too often, people think it’s enough to post consistently, sit back, and expect results. In reality, you should be engaging with other people’s content by providing valuable, thoughtful comments that add to the conversation. Keep in mind it’s not enough to just “like” a post or drop a quick “I agree” in the comments, put time and energy into crafting considerate responses.
As a general rule of thumb, try engaging with others 2x to 4x more than you post.
Do switch up your topics
What you actually share on your social media should vary regularly, especially in the beginning of your social media journey. Try out a mix of educational, promotional, and personal posts or tweets to see what resonates with your audience.
Here’s an example of each:
- Educational: A video of you explaining the difference between traditional and Roth IRAs.
- Promotional: A post encouraging viewers to book an introductory call.
- Personal: Photos of your family on a recent ski trip to Colorado.
Don’t always link to another site
Social media platforms are businesses, meaning the longer people stay on them, the more money they make. If your posts always include links to other sites (your calendar scheduler, your website’s blog, YouTube, etc.), you may find that over time your post performance suffers.
This isn’t to say you should never link out, just be mindful of how often you’re doing so. Plus, it’s safe to assume your readers aren’t always going to want to click on a link to perform an action (like book a call or watch a video). Incorporating content natively reduces how many steps viewers have to take to engage with your content.
Do be consistent
It may help to compare building your social media presence to working out.
One workout won’t make much of a difference, but when you’re consistent, the results compound over time. Similarly, one post doesn’t do much for you, and posting sporadically won’t build an audience either. If you want to deliver high value and grow your audience organically over time, you need to be dependable. Otherwise, people won’t have much of a reason to follow you or engage with your content.
Social Media Best Practices
Every social media platform has its own nuances and quirks, which can impact the effectiveness of your efforts online. Here are a few basic best practices for LinkedIn, X, and Facebook.
LinkedIn doesn’t necessarily boast the largest user base in any single category compared to other social platforms, but it does have a broad reach, connecting individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds, income brackets, age groups, and beyond. For professionals, having a presence on LinkedIn is essential.
This is a great platform for publishing and share thought leadership pieces, since it offers tools like LinkedIn articles and carousel posts. To maximize your reach, studies suggest posting once a day, five days a week (or roughly 20 times a month).
Best time to post? 9 am – 12 pm, Tuesday through Thursday
X (Formerly Twitter)
X moves at a top speed, which means you’ll want to focus on quantity to build an audience here. The “lifespan” of a tweet is only about 24 minutes, so it becomes lost in the sea of tweets very quickly.
While you may post up to 280 characters per tweet, the “sweet spot” is between 120 and 130 characters — so keep your messaging brief! If you have a longer story to tell, or a list of important points to make, you can always create a “chain” of tweets by replying to your previous tweet with additional information.
And finally, X is the platform that brought hashtags to life, but try to use them sparingly (ideally no more than two per tweet).
Best time to post? 9 am – 2 pm, Tuesdays through Thursdays and 9 am to 12 pm on Fridays
What was once a revolutionary new social media platform for college students, Facebook is now primarily home to older users. Around 73% of 50 to 64-year-olds are on Facebook, and around 50% of those over 65 use it as well. What’s the takeaway here? Facebook is an effective platform for connecting with older clients (specifically those in or near retirement).
As far as what you should actually be posting, a recent study found that Facebook posts with 80 words or more receive around 2x the engagement as compared to shorter posts. Facebook likes it when users share photos, just make sure pixel size is around 1200×1200 px.
Best time to post? 8 am – 1 pm, Monday through Thursday
Starting Your Social Media Journey Soon?
Social media is an effective way for advisors to connect on a personal level with clients and prospects, share their expertise, and establish their presence as a thought leader within the industry. As you get started, we encourage you to be consistent, stick with it, and try different methods for connecting with your audience. Over time, you’ll come to learn what works best for your unique needs.
Sources:
1 Best Times to Post on Social Media in 2023
2 How to Craft Perfect Posts for Facebook, LinkedIn & X [SlideShare]
3 Lifespan (Half-Life) of Social Media Posts: Update for 2022
