Remember the ham radio days or the CB two-wave radios? "Breaker, Breaker this is Big Sky, what's your handle?" Friendships forged, information delivered, boredom abated and crisis averted all with a simple two-way dialog. Short, sweet and simple. No rules, no mutual mystification just good (or sometimes not so good) communication.
That describes the latest broadcast media craze. From Facebook friends to Twitter followers social media is sure way to get your messages broadcast to a wide net of people. In fact, many practice management experts are bold to proclaim that if you fail to take advantage of social media you will eventually get left behind.
But before you rush headlong into the frenzy consider the following:
1. How will you use social media to meet your strategic business development objectives?
2. How much time are you willing to commit to developing an effective online presence?
3. How will you use your online networking presence to keep your customers engaged?
Professional advisers are flocking to Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and other popular sites to grow their practice. Many small business owners have benefited from a social media presence as they engage in a relevant two-way dialog with customers and prospects. But, your decision to engage in online media broadcast must be important to the advancement of your business objectives or it will be a big waste of time.
Social media is a powerful way to build your brand and it is a good way to support your objective of creating a raving fan club but it does little to build intimate client relationships. Deep client relationships are built upon the kind of trust that can only be forged with personal one-on-one dialog.
Be certain, to develop and execute a highly effective social media campaign requires some forethought, time and effort on your part. Granted, setting up a blog, a Twitter account, a Facebook page or a LinkedIn profile may take thirty minutes or less. While set up is easy maintenance requires a little more effort.
I read a study from the Social Media Examiner that reported significant returns require at least six hours a week. Think about that. Social media for business owners is all about two things-1) producing relevant content that you control and 2) the market niche that you attract with your message.
Social media is great for keeping your customer/prospect base dialed in to your station. Do remember, however, everyone tunes in to "WIIFM"-What's In It For Me. People are attracted to online sites that are relevant and timely for them.
Don't use your social medial sites to add to the information glut on the internet. Become a thought leader. Offer valuable insight and make your messages engaging, lively and friendly so that your fan club wants to share in the learning experience. When you can do that with ease you are ready to reap the rewards of social networking.
Marketing can be both stressful and expensive for advisers who lack knowledge. My passion is helping financial advisers get a steady stream of ideal clients at a price they can afford.
If you are finding yourself challenged with getting in front of affluent and super-affluent clients, realize that this may be your opportunity to change what you have been doing and learn new and better ways of attracting and serving clients.
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