In the first two decades of the 21st century, social media has steadily become a greater part of our lives. Whether it’s Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Snapchat, or even Tinder, Americans are plugging in to socialize, get news, network, or to fulfill just about any need they have. What it boils down to is this: Americans are replacing their traditional life-tools with digital means, many of which are on social media. As a financial professional, you risk becoming irrelevant if you ignore this development. With Facebook reporting 2.2 billion active users in March1, and LinkedIn boasting 500 million users last year2, now is the time to begin utilizing social media to meet the needs of your clients (and prospective clients).
As the above figures indicate, almost everyone uses social media in some form or fashion. Because of this widespread use, you can easily reach your target audience. According to a March Pew Research Center report3, 64% of Americans between the ages of 50 and 64 use social media. That number jumps to 78% for those 30 to 49 years-old. Whatever your client base, they are likely using social media. It is up to you to engage them with the right strategy.
There are a variety of tactics you can employ to start building toward an audience aware of your unique brand and services. As a financial professional, you can share content that educates your audience about finances while also informing them about what your business has to offer. Eventually, your audience will become more knowledgeable and more likely to reach out to you. Also, by posting updates about your practice and interacting with social media culture, you can insert yourself into an online community of lasting relationships.
In this industry, continued growth should be at the forefront of every financial professional’s mind, and the ability of social media to contribute to that goal should not be ignored. Taking full advantage of these tools will allow you to take your business to the next level.
Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll discuss how you can use Facebook and LinkedIn specifically to improve your practice. Be sure to follow NEXT Financial, Inc. on Facebook @nextfinancial and LinkedIn, and subscribe to this blog at the right-hand side of the page for more content.
1https://newsroom.fb.com/company-info/
2https://news.linkedin.com/2017/linkedin-reaches-500M-members
3http://www.pewinternet.org/2018/03/01/social-media-use-in-2018/
