Financial advisers missing out on social media opportunities
Financial advisers are overlooking the opportunity to grow their referral networks with social media, according to Marc Fabris national sales manager, sales strategies and research at Zurich Financial Services.
While it has long been the case that potential clients or referral sources will usually utilise a search engine to learn more about an adviser, many in the industry do not fully recognise the brand awareness that can be created by taking the time to set up a professional profile, Fabris said.
"It's not about selling on the web, it's about supporting their brand and relationship management, which I think is not necessarily obvious, but it's easy and it has a big impact with only a little effort," he said.
He added that a social media site such as LinkedIn is generally the first website that appears when undertaking a Google search on an individual person, therefore ensuring that the personal profile is up-to-date and content is being posted regularly is essential to being seen in the financial services space.
From there, potential referral sources can be redirected to the adviser's website, which should in itself have a section for referral sources.
"It's not privileged information and it shows some level of seriousness," Fabris said.
He said he is aware of some advisers who are using LinkedIn to create groups for referral sources in order to have a direct interaction and feedback mechanism.
For sites like Google+, simply developing a profile and having clear links back to the company's home page is essential in an online space where Google represents over 90 per cent of the search market, Fabris said.
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