WP shares some tips to improve your impact and engage prospective clients on Twitter.
Advisors may have created a Twitter account, but some say they can’t keep up with the tweets.
“I have Twitter but haven’t used it extensively,” says Mitch Gardner, a financial planner based in Port Alberni, B.C. “In part it’s a time management thing given the day-to-day job of an advisor. It’s time consuming to keep it active and keep up with all the tweets that are out there.”
Then there’s the compliance side of things: when every email, newsletter and tweet must be scrutinized and approved before being sent or posted.
"I have to get everything approved and yes, it has restricted me, so I don’t send out as much stuff," says another advisor, who wished to remain anonymous. "If I have to put a marketing spin on everything, it does make it seem like I’m a computer generating opinions."
Despite the extra time and steps it takes to tweet, the stats are out there – with 70 per cent of small businesses signed onto Twitter, 85 per cent of users feeling more connected to a company they choose to follow, and 67 per cent of users more likely to purchase from a service or product they follow, there’s something to be said for Twitter exposure.
“I believe it is a great tool for marketing. It is useful for sharing information and links with clients,” Gardener says. “I do see it as a valuable tool, not just something that I have to do.”
The trick is getting past the ‘have to’, and starting to use Twitter effectively.
WP shares 7 ways, from financialplanning.com, you can improve your Twitter impact as a financial advisor.
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“I have Twitter but haven’t used it extensively,” says Mitch Gardner, a financial planner based in Port Alberni, B.C. “In part it’s a time management thing given the day-to-day job of an advisor. It’s time consuming to keep it active and keep up with all the tweets that are out there.”
Then there’s the compliance side of things: when every email, newsletter and tweet must be scrutinized and approved before being sent or posted.
"I have to get everything approved and yes, it has restricted me, so I don’t send out as much stuff," says another advisor, who wished to remain anonymous. "If I have to put a marketing spin on everything, it does make it seem like I’m a computer generating opinions."
Despite the extra time and steps it takes to tweet, the stats are out there – with 70 per cent of small businesses signed onto Twitter, 85 per cent of users feeling more connected to a company they choose to follow, and 67 per cent of users more likely to purchase from a service or product they follow, there’s something to be said for Twitter exposure.
“I believe it is a great tool for marketing. It is useful for sharing information and links with clients,” Gardener says. “I do see it as a valuable tool, not just something that I have to do.”
The trick is getting past the ‘have to’, and starting to use Twitter effectively.
WP shares 7 ways, from financialplanning.com, you can improve your Twitter impact as a financial advisor.
- Follow new people – Follow all the people you know, start following those who follow you, and check out WeFollow.com to search categories including finance, hedge funds, business and find useful connections.
- Tweet regularly – People will begin to unfollow you if they see you aren’t active i.e. you last tweet was three months ago. Post daily or a couple of times a week and try sticking to a specific schedule, so you don’t forget to keep connected.
- Keep bragging to a minimum – Twitter is about building relationships, not simply self-promoting. Post minimally about yourself, and make it more about those you are following by sharing interesting insights such as news, links and reactions.
- Link a lot – Share links to interesting articles, blogs, reports etc., especially if they are industry-related. This provides followers with valuable resources and reinforces who you are and what you do.
- Brand your account – Complete your bio, include a link to your website, and make certain your Twitter page reflects your business brand including colour scheme and logo. You should be recognizable across all online platforms, right down to your business card.
- Keep tweets short and sweet – Though the character limit is 140, keep your tweets below that threshold. According to Twitter, the ‘ideal’ length of a tweet is 100 characters. You’ll likely see many more retweets.
- Find a rhythm – There is such a thing as tweeting too much. Don’t clutter up your followers’ feed with tweets every few minutes. Time them out evenly. Create a schedule that suits your business, perhaps in line with a newsletter; or three times a day at the same time each day. When repeating tweets, space them out i.e. four times, eight hours apart.
How tweeting can make you money
Advertising? Absolutely, says Bay Street top dog
