3 Ways to Personalize the Content You're Already Sharing on Social Media

First, a cold truth coming in hot:?

There is a disconnect when it comes to online marketing for financial advisors.?

The funny thing is, your industry is primed to do well online because Advisors tend to get into this business because they’re great at building relationships and because they want to deliver value to their clients' lives. Unfortunately, that doesn’t come across in their online marketing.

This is typically what I see Advisors do to market their practices on social media:

Nine times out of ten, the strategy is to either share links on social media from a third-party media outlet or to share a link to an article on your company's website.

That's a fine place to start, but it is not enough for you to get the results that keep you warm at night.?

Let me just say though, that if this IS your strategy, you have great instincts!?

Social media is at the top of your digital marketing funnel. It’s where you build awareness, tapping people on the shoulder saying, "Hi, I'm here. I'm open for business. This is what I do. This is how I can help you."?

The goal of your digital marketing is to welcome people into your marketing ecosystem where you can nurture them with value and move them through to your sales process.

But as you can see in the pic above, social media is the first step in your funnel, not the only step. (Click HERE to see a full strategy in action and the outcome for an Advisor).?

Now that we understand that social media is the first step in your strategy and not the entire strategy, let’s make sure we are maximizing our results without turning you into a full-time content creator.

Take a few minutes to peruse your company's website and look for an article or a piece of content that you would typically share on your social media.?

Got it? Ok, now let’s work on seeing that content through the lens of building your brand and positioning you as the go-to in your industry.

To do that, we need to change our mindset around that piece of content’s purpose and what we actually want people to do when they come across our social media posts.?

Because if your audience did what it looks like you want them to do when you share a news article (for example), they would click on the link and be off on their own to be distracted and sidetracked. They'd no nothing about you. They definitely wouldn't read the article, go back to the social media platform, scroll through till they found the post again, clicked on your profile and then send you a message saying something to the effect of: TAKE MY MONEY.

Do you know what would be a much better outcome??

They come across your post, are compelled to stop scrolling and in a few seconds, learn a little more about who you are, the value you deliver and to whom. Whether they read the article or not.

How can you actually get the results that you're after when you post a link without sending them out into the wild, wild internet?

You personalize that content.?

Here’s how to take a link to your company’s website or news article and make it work for YOU:

1. Leaders take a stance.

Read over that article you're going to share and pick out something you agree with, something you disagree with or a point you want to emphasize.?

Talk about how this is something you have always taught your clients or why you rail against it. Give some perspective and professional context to this article rather than pasting a headline and a link.?

2. Paint a picture.

Let’s go back to our example of a typical post. The article that it linked to was entitled Transitioning Wealth: How Ready is Your Family? Does that title remind you of a situation you worked on with a client? A time that a family wasn’t ready and the fallout was difficult? Where a client came to you worried and how you were able to help with your expertise? Paint that picture for them so they can see themselves in a meeting with you and then tell them that you can help them with their unique situation.

Even if the reader doesn't click over, they're going to know what you do, they're going to know the value you give, they're going to know exactly what next step to take to engage you in business, they're going to be emotionally engaged in the content and they will picture themselves in the situation.

3. The ME Effect (AKA The Mere Exposure Effect)

The mere-exposure effect is a psychological phenomenon by which people tend to develop a preference for things merely because they are familiar with them. In social psychology, this effect is sometimes called the familiarity principle.

Let’s think back again to the post example from earlier and the stock image that auto-populates from sharing the link. That stock image does nothing for you. It doesn't stop scrolling, build that ME Effect or build your brand.?

Instead, add a picture of yourself. Invest in professional lifestyle photography and upload a picture of yourself and stop relying on bland, stock imagery.?

There are very few advisors showing up online with quality photography so, in a sea of stiff headshots, you would stand out as a dynamic, successful, trustworthy advisor.?

Thinking back to the content that you grabbed earlier, how do you think you can personalize it??

• Could you add a picture of yourself??
• Could you add a little story about an experience you, a family member or a client had?
• Could you add your opinion and some context to the article??

Take a look through the content that you've already posted and think about the opportunities to personalize it that you missed.

Now you’re beginning to use your social media presence to build awareness for your practice!

In the next issue of Magnetic Marketing for CFPs, we'll be talking about leveraging the content your company has produced and using it to grow an email list of qualified people to invite to your events and get on a call with to book meetings! Be sure to subscribe so you stay in the loop!

??Want to see these strategies in action??Grab the Financial Advisor Case study HERE.

??Register for the upcoming masterclass in the Magnetic Marketing for Financial Advisors series.

We cover a different topic to do with strategies to grow your business using online marketing each month.

Next up: 4 Ways to Nurture Your Audience So They Feel Like They Know You (and become your client)! Sign up for the free classes HERE.

Your biggest fan,

Carly