#NewsYouCanUse (December 19, 2023)

The #NewYouCanUse is an article discussion series where I share important reminders of what is going on in the world and how it affects women, underrepresented professionals, male allies, and the business we do in financial services and financial technology.

You are always welcome to add article links in the comments, personal thoughts, and tag others through these discussions. Please be kind to one another when differences of opinions occur. It happens and it helps us all to think differently.

Here are today's finds:

1?? Are You Using Canva For This? via Canva

Just gonna let you know, it's been a marketing kind of morning around here. As I'm going through my day, I have to stop myself and remember not everyone knows all this stuff and I need to share cool tools and finds more often. One tool I work with day-in and day-out is Canva. Many of you do. But, one of the greatest timesavers for me is using Canva to schedule everything on my social media accounts, too. If you're not aware of this, you can check it out. But it even integrates with tools like Intuit Mailchimp , Powerpoint , Constant Contact , Typeform , and more. Take some time to learn all the cools ways to use a tool that costs like 50 cents a day to have. Insane!

2?? Social Media Attribution via Cloud Campaign

Every time I hear a financial advisor say, "My clients aren't on social media" I simply sigh. I was thrilled to see Cloud Campaign share "7 Social Media Stats Every Agency Can Leverage to Land More Clients" because I know others are trying to beat the drum, too. (1) Your clients ARE on social media, (2) Content and Context are still King and Queen, and (3) Social Media is cost-effective. Not only marketers like Niki Clark, FPQP? work with you on this, but exit strategists like Ted Jenkin and Rebecca Frosch will tell you that organizations with a presence value higher.

3?? Is Your Marketing Inclusive? via Inc. Magazine

More often than not, I have spoken with organizations who thought they could simply change their marketing photos and call that 'being diverse.' That's not inclusive marketing. To be even more direct - it's actually really lazy and I would even call it rude. Being aware that there are differences in human beings is a start, but when was the last time you audited your online and print collateral while asking, "Are we an inclusive brand?" One simple thing we did at Females and Finance? If you go to our website and scroll down, you will see a "Translate This Site" button. We have it set to Spanish, but you can alter the site into any language 谷歌 Translate has available. And I do know there will be compliance people saying, "Whoa!" to their advisors, but honestly - why aren't the compliance officers pushing for inclusive materials? (The answer is because it has to be filed and refiled and approved, etc.) But don't we want EVERYONE to have access to financial planning needs? Ruby Ulloa, Broker Consultant, group benefits mentor and disruptor and Edna Forero EA ChFC? AFC? - I would enjoy your thoughts on this. And Peggy Haslach, CFP?,CLU? from an LGBTQ+ perspective as well as Stoy Hall, CFP? from a Black/Brown professional one. Adding Kristin Carleton for the neurodivergent aspect. Inclusivity is needed now!

?? Who has thoughts to share?

?? What are your opinions?

?? Where can we make the biggest change happen first?

≠ When can we expect something to be different?

? How can we get started?

????♀? Why should others care about this stuff going on?

I work on these kinds of matters and more in the Females and Finance Community and welcome thought leaders who are in or serve the professionals of financial services and financial technology to reach out, join, and let's build a better landscape of professionals.

Stay well, friends.

Sheryl Hickerson

CEO & Founder - Females and Finance