We would love to hear from you. Click on the ‘Contact Us’ link to the right and choose your favorite way to reach-out!

wscdsdc

media/speaking contact

Jamie Johnson

business contact

Victoria Peterson

Contact Us

855.ask.wink

Close [x]
pattern

Industry News

Categories

  • Industry Articles (21,155)
  • Industry Conferences (2)
  • Industry Job Openings (35)
  • Moore on the Market (414)
  • Negative Media (144)
  • Positive Media (73)
  • Sheryl's Articles (800)
  • Wink's Articles (353)
  • Wink's Inside Story (274)
  • Wink's Press Releases (123)
  • Blog Archives

  • March 2024
  • February 2024
  • January 2024
  • December 2023
  • November 2023
  • October 2023
  • September 2023
  • August 2023
  • July 2023
  • June 2023
  • May 2023
  • April 2023
  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • November 2011
  • October 2011
  • September 2011
  • August 2011
  • July 2011
  • June 2011
  • May 2011
  • April 2011
  • March 2011
  • February 2011
  • January 2011
  • December 2010
  • November 2010
  • October 2010
  • September 2010
  • August 2010
  • July 2010
  • June 2010
  • May 2010
  • April 2010
  • March 2010
  • February 2010
  • January 2010
  • December 2009
  • November 2009
  • October 2009
  • August 2009
  • June 2009
  • May 2009
  • April 2009
  • March 2009
  • November 2008
  • September 2008
  • May 2008
  • February 2008
  • August 2006
  • Social Media For Advisors: How To Get Started

    March 24, 2014 by Kenneth Corbin

    WASHINGTON — Advisors can cite any number of reasons to steer clear of social media in their practice, but firms that resist new online channels altogether do so at their own peril.

    That’s the message delivered byMarie Swift — president and CEO of a public relations and marketing firm catering to independent advisors — during a presentation at Fidelity’s Inside Track conference last week.

    As clients (and everyone else) spend more time online, people increasingly expect to interact with their advisors through social media channels, argues Swift, ofImpact Communications.

    “To me it’s really not a question anymore of if we do social media, but how well we do social media,” Swift says. “Your competitors are online, so your participation online is important.”

    ADVISOR RELUCTANCE

    Yet when Swift asked the audience of RIAs about their use of various social platforms, the smattering of raised hands suggested that many advisors remain hesitant about the use of social media. It was a decidedly unscientific poll, to be sure, but advisors in attendance expressed reluctance on a variety of fronts — concerns about compliance, doubts about the ROI they can from social channels, and worries about dedicating time to tend to a social media presence amid all the other responsibilities of running a practice.

    Swift dismisses all of them.

    On compliance, what Swift says is “the No. 1 concern” for many advisors, she believes that the fears of running afoul of regulators have been overstated. Certainly, she says, advisors should update their compliance manual to keep in step with the regulatory and business requirements — addressing areas like how social content is archived, who within the firm has permission to post content, and who will supervise the social media programs.

    Advisors also need to distinguish between interactive content, which generally does not require pre-approval, and static content, which typically does. But those distinctions also apply to more conventional marketing materials, Swift argues.

    ROI MORE ELUSIVE

    The evidence she offers to demonstrate an ROI is more spotty, however — she tells a story of an advisor who landed a multimillion-dollar account by combing throughLinkedIn connections, for instance. And while Fidelity is encouraging its advisors to embrace the platform, the company also lacks hard numbers to quantify gains from social sites. (To get them, it is adding questions around that area to its annual RIA benchmarking survey.)

    “It’s still anecdotal,” said Ross Ozer, chief marketing officer at Fidelity Institutional Wealth Services. “The hope is we’ll start to answer some of those questions, because that’s what’s on everyone’s mind.”

    The amount of time advisors need to dedicate to tending their social media presence will vary from firm to firm, but Swift suggests that it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Advisors could post one engaging tweet each day, for instance, or set aside a half-hour each week to mineLinkedIn, she suggests.

    LISTEN BEFORE TALKING

    As with any new endeavor, advisors can venture into social media gradually and at their own pace. “You don’t have to run before you walk,” Swift says. “You want to listen and learn first. You want to listen before you start talking.”

    She also suggests that advisors should view social media not as a platform unto itself, but rather as an integral component of the firm’s marketing plan. She recommends a hub-and-spoke model, with the firm’s website serving as the hub and the various social efforts — a Twitter feed,LinkedIn andFacebook, blogs and search-optimized press releases, each pointing back to the main site — extending the online presence into different corners of the Web.

    Formalizing a strategy within the broader marketing plan can also lessen the intimidation factor that has kept many advisors sidelined, Swift advises.

    “Writing it down will help internalize it and give you a roadmap,” Swift says. “So just like you recommend that your clients have a financial plan, I would recommend that you have a social media plan that’s a part of your marketing plan.”

    Originally Posted at InsuranceNewsNet on March 24, 2014 by Kenneth Corbin.

    Categories: Industry Articles
    currency