10 Steps to Twitter Success for Financial Advisors
December 20, 2011 11:00 AM
10 Steps to Twitter Success for Financial Advisors<b><b>
The time for watching and waiting is over. Twitter is a culture phenomenon and more and more financial advisors are setting up Twitter profiles and testing the waters to connect with existing clients, promote their services to potential new clients and share industry news and insight with their peers.
Whether you are new to Twitter or seasoned vet, here are 10 tips provided by TJ Gilsenan, Web-Savvy Advisor, to help financial advisors get the most out of the platform:
Whether you are new to Twitter or seasoned vet, here are 10 tips provided by TJ Gilsenan, Web-Savvy Advisor, to help financial advisors get the most out of the platform:
1. Participate in the conversation.<br><br>
Where is the financial community on Twitter? Who are the leaders? What kind of content is being shared and what language are they using?
Being a part of the industry on Twitter will connect you to a more relevant audience. To learn what other financial advisors are "tweeting" start with AdvisorTweets -- an aggregated, curated collection of what financial advisors say on Twitter.
Being a part of the industry on Twitter will connect you to a more relevant audience. To learn what other financial advisors are "tweeting" start with AdvisorTweets -- an aggregated, curated collection of what financial advisors say on Twitter.
2. Follow people that you want to know.<br><br>
Dont just follow anyone with the hopes that theyll follow you back. From industry experts to potential leads, follow people that youre interested in and that you want to attract
3. Introduce yourself.<br><br>
Social media is like one big cocktail party. If there are people that you are really focused on getting to know, simply introduce yourself. Its easy and more effective to make a personal introduction. You can also make a comment about their blog or ask a question.
4. Stay focused.<br><br>
If youre on Twitter for business keep it industry focused. Dont tweet solely about your kids or what you ate for lunch.
Although some personal interaction is acceptable, discussing relevant financial topics will attract a more targeted audience.
Although some personal interaction is acceptable, discussing relevant financial topics will attract a more targeted audience.
5. Dont rely solely on automation.<br><br>
If you use automation tools (e.g. Facebook status posted directly to Twitter), make sure you create pertinent messages and schedule posts over a varied period of time. Automated-only posts can look very impersonal and be seen as spam.
6. Tweet a balanced mix of information.<br><br>
Include content from your blog as well as your thoughts on market news or links to interesting articles.
7. Join Twitter discussions.<br><br>
Get involved in discussions about financial topics to draw attention to your expertise. Use the Twitter search tool or search by hashtag (#retirement planning, #stockmarket, #financial) to find relevant topics.
8. Retweet (RT).<br><br>
Retweet posts that you find interesting to increase your visibility. People who follow the person you Retweet or the hashtag you include will see you as someone with similar interests. Make sure you use the @name when you mention other Twitter users to help build relationships.
If others are monitoring conversations about themselves, they will notice your retweet.
If others are monitoring conversations about themselves, they will notice your retweet.
9. Listen to your audience.<br><br>
Pay attention to what your audience is talking about. What questions are they asking? What information are they requesting? If you provide valuable Tweets to your followers you will likely attract more quality followers.
Respond to questions with quality content and people will see you as an informative resource, follow your Tweets, and may even retweet you.
Respond to questions with quality content and people will see you as an informative resource, follow your Tweets, and may even retweet you.
10. Promote your Twitter handle.<br><br>
Add your handle (your @name) to your email signature, business cards, website contact information and your blog.
