With a large majority of advisers active on LinkedIn, it's no wonder that platform has become, quite possibly, the best prospecting tool around. Yet with more firms loosening the reins and allowing their advisers to become more active on Twitter, and with the large amount of registered investment advisers already active on the platform, it's time to look at how you can best leverage Twitter in your marketing and prospecting efforts.
Here are steps to take to get started:
Choose the right Twitter handle. It is important when setting up your Twitter account that you choose the right handle. Using your name or company name is typically the best route, as is evidenced by the majority of advisers on Brightscope's list of the “Top 100 Most Social Financial Advisors.” However, some advisers opt to choose a handle that is a bit more catchy or memorable (such as Josh Brown's @ReformedBroker).
Once you select your Twitter handle, be sure to incorporate this into your email auto-signature as well as on your website, business card and other social media profiles.
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Personalize your Twitter profile page. As with your LinkedIn and Facebook pages, be sure to create a branded look for your Twitter page — one that is consistent with the brand image on your website and other social media platforms. People want to know who they are connecting with online, which holds especially true in our industry, so be sure to use the real estate on your profile page to describe who you are, with whom you work and what you do that benefits them. Further, let followers and visitors to your page see your face and your logo, and provide them with a link to your website or blog, so they can easily click through to learn more about you and your firm.
Find prospects who fit your niche. As with all social media efforts, the more niched your market, the better your results. Twitter provides an excellent opportunity for you to learn more about your market and the topics and concerns that matter most to those in it.
Search for keywords related to topics and conversations important to your network and discover relevant hashtags by using the search bar on Twitter's homepage. Spend time each day monitoring conversations that are trending online and within your network. Think through what value you can lend to these conversations, and engage by listening and responding with useful information rather than by trying to push your marketing message or tout your services.
Follow the right people while you continue to build your followers. Start to follow the people engaged with you in the above conversations (ones who fit your target market), and continue working to build your online interactions with them. Continually work to follow and be followed by those fitting your target market, and to engage them in conversation.
Following industry leaders, financial companies and financial writers on Twitter will also help you expand your knowledge base and will provide you with excellent, relevant content to utilize in your tweets.
(More: "20 financial advisers to follow on Twitter")
Tweet, tweet and retweet. One of the best ways to continue building your following is to be consistent with tweeting and with engaging in conversation (check with your firm's compliance and marketing departments, as a number of firms have developed pre-approved tweets for your use). As with posts on LinkedIn and Facebook, tweeting should be a mix of education and information, with just a smidge of self-promotion. Tweet out a fact or statistic you feel your market would find interesting or share a picture from a conference you attended. This will tell your followers you are up on the latest industry news and happenings. Use hashtags in your tweets to help them travel farther, and whenever possible link back to your website or blog.
To further your reach even more, don't forget to retweet the people you follow, with the addition of a comment or credit. This typically leads to additional followers and may even start a conversation between you and the person you retweeted.
Taking the time to build your following, while tweeting relevant content and interesting information, and, above all, using Twitter as a listening tool, will put you on your way to making this platform another valuable tool in your marketing arsenal.
Kristin Andree (kristin@andreemedia.com) is president of Andree Media & Consulting.
