Written by: Riana Aldana
Spring has sprung, and that means that spring cleaning is top of mind for many. However, spring cleaning isn’t just for houses — chances are that most RIAs’ PR and marketing strategies could use some brushing up, too. We’ve gathered four actionable steps that advisors can use this season that will ultimately bolster business and strengthen new — or outdated — PR and marketing efforts currently in place.
Review compliance rules and regulations . For RIAs with interest in PR and/or marketing campaigns, it’s vital to sit down with your compliance team annually to review and understand changes and recommendations across social platforms and outgoing communication efforts. Are you allowed to connect with a new client on LinkedIn? Can you email prospects with a highlight reel of your latest Fox Business appearances? By staying up to date and in front of current regulations, you can keep your PR efforts on track and avoid making any compliance related mistakes. Tidy up Twitter. Optimizing Twitter’s features is a good way to get in front of potential clients and stay relevant in the social sphere. To tidy up accounts, review your following/follower ratio and try to create a more even balance if the numbers are off, re-tweet relevant and trend-worthy topics, and engage with and start conversations with industry leaders and financial media. Now might also be a good time to determine if the platform still suits you — as a social tool, the platform can quickly become stale if you are not willing to dedicate time to Twitter and actively manage the account. Recognize alternative social tools. When people think social media they often think Facebook and Twitter. However, there are many more tools on the social terrain that can help boost business. Tools such as Hearsay Social and Spredfast are powerful instruments that increase audience engagement and brand affinity. For example, our client, Penn Mutual, embraced new technology, implementing Hearsay as a tool set for their advisors to share content daily with their clients. Update your game plan. For those with a current plan, spring cleaning marks a time to review what worked, and very simply, what didn’t. As discussed above, if you have let Twitter or Facebook go stale, it might be time to cut the social cord and look into other efforts. However, if you thrive using social tools or are interested in incorporating different tactics, consider next steps – hosting a blog, holding a Facebook competition that aligns closely with business objectives, identifying an underserved niche in your firm and reaching out to regional business groups to host seminars (say, a local Women’s Leadership Group), etc. When it comes to traditional media relations, work with your PR team to refine your business messages and settle on which ones are most meaningful for your firm to garner media coverage on.
The perception of your RIA and the company’s brand is imperative to future success, and the use of PR and marketing efforts can aid in getting your “story” out there to prospects. Taking the time to review these efforts once a year will keep a campaign in line and help the business to stay on track in maintaining and growing their image with prospect, current clients and industry peers.
