The New Rules of Client Acquisition Part 2 – So, What Makes You So Special?As stated in Part 1,
The New Rules of Client Acquisition – The Game Has Changed: prospects want to know more about you, and what makes you more desirable than the other 300,000+ financial advisors out there.Now that you’ve created your value prop in Part 1, let’s communicate it in all the right places for the biggest impact!
Your Advisor Website
Having a website is necessary, but don’t just check the box. The key is to do it well and please optimize it for mobile! Too many advisors treat their sites as an online business card – you need to go further and bring to life the ways that you help clients and deliver value for your fees.
Best Practices for Advisor Websites*: Professional photo of you in business attire – along with team members, if you have one. Do NOT underestimate the importance of a professional photo. Your Value Prop – think like a prospect and ask yourself ‘Would I hire me?’ Your Credentials – be sure to spell them out, don’t assume people know that CFP® means Certified Financial Planner. List them all, it builds credibility! Your Contact Info – if you provide any additional services above and beyond the basics (phone, address, email), be sure to mention it (e.g., complementary portfolio review). Social Media Links – links to compliance-approved social sites: LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter.* Keep in mind regulations require all info must be current, complete, balanced, not misleading and reviewed annually by compliance.
Your LinkedIn Profile
With over 400M registered users, LinkedIn is the perfect platform to market your personal brand as it is the most popular and powerful networking site for business professionals. LinkedIn gives you the opportunity to differentiate yourself like never before, enabling prospects to feel more connected and comfortable with the idea of doing business with you. Ensure you have a fab picture and engaging summary (extremely important) as well as other key elements discussed below.
Your LinkedIn Profile Picture:
Before anyone reads a single word of your LinkedIn profile, they've already formed an opinion of you based on your picture – it can be the difference between someone clicking through to your profile, or not…Your profile photo is a key piece of professional brand, it should be business casual (guys: loose the jacket or the tie. Gals: wear a dress), warm, friendly and engaging.For all the details on winning profile pictures (including some Do’s & Don’ts), take a look at this
video and be sure to download the printable
Photo Cheat Sheet . Your LinkedIn Summary:
Your Summary section gives you 2,000 characters to differentiate yourself – to tell your story! Your summary should NOT be a carbon copy of your advisor website, but rather compliment it. Nor should it be written resume style. Your summary is your opportunity to humanize yourself and connect with individuals in a unique way online, it’s your hook.Want to build a persuasive and compelling profile with minimal effort? Check out this
vid eo and download the printable Your LinkedIn
Summary Cheat Sheet . Key Elements of LinkedIn:
Once your picture and summary are in place, be sure to fully optimize your profile by using the following
Key Elements Guide .Stay tuned for Part 3 when we’ll be getting touchy, feely!
