Six Reasons Social Marketing is at Risk

So, Facebook turned 10 this past February. Ten! That’s double digits, big boy age. Facebook can walk to the store to buy candy by itself now. Ten is a big milestone. For a lot less than 10 years, marketers have been working to figure out just how to use social to attract and retain customers. And, in all honesty, we’re getting better at it. But, even as we polish our skills in social marketing, we marketers need to realize that our approach and the current climate is putting social marketing at risk.

 

The audience is onto us

If we don’t start by admitting that the audience is aware of our motivations and that we are in fact subsidizing the social media platforms, we will continue to spiral downward. We must recognize that our fans are not dumb. They know when we are selling. People do not like to be sold to, unless you are Lego and then you can make millions on a long-form ad. (Well played, Lego!) That being said, it is ok to ask for the sale, just don’t do it ALL the time.

We’re still talking to them, not with them

We are still monolog driven. Despite response models and community managers, we are still talking at them. If we want to get the amplification we desire from social, we must start communicating with our fans. It isn’t a simple poll or question post. That doesn’t do it, we need to invite them in with our content. We need to create new ways for people to interact with the brand. Remember, a huge percentage of people on Facebook are lurkers.

We’re not connecting

Social media evokes emotions. The stories that generate the most interest are either emotionally powerful or really funny. We are not effectively doing either of these things. We do not make them laugh or emotionally connect with them because we are busy selling. Because we lack this resonance, they are not reading our content and skipping over us. And being ignored is a marketers worst nightmare. So, stop selling and start trying to find smart ways to infuse personality, emotion or humor into your brand. Key word there: “smart”. Make sure it fits the brand.

We’re not putting them first

Essentially, we are interrupting their cup of coffee. Chances are, your customer is taking a quick break with coffee catching up with her network. And there we are trying to sell her frozen entrees. When you are creating content and scheduling it, try to find ways to fit into her day at the right time with the right message. Study your segment and their behavior. When are they accessing social and what are they saying. What are they consuming at that time of day. Then schedule content that fits into their mindset.

We’re not listening broadly

Putting our fans first means we are going to need to listen to them. And there are plenty of brands out there that have very active listening and monitoring strategies. However, I would bet that those same brands are only listening to the branded and competitor conversations and not the market or industry conversations. And this is a huge miss. If you are only listening in for your brand, we miss out on at least 80% of the conversation that is driving customers to make decisions outside of your brand. Listening broadly fills this gap and builds better content strategies that net results.

We’re not measuring the ROI

If you are still talking about fan count and engagement, your budget is going to be in danger. The C-suite does not fund based on those metrics. We need to start talking about the sales or leads that are driven by social. If we lose the customers in the manner above and lose the support of the c-suite, we might very well be doomed.
On the bright side, we have all the tools we need to change the way we engage people on social and how we position our results to executives. It is time to build thoughtful strategies to build trust with our fans and the people who fund our efforts.
We can do it. But, it’s time to start.

It’s the beginning of the year and all over the web, you’ll see top 10 lists of this year’s hottest social media trends. Dig deeper and you’ll hear that 2014 will be the year that Google+ takes over, mobile apps will be everywhere, image-based sites such as Pinterest will continue to gain steam, and micro-videos a la Vine and Instagram will be tops. Heck, there’s even talk that people should be taking more selfies.
But that’s the general social media world. On Practically Speaking, I’d like to make my own recommendations, starting with the financial advisor’s social media platform of choice: LinkedIn.
If you’re not doing these five things on LinkedIn, you’re not leveraging this network the way you could be – and you may be missing a lot of opportunities:

1. Hiring:

If you’re in the fortunate position that you’re looking to expand your firm’s staffing in 2014, LinkedIn is a good place to start. You can post status updates letting people know that your firm is hiring, share your company’s job posting within relevant groups (locally-based or professionally-related), or even post the position (there is a cost associated with that). LinkedIn will then target ads towards qualified candidates. In addition, you can use the “Advanced Search” feature to look for people with work experience at certain companies, or with specific skills, such as “financial planning.” And that’s not all. Here’s a comprehensive list of other ways that you can use LinkedIn to hire your next employee.

2. Managing Business Cards:

If you don’t have the CardMunch app yet, download it now. Every time you collect a business card at a networking event, such as at the Chamber of Commerce, the golf course, or your kid’s school, you don’t have to manually enter all of that information into your CRM or Outlook (or worse yet, let it sit and collect dust on your desk). Just take a quick picture of the business card with your smartphone and the contact information will go right to your LinkedIn contacts for you to stay in touch. That means if you have one of those clunky business card scanners, you can kiss it goodbye. But wait – what if you like to keep your business cards so you can write little notes on them? Never fear. It’s time for my next tip.

3. Using LinkedIn Contacts:

Last year, LinkedIn added a beneficial new feature that allows you to add notes and set reminders to contact connections right within their LinkedIn profile. There’s a new tab for notes and reminders, and it even keeps track of your InMail conversations. It’s perfect solution for those scenarios where you’ve met someone and have their business card, but they’re not quite ready to make their way to your customer database / crm. You can learn more about this feature in this article.

4. Taking Advantage of LinkedIn Email Notifications:

Been noticing that LinkedIn has been sending you lots of email lately? It’s telling you to log in and interact with your network! Each day, visit the site and congratulate your connections on their work anniversaries, comment on articles that they’ve shared, or answer their questions. After all, Facebook is where people go to catch up with family and friends; LinkedIn is where people share professional development updates. Who better to respond than you?

5. Cultivating Referrals:

Looking for qualified referrals? Look no further than your top clients. If you’re targeting executives, business owners, and centers of influence such as attorneys, CPAs and bankers, look no further than your 2nd degree connections in LinkedIn. Prior to each client meeting, do a quick scan of your client’s profile (first – to see if anything about them has changed), and then of their connections. Who are they connected to that might be a good referral source for your practice, or who might be a potential wealth management client? Build this review into your process. You might even be able to delegate this research step to your another staff member. As for the delicate task of asking for the introduction, I’d suggest sending a LinkedIn message or a tasteful email ahead of time, asking about the individual in question to find out how your connection knows the person. In your upcoming review meeting, suggest that you, your client, and the person to whom you’d like to be introduced go to lunch, or a sporting event – something completely non-work-related. Begin with fostering the personal relationship with the prospect and let your client be your advocate for your services.

An easy place to start

This is the year to get real about social media. After all, most broker dealers at this point permit some level of social media usage (and LinkedIn is usually a pretty “safe” place to start, relatively speaking), and you most likely already have a LinkedIn profile – now it’s time to use that account to help solve some of your business needs.
After all, it’s really just a new way to do what you’ve always done: networking, networking, networking.
So, what do you think? Are you already using LinkedIn this way? How else are you using it?
Note: As always, if you are affiliated with a Broker Dealer, please check with your firm’s compliance department before initiating a social media program for professional use.
- See more at: http://financialsocialmedia.com/5-things-advisors-arent-doing-linkedin/#sthash.2CjK1Ko5.dpuf

It’s the beginning of the year and all over the web, you’ll see top 10 lists of this year’s hottest social media trends. Dig deeper and you’ll hear that 2014 will be the year that Google+ takes over, mobile apps will be everywhere, image-based sites such as Pinterest will continue to gain steam, and micro-videos a la Vine and Instagram will be tops. Heck, there’s even talk that people should be taking more selfies.
But that’s the general social media world. On Practically Speaking, I’d like to make my own recommendations, starting with the financial advisor’s social media platform of choice: LinkedIn.
If you’re not doing these five things on LinkedIn, you’re not leveraging this network the way you could be – and you may be missing a lot of opportunities:

1. Hiring:

If you’re in the fortunate position that you’re looking to expand your firm’s staffing in 2014, LinkedIn is a good place to start. You can post status updates letting people know that your firm is hiring, share your company’s job posting within relevant groups (locally-based or professionally-related), or even post the position (there is a cost associated with that). LinkedIn will then target ads towards qualified candidates. In addition, you can use the “Advanced Search” feature to look for people with work experience at certain companies, or with specific skills, such as “financial planning.” And that’s not all. Here’s a comprehensive list of other ways that you can use LinkedIn to hire your next employee.

2. Managing Business Cards:

If you don’t have the CardMunch app yet, download it now. Every time you collect a business card at a networking event, such as at the Chamber of Commerce, the golf course, or your kid’s school, you don’t have to manually enter all of that information into your CRM or Outlook (or worse yet, let it sit and collect dust on your desk). Just take a quick picture of the business card with your smartphone and the contact information will go right to your LinkedIn contacts for you to stay in touch. That means if you have one of those clunky business card scanners, you can kiss it goodbye. But wait – what if you like to keep your business cards so you can write little notes on them? Never fear. It’s time for my next tip.

3. Using LinkedIn Contacts:

Last year, LinkedIn added a beneficial new feature that allows you to add notes and set reminders to contact connections right within their LinkedIn profile. There’s a new tab for notes and reminders, and it even keeps track of your InMail conversations. It’s perfect solution for those scenarios where you’ve met someone and have their business card, but they’re not quite ready to make their way to your customer database / crm. You can learn more about this feature in this article.

4. Taking Advantage of LinkedIn Email Notifications:

Been noticing that LinkedIn has been sending you lots of email lately? It’s telling you to log in and interact with your network! Each day, visit the site and congratulate your connections on their work anniversaries, comment on articles that they’ve shared, or answer their questions. After all, Facebook is where people go to catch up with family and friends; LinkedIn is where people share professional development updates. Who better to respond than you?

5. Cultivating Referrals:

Looking for qualified referrals? Look no further than your top clients. If you’re targeting executives, business owners, and centers of influence such as attorneys, CPAs and bankers, look no further than your 2nd degree connections in LinkedIn. Prior to each client meeting, do a quick scan of your client’s profile (first – to see if anything about them has changed), and then of their connections. Who are they connected to that might be a good referral source for your practice, or who might be a potential wealth management client? Build this review into your process. You might even be able to delegate this research step to your another staff member. As for the delicate task of asking for the introduction, I’d suggest sending a LinkedIn message or a tasteful email ahead of time, asking about the individual in question to find out how your connection knows the person. In your upcoming review meeting, suggest that you, your client, and the person to whom you’d like to be introduced go to lunch, or a sporting event – something completely non-work-related. Begin with fostering the personal relationship with the prospect and let your client be your advocate for your services.

An easy place to start

This is the year to get real about social media. After all, most broker dealers at this point permit some level of social media usage (and LinkedIn is usually a pretty “safe” place to start, relatively speaking), and you most likely already have a LinkedIn profile – now it’s time to use that account to help solve some of your business needs.
After all, it’s really just a new way to do what you’ve always done: networking, networking, networking.
So, what do you think? Are you already using LinkedIn this way? How else are you using it?
Note: As always, if you are affiliated with a Broker Dealer, please check with your firm’s compliance department before initiating a social media program for professional use.
- See more at: http://financialsocialmedia.com/5-things-advisors-arent-doing-linkedin/#sthash.2CjK1Ko5.dpuf

It’s the beginning of the year and all over the web, you’ll see top 10 lists of this year’s hottest social media trends. Dig deeper and you’ll hear that 2014 will be the year that Google+ takes over, mobile apps will be everywhere, image-based sites such as Pinterest will continue to gain steam, and micro-videos a la Vine and Instagram will be tops. Heck, there’s even talk that people should be taking more selfies.
But that’s the general social media world. On Practically Speaking, I’d like to make my own recommendations, starting with the financial advisor’s social media platform of choice: LinkedIn.
If you’re not doing these five things on LinkedIn, you’re not leveraging this network the way you could be – and you may be missing a lot of opportunities:

1. Hiring:

If you’re in the fortunate position that you’re looking to expand your firm’s staffing in 2014, LinkedIn is a good place to start. You can post status updates letting people know that your firm is hiring, share your company’s job posting within relevant groups (locally-based or professionally-related), or even post the position (there is a cost associated with that). LinkedIn will then target ads towards qualified candidates. In addition, you can use the “Advanced Search” feature to look for people with work experience at certain companies, or with specific skills, such as “financial planning.” And that’s not all. Here’s a comprehensive list of other ways that you can use LinkedIn to hire your next employee.

2. Managing Business Cards:

If you don’t have the CardMunch app yet, download it now. Every time you collect a business card at a networking event, such as at the Chamber of Commerce, the golf course, or your kid’s school, you don’t have to manually enter all of that information into your CRM or Outlook (or worse yet, let it sit and collect dust on your desk). Just take a quick picture of the business card with your smartphone and the contact information will go right to your LinkedIn contacts for you to stay in touch. That means if you have one of those clunky business card scanners, you can kiss it goodbye. But wait – what if you like to keep your business cards so you can write little notes on them? Never fear. It’s time for my next tip.

3. Using LinkedIn Contacts:

Last year, LinkedIn added a beneficial new feature that allows you to add notes and set reminders to contact connections right within their LinkedIn profile. There’s a new tab for notes and reminders, and it even keeps track of your InMail conversations. It’s perfect solution for those scenarios where you’ve met someone and have their business card, but they’re not quite ready to make their way to your customer database / crm. You can learn more about this feature in this article.

4. Taking Advantage of LinkedIn Email Notifications:

Been noticing that LinkedIn has been sending you lots of email lately? It’s telling you to log in and interact with your network! Each day, visit the site and congratulate your connections on their work anniversaries, comment on articles that they’ve shared, or answer their questions. After all, Facebook is where people go to catch up with family and friends; LinkedIn is where people share professional development updates. Who better to respond than you?

5. Cultivating Referrals:

Looking for qualified referrals? Look no further than your top clients. If you’re targeting executives, business owners, and centers of influence such as attorneys, CPAs and bankers, look no further than your 2nd degree connections in LinkedIn. Prior to each client meeting, do a quick scan of your client’s profile (first – to see if anything about them has changed), and then of their connections. Who are they connected to that might be a good referral source for your practice, or who might be a potential wealth management client? Build this review into your process. You might even be able to delegate this research step to your another staff member. As for the delicate task of asking for the introduction, I’d suggest sending a LinkedIn message or a tasteful email ahead of time, asking about the individual in question to find out how your connection knows the person. In your upcoming review meeting, suggest that you, your client, and the person to whom you’d like to be introduced go to lunch, or a sporting event – something completely non-work-related. Begin with fostering the personal relationship with the prospect and let your client be your advocate for your services.

An easy place to start

This is the year to get real about social media. After all, most broker dealers at this point permit some level of social media usage (and LinkedIn is usually a pretty “safe” place to start, relatively speaking), and you most likely already have a LinkedIn profile – now it’s time to use that account to help solve some of your business needs.
After all, it’s really just a new way to do what you’ve always done: networking, networking, networking.
So, what do you think? Are you already using LinkedIn this way? How else are you using it?
Note: As always, if you are affiliated with a Broker Dealer, please check with your firm’s compliance department before initiating a social media program for professional use.
- See more at: http://financialsocialmedia.com/5-things-advisors-arent-doing-linkedin/#sthash.2CjK1Ko5.dpuf

It’s the beginning of the year and all over the web, you’ll see top 10 lists of this year’s hottest social media trends. Dig deeper and you’ll hear that 2014 will be the year that Google+ takes over, mobile apps will be everywhere, image-based sites such as Pinterest will continue to gain steam, and micro-videos a la Vine and Instagram will be tops. Heck, there’s even talk that people should be taking more selfies.
But that’s the general social media world. On Practically Speaking, I’d like to make my own recommendations, starting with the financial advisor’s social media platform of choice: LinkedIn.
If you’re not doing these five things on LinkedIn, you’re not leveraging this network the way you could be – and you may be missing a lot of opportunities:

1. Hiring:

If you’re in the fortunate position that you’re looking to expand your firm’s staffing in 2014, LinkedIn is a good place to start. You can post status updates letting people know that your firm is hiring, share your company’s job posting within relevant groups (locally-based or professionally-related), or even post the position (there is a cost associated with that). LinkedIn will then target ads towards qualified candidates. In addition, you can use the “Advanced Search” feature to look for people with work experience at certain companies, or with specific skills, such as “financial planning.” And that’s not all. Here’s a comprehensive list of other ways that you can use LinkedIn to hire your next employee.

2. Managing Business Cards:

If you don’t have the CardMunch app yet, download it now. Every time you collect a business card at a networking event, such as at the Chamber of Commerce, the golf course, or your kid’s school, you don’t have to manually enter all of that information into your CRM or Outlook (or worse yet, let it sit and collect dust on your desk). Just take a quick picture of the business card with your smartphone and the contact information will go right to your LinkedIn contacts for you to stay in touch. That means if you have one of those clunky business card scanners, you can kiss it goodbye. But wait – what if you like to keep your business cards so you can write little notes on them? Never fear. It’s time for my next tip.

3. Using LinkedIn Contacts:

Last year, LinkedIn added a beneficial new feature that allows you to add notes and set reminders to contact connections right within their LinkedIn profile. There’s a new tab for notes and reminders, and it even keeps track of your InMail conversations. It’s perfect solution for those scenarios where you’ve met someone and have their business card, but they’re not quite ready to make their way to your customer database / crm. You can learn more about this feature in this article.

4. Taking Advantage of LinkedIn Email Notifications:

Been noticing that LinkedIn has been sending you lots of email lately? It’s telling you to log in and interact with your network! Each day, visit the site and congratulate your connections on their work anniversaries, comment on articles that they’ve shared, or answer their questions. After all, Facebook is where people go to catch up with family and friends; LinkedIn is where people share professional development updates. Who better to respond than you?

5. Cultivating Referrals:

Looking for qualified referrals? Look no further than your top clients. If you’re targeting executives, business owners, and centers of influence such as attorneys, CPAs and bankers, look no further than your 2nd degree connections in LinkedIn. Prior to each client meeting, do a quick scan of your client’s profile (first – to see if anything about them has changed), and then of their connections. Who are they connected to that might be a good referral source for your practice, or who might be a potential wealth management client? Build this review into your process. You might even be able to delegate this research step to your another staff member. As for the delicate task of asking for the introduction, I’d suggest sending a LinkedIn message or a tasteful email ahead of time, asking about the individual in question to find out how your connection knows the person. In your upcoming review meeting, suggest that you, your client, and the person to whom you’d like to be introduced go to lunch, or a sporting event – something completely non-work-related. Begin with fostering the personal relationship with the prospect and let your client be your advocate for your services.

An easy place to start

This is the year to get real about social media. After all, most broker dealers at this point permit some level of social media usage (and LinkedIn is usually a pretty “safe” place to start, relatively speaking), and you most likely already have a LinkedIn profile – now it’s time to use that account to help solve some of your business needs.
After all, it’s really just a new way to do what you’ve always done: networking, networking, networking.
So, what do you think? Are you already using LinkedIn this way? How else are you using it?
Note: As always, if you are affiliated with a Broker Dealer, please check with your firm’s compliance department before initiating a social media program for professional use.
- See more at: http://financialsocialmedia.com/5-things-advisors-arent-doing-linkedin/#sthash.2CjK1Ko5.dpuf

It’s the beginning of the year and all over the web, you’ll see top 10 lists of this year’s hottest social media trends. Dig deeper and you’ll hear that 2014 will be the year that Google+ takes over, mobile apps will be everywhere, image-based sites such as Pinterest will continue to gain steam, and micro-videos a la Vine and Instagram will be tops. Heck, there’s even talk that people should be taking more selfies.
But that’s the general social media world. On Practically Speaking, I’d like to make my own recommendations, starting with the financial advisor’s social media platform of choice: LinkedIn.
If you’re not doing these five things on LinkedIn, you’re not leveraging this network the way you could be – and you may be missing a lot of opportunities:

1. Hiring:

If you’re in the fortunate position that you’re looking to expand your firm’s staffing in 2014, LinkedIn is a good place to start. You can post status updates letting people know that your firm is hiring, share your company’s job posting within relevant groups (locally-based or professionally-related), or even post the position (there is a cost associated with that). LinkedIn will then target ads towards qualified candidates. In addition, you can use the “Advanced Search” feature to look for people with work experience at certain companies, or with specific skills, such as “financial planning.” And that’s not all. Here’s a comprehensive list of other ways that you can use LinkedIn to hire your next employee.

2. Managing Business Cards:

If you don’t have the CardMunch app yet, download it now. Every time you collect a business card at a networking event, such as at the Chamber of Commerce, the golf course, or your kid’s school, you don’t have to manually enter all of that information into your CRM or Outlook (or worse yet, let it sit and collect dust on your desk). Just take a quick picture of the business card with your smartphone and the contact information will go right to your LinkedIn contacts for you to stay in touch. That means if you have one of those clunky business card scanners, you can kiss it goodbye. But wait – what if you like to keep your business cards so you can write little notes on them? Never fear. It’s time for my next tip.

3. Using LinkedIn Contacts:

Last year, LinkedIn added a beneficial new feature that allows you to add notes and set reminders to contact connections right within their LinkedIn profile. There’s a new tab for notes and reminders, and it even keeps track of your InMail conversations. It’s perfect solution for those scenarios where you’ve met someone and have their business card, but they’re not quite ready to make their way to your customer database / crm. You can learn more about this feature in this article.

4. Taking Advantage of LinkedIn Email Notifications:

Been noticing that LinkedIn has been sending you lots of email lately? It’s telling you to log in and interact with your network! Each day, visit the site and congratulate your connections on their work anniversaries, comment on articles that they’ve shared, or answer their questions. After all, Facebook is where people go to catch up with family and friends; LinkedIn is where people share professional development updates. Who better to respond than you?

5. Cultivating Referrals:

Looking for qualified referrals? Look no further than your top clients. If you’re targeting executives, business owners, and centers of influence such as attorneys, CPAs and bankers, look no further than your 2nd degree connections in LinkedIn. Prior to each client meeting, do a quick scan of your client’s profile (first – to see if anything about them has changed), and then of their connections. Who are they connected to that might be a good referral source for your practice, or who might be a potential wealth management client? Build this review into your process. You might even be able to delegate this research step to your another staff member. As for the delicate task of asking for the introduction, I’d suggest sending a LinkedIn message or a tasteful email ahead of time, asking about the individual in question to find out how your connection knows the person. In your upcoming review meeting, suggest that you, your client, and the person to whom you’d like to be introduced go to lunch, or a sporting event – something completely non-work-related. Begin with fostering the personal relationship with the prospect and let your client be your advocate for your services.

An easy place to start

This is the year to get real about social media. After all, most broker dealers at this point permit some level of social media usage (and LinkedIn is usually a pretty “safe” place to start, relatively speaking), and you most likely already have a LinkedIn profile – now it’s time to use that account to help solve some of your business needs.
After all, it’s really just a new way to do what you’ve always done: networking, networking, networking.
So, what do you think? Are you already using LinkedIn this way? How else are you using it?
Note: As always, if you are affiliated with a Broker Dealer, please check with your firm’s compliance department before initiating a social media program for professional use.
- See more at: http://financialsocialmedia.com/5-things-advisors-arent-doing-linkedin/#sthash.2CjK1Ko5.dpuf

It’s the beginning of the year and all over the web, you’ll see top 10 lists of this year’s hottest social media trends. Dig deeper and you’ll hear that 2014 will be the year that Google+ takes over, mobile apps will be everywhere, image-based sites such as Pinterest will continue to gain steam, and micro-videos a la Vine and Instagram will be tops. Heck, there’s even talk that people should be taking more selfies.
But that’s the general social media world. On Practically Speaking, I’d like to make my own recommendations, starting with the financial advisor’s social media platform of choice: LinkedIn.
If you’re not doing these five things on LinkedIn, you’re not leveraging this network the way you could be – and you may be missing a lot of opportunities:

1. Hiring:

If you’re in the fortunate position that you’re looking to expand your firm’s staffing in 2014, LinkedIn is a good place to start. You can post status updates letting people know that your firm is hiring, share your company’s job posting within relevant groups (locally-based or professionally-related), or even post the position (there is a cost associated with that). LinkedIn will then target ads towards qualified candidates. In addition, you can use the “Advanced Search” feature to look for people with work experience at certain companies, or with specific skills, such as “financial planning.” And that’s not all. Here’s a comprehensive list of other ways that you can use LinkedIn to hire your next employee.

2. Managing Business Cards:

If you don’t have the CardMunch app yet, download it now. Every time you collect a business card at a networking event, such as at the Chamber of Commerce, the golf course, or your kid’s school, you don’t have to manually enter all of that information into your CRM or Outlook (or worse yet, let it sit and collect dust on your desk). Just take a quick picture of the business card with your smartphone and the contact information will go right to your LinkedIn contacts for you to stay in touch. That means if you have one of those clunky business card scanners, you can kiss it goodbye. But wait – what if you like to keep your business cards so you can write little notes on them? Never fear. It’s time for my next tip.

3. Using LinkedIn Contacts:

Last year, LinkedIn added a beneficial new feature that allows you to add notes and set reminders to contact connections right within their LinkedIn profile. There’s a new tab for notes and reminders, and it even keeps track of your InMail conversations. It’s perfect solution for those scenarios where you’ve met someone and have their business card, but they’re not quite ready to make their way to your customer database / crm. You can learn more about this feature in this article.

4. Taking Advantage of LinkedIn Email Notifications:

Been noticing that LinkedIn has been sending you lots of email lately? It’s telling you to log in and interact with your network! Each day, visit the site and congratulate your connections on their work anniversaries, comment on articles that they’ve shared, or answer their questions. After all, Facebook is where people go to catch up with family and friends; LinkedIn is where people share professional development updates. Who better to respond than you?

5. Cultivating Referrals:

Looking for qualified referrals? Look no further than your top clients. If you’re targeting executives, business owners, and centers of influence such as attorneys, CPAs and bankers, look no further than your 2nd degree connections in LinkedIn. Prior to each client meeting, do a quick scan of your client’s profile (first – to see if anything about them has changed), and then of their connections. Who are they connected to that might be a good referral source for your practice, or who might be a potential wealth management client? Build this review into your process. You might even be able to delegate this research step to your another staff member. As for the delicate task of asking for the introduction, I’d suggest sending a LinkedIn message or a tasteful email ahead of time, asking about the individual in question to find out how your connection knows the person. In your upcoming review meeting, suggest that you, your client, and the person to whom you’d like to be introduced go to lunch, or a sporting event – something completely non-work-related. Begin with fostering the personal relationship with the prospect and let your client be your advocate for your services.

An easy place to start

This is the year to get real about social media. After all, most broker dealers at this point permit some level of social media usage (and LinkedIn is usually a pretty “safe” place to start, relatively speaking), and you most likely already have a LinkedIn profile – now it’s time to use that account to help solve some of your business needs.
After all, it’s really just a new way to do what you’ve always done: networking, networking, networking.
So, what do you think? Are you already using LinkedIn this way? How else are you using it?
Note: As always, if you are affiliated with a Broker Dealer, please check with your firm’s compliance department before initiating a social media program for professional use.
- See more at: http://financialsocialmedia.com/5-things-advisors-arent-doing-linkedin/#sthash.2CjK1Ko5.dpuf

It’s the beginning of the year and all over the web, you’ll see top 10 lists of this year’s hottest social media trends. Dig deeper and you’ll hear that 2014 will be the year that Google+ takes over, mobile apps will be everywhere, image-based sites such as Pinterest will continue to gain steam, and micro-videos a la Vine and Instagram will be tops. Heck, there’s even talk that people should be taking more selfies.
But that’s the general social media world. On Practically Speaking, I’d like to make my own recommendations, starting with the financial advisor’s social media platform of choice: LinkedIn.
If you’re not doing these five things on LinkedIn, you’re not leveraging this network the way you could be – and you may be missing a lot of opportunities:

1. Hiring:

If you’re in the fortunate position that you’re looking to expand your firm’s staffing in 2014, LinkedIn is a good place to start. You can post status updates letting people know that your firm is hiring, share your company’s job posting within relevant groups (locally-based or professionally-related), or even post the position (there is a cost associated with that). LinkedIn will then target ads towards qualified candidates. In addition, you can use the “Advanced Search” feature to look for people with work experience at certain companies, or with specific skills, such as “financial planning.” And that’s not all. Here’s a comprehensive list of other ways that you can use LinkedIn to hire your next employee.

2. Managing Business Cards:

If you don’t have the CardMunch app yet, download it now. Every time you collect a business card at a networking event, such as at the Chamber of Commerce, the golf course, or your kid’s school, you don’t have to manually enter all of that information into your CRM or Outlook (or worse yet, let it sit and collect dust on your desk). Just take a quick picture of the business card with your smartphone and the contact information will go right to your LinkedIn contacts for you to stay in touch. That means if you have one of those clunky business card scanners, you can kiss it goodbye. But wait – what if you like to keep your business cards so you can write little notes on them? Never fear. It’s time for my next tip.

3. Using LinkedIn Contacts:

Last year, LinkedIn added a beneficial new feature that allows you to add notes and set reminders to contact connections right within their LinkedIn profile. There’s a new tab for notes and reminders, and it even keeps track of your InMail conversations. It’s perfect solution for those scenarios where you’ve met someone and have their business card, but they’re not quite ready to make their way to your customer database / crm. You can learn more about this feature in this article.

4. Taking Advantage of LinkedIn Email Notifications:

Been noticing that LinkedIn has been sending you lots of email lately? It’s telling you to log in and interact with your network! Each day, visit the site and congratulate your connections on their work anniversaries, comment on articles that they’ve shared, or answer their questions. After all, Facebook is where people go to catch up with family and friends; LinkedIn is where people share professional development updates. Who better to respond than you?

5. Cultivating Referrals:

Looking for qualified referrals? Look no further than your top clients. If you’re targeting executives, business owners, and centers of influence such as attorneys, CPAs and bankers, look no further than your 2nd degree connections in LinkedIn. Prior to each client meeting, do a quick scan of your client’s profile (first – to see if anything about them has changed), and then of their connections. Who are they connected to that might be a good referral source for your practice, or who might be a potential wealth management client? Build this review into your process. You might even be able to delegate this research step to your another staff member. As for the delicate task of asking for the introduction, I’d suggest sending a LinkedIn message or a tasteful email ahead of time, asking about the individual in question to find out how your connection knows the person. In your upcoming review meeting, suggest that you, your client, and the person to whom you’d like to be introduced go to lunch, or a sporting event – something completely non-work-related. Begin with fostering the personal relationship with the prospect and let your client be your advocate for your services.

An easy place to start

This is the year to get real about social media. After all, most broker dealers at this point permit some level of social media usage (and LinkedIn is usually a pretty “safe” place to start, relatively speaking), and you most likely already have a LinkedIn profile – now it’s time to use that account to help solve some of your business needs.
After all, it’s really just a new way to do what you’ve always done: networking, networking, networking.
So, what do you think? Are you already using LinkedIn this way? How else are you using it?
Note: As always, if you are affiliated with a Broker Dealer, please check with your firm’s compliance department before initiating a social media program for professional use.
- See more at: http://financialsocialmedia.com/5-things-advisors-arent-doing-linkedin/#sthash.2CjK1Ko5.dpuf

26 Ways Social Media Marketers Use Smartphone Apps

Do you use your smartphone to carry out your social media marketing while you’re away from your desk?

Are you looking for apps to make you more productive?

Finding apps to help us perform our day-to-day tasks has become more important than ever.

In this post, I’ll give you 26 tips, an A-Z guide for using smartphone apps to boost your efficiency, no matter where you are.

#1: Access and Review Analytics

The convenience of accessing analytics wherever you are makes it easy to keep up with data-driven projects in real time.

The analytics apps I suggest show your important key performance indicators (KPIs), how users are finding your website, visitor paths and so much more.

Keep a watchful eye on analytics in real time.

Analytics Apps

iOS: Dashboard for Google Analytics, Analytiks–Your Google Analytics website stats turned into infographics

Android: Google Analytics, gAnalytics–Google Analytics

#2: Be Aware of Battery Usage

Where did the time go? Social media marketers find themselves online a lot.
And there’s nothing more frustrating than losing power when you need it most.
Here are some tips (and apps) that can help prolong your battery life:

• Turn off some default settings such as vibration and sound for typing.
• Turn off alerts for apps like Facebook and Twitter.
• Turn off location-based apps, or at least the geotracking features of those apps.
• Close any apps you aren’t using.

The apps below help by showing you how much battery life you have left and how much battery you’ll need to perform different functions (e.g., phone time, Internet, video, audio).

Running out of battery power is still the number-one annoyance for smartphone owners.

Battery Apps

iOS: Battery Pro, Battery HD

Android: Battery Doctor (Battery Saver), Easy Battery Saver

#3: Create, Edit and Share Photos

Photos are some of the most compelling content out there, and a great picture opportunity can happen any time.
Make these shareable moments stand out by applying some quick edits and filters via easy-to-use apps, then share them immediately.

Use photos to grab your community’s attention.

Photography Apps

iOS: Photo Editor by Aviary, Photo Editor

Android: Photo Editor by Aviary, Photo Editor

#4: Deliver Content With the Right Number of Words and Characters

It’s easy to lose track of how many words and characters we’ve been tapping out for our next tweet. Or whether we’ve exceeded the optimal number of characters for search engine optimization. Counter apps take the guesswork out of the equation and allow us to keep our focus on the message.

Keep track of the number of characters and words while composing messages.

 Counter Apps

iOS: MetaCounter, Count Words & Characters


Android: MetaCounter, Word Counter

#5: Experience New Reading Materials

It’s easier than ever to keep up with books on social media (and other nonfiction topics along with great fiction) by using smartphone apps. And while eBook prices are lower than their print counterparts, you can save even more money by borrowing eBooks and audiobooks from participating libraries.

Check out the book apps below and while you’re at it, visit your local library in person or online and find out about borrowing eBooks and audiobooks with OverDrive Media Console on iOS and Android.

Read a good book lately?

Book/Audio Apps

iOS: Kindle, NOOK, Audiobooks from Audible


Android: Kindle, NOOK, Audiobooks from Audible

#6: Find How-To Videos Your Followers Might Enjoy

Social media users value how-to videos and when you’re on the go, stopping to search for relevant clips can be somewhat cumbersome. An app that filters videos from across the web and lets you share them on the spot will be a valuable addition to your social media toolbox.

Share helpful how-to videos with your followers.

Video Locator Apps

iOS: How To Videos: Videojug.com, HowTo Videos for WhatsApp


Android: How To Videos: Videojug.com, How To Videos from Howcast.com

#7: Gather With Friends in Meetups

Meetups exemplify social networking by helping marketers create, promote and participate in gatherings in our local communities. A meetup app will make it easy to find events by location, interest and date.

You’ve got people to meet and places to go.

Meetup Apps

iOS: Meetup, Here & Now


Android: Meetup, Meetup Manager for Organizers

#8: Hang Out on Your Preferred Social Networking Platforms

If you want to view and manage several of your social accounts at once, you could use the official apps for each platform. But that means you have to check at least three different apps. You don’t have time for that.

Instead use one of these social media management apps to keep tabs on most of your social efforts in one place. You can even manage multiple profiles.

Use apps to manage multiple profiles.

Social Media Management Apps

iOS: HootSuite for Twitter & Facebook, Everypost for Twitter, Facebook & Google+


Android: HootSuite (Twitter & Facebook), Seesmic (Facebook & Twitter)

#9: Incorporate Thoughts and Quotes Into Your Images

I talked about the importance of visual content in #3. If you want to take your pictures a step further, you can personalize them with quotes or company messaging.

Combining eye-catching images with meaningful text is a big boost for social engagement.

Using the written word plus visual content helps grab attention.

Image-Styling Apps

iOS: Tweegram, Text on Photo Square


Android: Tweegram, InstaText

#10: Jot Down Memorable Quotes

What happens to those great tidbits we read and hear? Not much if you can’t remember them later.
Capturing, storing, and tagging quotes that are relevant to your business ensures they’re readily accessible when you’re looking for them. Plus you can copy and paste your quote from one app to another.

Capture quotes that resonate with you.

Notes Apps

iOS: Quotebook, Evernote


Android: Quotebook, Evernote

#11: Keep Up With News

As a social media marketer, you depend on online magazines and blogs. Staying on top of the latest news and trends and sharing the information helps build your influence and reputation in your field. 

These news apps ensure you never miss another breaking story.

Keep up with blogs and news sites on the fly.

News Reader Apps 

iOS: Feedly Reader, TidBITS News

Android: Feedly, gReader

#12: Listen to Your Favorite Podcasts

It’s easy for social media marketers to feel like we’re working in silos, but with podcasts, we can be part of a vibrant community.

Podcasts are a convenient way to stay in the know, whether you’re driving, sitting at your desk or taking a break in a neighborhood cafe.

Smartphones come with their own podcast apps, but here are few more you can check out.

Listen to your favorite podcasts anywhere.

Podcast Apps

iOS: TuneIn Radio, Stitcher Radio for Podcasts


Android: iPP Podcast Player, Podcast Addict

#13: Monitor Brand Mentions

Timely responses to brand mentions make or break a brand’s reputation. Don’t miss a customer service issue just because you’re not at your desk.

Julie Neidlinger gives five reasons why brands need to monitor mentions:

• Find out where you’re doing a good job
• Discover where you need to improve
• Understand who your audience is
• Listen to what your customers need or want
• Figure out where you need immediate customer service

Avoid social media debacles waiting to happen by using apps that help you monitor mentions of your company and personnel. Say thank you or apologize when it matters most—in the moment.

Avoid social media debacles waiting to happen—monitor brand mentions.

Brand Monitoring Apps

iOS: mention, Buzzcapture


Android: mention, Mentions

#14: Notify With Your Own Broadcast Channels

Nowadays everyone can broadcast news by curating topics of interest to your audience and then pushing them out as a channel update. For example, you can create your own broadcast channel; select a name for it (e.g., Social Media In-the-Know); add a headline, photo and text; and wham, you can create your own broadcast news.

Some apps make it possible to promote your channel—for example, you can tweet “Get broadcasts on your phone from ‘Social Media In-the-Know’”—and include a shortened URL link,
https://app.net/c/2b3p.

Broadcast news that matters to your followers.

Broadcast Apps

iOS: App.net, Netbot for App.net


Android: App.net, Tweet Lanes

#15: Organize Your Social Media To-Do List

To-Do: Come up with an idea for a new blog post, reach out to new followers on Twitter, check brand mentions, find new images. Sound familiar? If your social media to-do list feels like it’s growing exponentially, a reliable organizing app may be exactly what you need.


Lists are a great way to manage projects and workloads, but you don’t always have them with you when you’re away from your desk.

What you need is an app that will keep your list at your fingertips and help you tame the beast. These apps should do the trick. And checking off each item as you complete it feels so good!

Manage social media projects and workloads with organizing apps.

List Apps

iOS: WorkFlowy, Wunderlist


Android: WorkFlowy Agent, Wunderlist

#16: Pay or Request Money

If you need to pay invoices or request and receive payment for products and services, apps can make that easier for both parties.

Depending on the app, you can send payment, take checks, track cash sales, send invoices and plug in mobile card readers to swipe cards. Receipts can be emailed or texted to your customers.

Bill and accept service payments on the go.

Payment Apps

iOS: PayPal, Invoice2go Plus, Square Register


Android: PayPal, GetPaid:Freelancer, Square Register

#17: Qualify and Track Leads

These days it’s smartphone or bust—nobody remembers the Rolodex.

Mobile apps are making it so much easier to gather lead information. For example, if you’re an exhibitor at a conference, don’t gather cards in a fishbowl to sift through later. Instead, use an app to quickly enter attendee badge numbers or scan badge QR codes.

If you’re not a vendor, you can still use these apps to capture the same information from people you’re networking with. When you get back to the office, it’s much easier to keep track of your leads.

Store leads right in your phone to make the most of your networking experiences.

Lead Tracking Apps

iOS: iLeads, LeadSuccess Mobile


Android: iLeads, Androlead Lead Retrieval

#18: Report on Group Projects

Project success relies on buy-in from stakeholders, consistent communication and updates. It’s critical that everyone is on the same page and accountable for their roles.

Group project apps can help keep communication open, address problems (with solutions) as they arise, keep workflow on schedule and manage deadlines.

Make sure your project team is on the same page with mobile organization apps.

Project Organization Apps

 iOS: Trello, Hojoki Project Management


Android: Trello, BusyFlow

#19: Stay Connected on Free Wi-Fi

Needless to say, conducting business on the go digs into your cellular data plan. Finding places where you can access free Wi-Fi is a necessity, not a “nice to have.”

You may know the free Wi-Fi options in your city, but when you travel it may be tricky.
Instead of wandering around hoping for a connection, save time by using an app that helps you find free Wi-Fi close to you.

As you use public Wi-Fi, remember to protect your private information.

Find free Wi-Fi locations close to you.

Wi-Fi Finder Apps

iOS: Wi-Fi Finder, Free WiFi Map


Android: WiFi Finder, WiFi map

#20: Take Links on the Go

Remember that link you shortened and shared on one of your social networking profiles yesterday, last week or even a few months ago?

Links can have a life of their own and with a link app, you can check in and see the status of a link. You can even give it a little boost by sharing again on Twitter, email or via a text message right from the app.

Taking your links with you on the go will help you remember to revisit and continue to share valuable content.

Keep track of shortened links.

Link Apps

iOS: bitly


Android: Bitly Shortener, URL Shortener

#21: Use Your Pinterest Feed to Discover and Pin Content

Finding relevant images to pin and repin to your Pinterest page can be fun and is easily achieved with a good smartphone app.

Apps provide various options like uploading from your camera, editing photos with effects and custom drawing. Pinterest apps make your Pinterest page more dynamic and in the moment.

Pinning apps help social media marketers create engaging pinboards.

Pinterest Apps 

iOS: PinUploader for Pinterest, vFlow for Pinterest


Android: PinHog for Pinterest, Faster Pinterest Mobile

#22: View Vine Clips

Some days, even after your morning coffee, you need to jumpstart your creative momentum. Looking at what others have created can provide grist for the mill.

Since Vine clips are short, you won’t feel guilty about spending a few minutes finding new ideas for your own short, shareable video clips or other content.

Learn from the best Vine clips.

Vine “Best Of” Apps

iOS: Best Vines Free, The Best Vines


Android: Best Vines, The Best of Vine

#23: Wow Followers With TV Content

The programs you watch on TV can say a lot about you. “Show, don’t tell,” is another way to look at these TV apps that allow you to post what you’re watching. Some apps also make it possible to clip a significant moment and share it with your followers.

Add TV to your content marketing strategy.

Media apps make TV part of your content strategy.

Media Apps

iOS: Tunerfish – Social TV and Movies, ConnecTV


Android: Tunerfish – Social TV, SocialTVs  – Live Social TV

#24: e(X)ecute Blog Posts

Mobile blogging apps may be the most useful of all.

If you’re traveling and you forgot to schedule or publish a post, you’ll be right on time with a blogging app.

If you’re catching up on your news (#11) and see an update your readers will appreciate, you can blog it right there. No laptop needed.

Remember all of those great ideas you recorded in numbers 6, 10, 11 and 14? You can blog those right now on your phone.

Keep your blog posts on schedule.

Blogging Apps

iOS: WordPress, Tinydesk: WordPress blog editor


Android: WordPress, Simplenote

#25: Yelp Comments and Reviews

Online reviews are highly influential on consumer purchase decisions.

Most businesses watch Facebook and Twitter for customer service opportunities, but there are other places your customers are talking about you. (This is a great time to consider #13, brand monitoring.)
Yelp may be one of the most forgotten customer service opportunities. Yelp tends to have very honest feedback about services, especially negative experiences.

When you see a less-than-happy customer on Yelp, imagine how you could turn that around just by letting the poster know he or she has been heard by responding to their feedback.

Monitor what people are saying about your business with the Yelp app.

Ask reviewers how your business can be better next time.

Review Apps

iOS: Yelp, Dyce (note related food & drink app, not Yelp)


Android: Yelp, Yelp Share FacebookMessenger

#26: Zoom Into Videos

Customers love visual content, so it makes sense to engage with them using video in addition to your existing image content (see #3 and #9).

Smartphone video apps offer flexibility and convenience to capture video no matter where you are—in the office or out in the field.

Create and share short videos wherever, whenever.

Video Apps

iOS: Viddy, InstaVideoFrame


Android: Viddy, Video Maker Pro Free

Over to You

There’s no lack of smartphone apps—there’s one for everything you need. You’ve undoubtedly found and used different apps than those I listed here.

What do you think? Which of these apps will make your life easier? Tell us what apps you use in the comments below. I know our readers would love to know, and so would we!