Online Communication Made Easier
The art of effective communication lies at the core of any successful relationship and is particularly true for financial advisers.
How well - or how poorly - an adviser communicates with clients will be a significant factor in deciding the success or otherwise of an adviser's business. By communication, I don't just mean talking face-to-face, selling, or even having an occasional chat on the phone.
But, following from the last item on setting up a website, communicating effectively with clients has been made so very much easier with the arrival of emails, the internet, and the various 'social media' platforms - LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, etc.
It's wholly understandable that, given the demographics of the adviser industry in NZ, there is a marked reluctance to adopt the new means of communication, but, make no mistake, consumers, clients, and prospects are using online media for finding out about everything that impacts their lives.
Discovering the necessary facts and figures around financial services products is no exception.
So financial advisers who wish to thrive - and not just survive - need to get in tune with consumers and develop an online presence. The aim is to make it easy for clients and potential clients to locate advice, guidance, and input from you as a professional financial adviser.
But where do you start?
There are a great many websites which will provide a tuition path from the very basics to the very sophisticated, and conducting some online research will give you an idea of what's available.
One of the most effective ways of communication, and one which should form a fundamental part of your online presence and strategy, is a blog or post. This is an opportunity to create an image for those consumers who don't know you from Adam, and also the ideal means of endorsing your profile with existing clients.
Writing a post or blog isn't the easiest tasks you'll ever undertake in your career, but experience built up over years overseas where social media marketing is more mature, can be of great assistance in getting started.
As suggested last time, Wordpress.com is an easy-to-use first step to set up a blog, but the real secret to successful communication is in the message you deliver, and how you frame the message to your readers.
There is one publication which I recommend as one of the best I've come across, and one of the easiest to read, understand, and apply. As an outstanding example of instructive and helpful assistance Viral Copy (click to download) contains some great hints, tips, and advice on how to make the right impression.
Have a look at this website - it's one of the best to browse through to gain a perspective on the concept of blogging and well worth a visit - http://www.copyblogger.com.
The basic item to remember is that you don't have to be a literary genius to write an effective blog and develop a professional online profile - but you do need to accept certain aspects of online communication.
- Like any successful initiative, you will need to invest time and effort to make your blog successful - it won't happen overnight, but ..........
- Taking a lead from more experienced communication practitioners only makes good common sense - in terms of methodology, why try to reinvent the wheel?
- Write for your readers and not to satisfy your pet hobby-horse which may be of huge interest to you, but which is likely to distract your clients from developing or confirming an image of you as a financial adviser.
Remember that the pen is mightier than the sword!!
Good reading - and until the next time - Slàinte mhath!
The Laird of Albany