Social networking strategies to stay in touch with your clients

The world is migrating to social media at breakneck speed. Facebook topped 750 million members worldwide recently, while the likes of LinkedIn (100 million users) and Twitter have gained in popularity too. Here’s how financial services companies can benef

In the previous article we defined social media as social interaction by means of technology. And we mentioned that more and more financial services companies are exploiting the benefits of social media.

We will now discuss how to implement a social media strategy using your website, blog, Facebook page and LinkedIn and Twitter accounts. The idea is to reach your clients where they are most comfortable – and each of these “tools” has a role to play.

First things first

Your strategy should start with your company website. The key focus of your social media strategy should be to drive traffic to your site. Think of it as socialising in the virtual world – you meet a potential suitor online – and invite them back to your place!

Your place (website) needs to be neat, uncluttered and interesting. It should download quickly and your potential client must be able to navigate the site with ease. Spice it up with interesting pictures and display your contact details clearly.

Once the website is up and running you need to encourage your visitors to enter into a longer term relationship. One of the ways to do this is to add a blog to your website. A blog (or web log) is an online diary (or commentary repository) through which you can post interesting and newsworthy articles to keep your visitors coming back for more.

Tracking your visitors

A visitor who signs up for your blog can be invited to leave contact details and become a fan. You can keep track of your visitors (fans) and invite them back to your website / blog at any time… And remember – fans have the potential to become clients.

There are a few things you should keep in mind when establishing your blog. The most important are to blog regularly (at least once a week) and to write in a casual and friendly style. This is the best way to make your business seem approachable.

Be brief and to the point, include interesting visuals, add a catchy title and invite and answer comments from visitors. Try to set your blog apart by establishing yourself as a subject matter expert… Frequent bloggers increase the traffic to their websites and perform better in search engine rankings.

Facebook for business

Now let’s take a look at Facebook. I would estimate around 60% to 80% of your clients are already on Facebook – and a Facebook presence immediately exposes you to thousands of potential clients. How do you do it?

Normal Facebook profiles are for individuals only and not available to businesses. This is why a business or a fan page, in addition to your personal profile page, is the way to go. Business pages are different to personal profile pages. You can list pertinent information about your business, promote brand awareness and link back to your website and blog.

Invite your friends, clients and potential clients to “like” your page. Keep your business page interesting by updating it regularly, discussing topical issues and sharing business events and pictures. Remember to tag people in photographs. People love looking at photos, especially their own.

Linking it all together

LinkedIn is considered the site of choice for business people and, according to US statistics, the fastest growing social networking site amongst financial advisers and planners. It is used by professionals to establish their brand and profile online, make business connections, network, hire and be hired, share ideas through a business group and obtain introductions and referrals.

You can start by creating your own LinkedIn profile. A good tip is to create a profile that will best match your purpose. For example, if your purpose is to connect with potential clients, write your profile in such a way so as to attract your ideal client, as opposed to listing your resume in order to find a new job.

The next step is to search for business connections and clients. If you find someone that you would like to be connected with, but do not know personally, ask a mutual connection to refer you. This is more polite and effective than contacting a stranger.

Instant news

And then there’s Twitter. Contrary to popular belief, Twitter is not only for the likes of Gareth Cliff and Paris Hilton. Even if you are not ready to tweet hourly or follow your favourite celebrity, consider following key industry people, media companies, business partners or even competitors. This way you can stay on top of what is happening in the industry and receive news bursts of 140 characters or less.

Once you are happy with your website, have added a blog, LinkedIn profile, Facebook business page and Twitter account, you need to synchronise your virtual activities and tie them together for maximum impact. Promote your blog posts on Facebook and Twitter, start a business discussion group on LinkedIn, tweet a link to your website or promote your virtual addresses in your company newsletter.

Social media is about marketing yourself through an incredible online network. You have to make time for social media because it’s one of the best ways to build your brand, find new clients and conduct more business. Try it – everybody’s doing it.