10 emails a day, six clients a month.
That's the results Sacha Millstone says a younger colleague achieved just by using LinkedIn strategically.
Millstone, a Raymond James financial advisor, says the practice involved sending messages to second-degree connections using the advanced search on LinkedIn.
Her colleague used a few words to tailor his search, using environment and social action for instance to target people under 45 years old. He would offer to screen their investments.
Millstone said that his response rate for those emails would be 15%, and 3% would even come in to meet him face-to-face. Her colleague found that every person whom he contacted that agreed to meet with him wanted to do financial planning, although only half of them were qualified.
At a panel discussion at the SIFMA Social Media conference, Millstone and other advisors shared such success stories and tips on digital door knocking.
“It’s a connector,” said William Green, a financial consultant at Hilliard Lyons, who suggested that advisors build their brand on social media platforms and through e-newsletters.
SOCIAL MEDIA HABIT
Doug Flynn uses Twitter to connect with his clients’ children. Flynn, a cofounder of Flynn Zito Capital Management and partner at LPL Financial, said advisors need to connect with millennials to ensure their practice has longevity.
Flynn also uses social media to connect with small business owners. In one instance, he connected with small business owners on Twitter that do payroll services for other businesses. He was able to develop business relationships as a firm for their clients.
The panelists agreed that having a social media habit has helped them stay connected with the important life events and milestones in their clients’ lives.
“What makes me successful is that people know I care about their whole family,” Millstone said. Millstone’s team would send gifts out to her clients’ children for their high school and college graduations.
Social media is a time-saver and relationship-builder, said Geri Eisenman Pell, an Ameriprise advisor.
Pell described a moment when she was combing through her Facebook page and found out that one of her clients was retiring without letting her know. She quickly notified her team and made calls out to that client the next day. Without social media, she may not have known this until their next financial meeting, which was months away.
The panelists agreed that one way to create staying power for yourself and your brand was to remain active on social media. “You’re not going to do it and then not do it,” Flynn said. When you make a commitment to get into social media, do it right, he said.
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