PERSPECTIVE: 5 Steps to Jump Start Your Social Networking Presence

If you’re an advisor new to the social media scene, take some time to jump start your networking presence!

 

Start with these five simple steps.

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1. Read and follow your organization’s policy on social networking

I am not an attorney, nor do I play one on TV.* So, I am not comfortable advising you on compliance-related specifics. What I do know is that many organizations have a social media policy. And it is critical that you comply with that policy. You may also wish to take a moment to review FINRA’s guidelines on social media.. (* Thanks to Mark Davis, CAPTRUST Financial Advisors for that quote. I use it all the time.)

  1. Pay attention to your profile

Start by making sure you only have one profile per platform. (Some people have half-finished profiles they started months or years before.) Then begin searching for people in your existing network. Review their profiles. You’ll find some great ideas about how others create their online profile. Consider what do you think makes sense for your online brand? Make sure you have a professional photo posted. And very important: have a colleague or a friend review your profile for readability, grammar and spelling. Be ready to refresh your profile with updates to keep it current.

  1. Connect with your face-to-face network

Build your networking by connecting with people you already know; link with your centers of influence: colleagues, current clients and community contacts. You may be surprised to find so many people you know are already online. The next time you attend a networking event, take those business cards back to your office and LinkIn with those folks as a way to follow up.

  1. Listen and learn

When I joined LinkedIn in 2004, I had no idea how to use the platform. I set up my profile and then just waited for invitations. I simply thought it was an online rolodex (which is actually a great use, by the way). Yet, over the past several years, I’ve learned a tremendous amount of online interaction by joining groups. My list includes groups focused on defined contribution, marketing, social networking and more. Consider which groups will keep your curiosity piqued and join them.

5. Experiment a little bit

The next time you are scheduled for an appointment or finalist presentation, spend some time on LinkedIn and do some research on the meeting attendees before you go. You may find that you have connections already in place. Or, you may find an interesting tidbit about the CFO – the school they attended, what books they’re reading, past work history, volunteer activity and more. In some cases, he or she may be researching you and your firm.  Guess that makes it even more important to have a presence in the social networking space!

The Hartford Launches Educational Campaign for High Net Worth Professionals

The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. is launching a new educational campaign to help financial advisers consult with doctors, lawyers, and other professionals on planning for retirement in the face of rising taxes, health care reform, and increasing business expenses.

The campaign, “Take Charge, Not Cover,” encourages professionals to take control of their financial destiny and provides financial advisers with a broad range of tools to help meet the special retirement planning needs of high-net-worth individuals, especially the owners of professional practices. The Hartford’s campaign educates advisers on the new financial challenges that professionals face as both individuals and owners of small businesses, and helps advisers understand what retirement savings strategies make the most sense for professionals.     

According to a news release, the campaign is supported by several resources: 

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  • Educational materials to explain the common concerns of professional practices, including the impact of new taxes associated with health care reform, outline potential solutions available from qualified retirement plans, and provide tips on how best to maximize professionals’ time in individual meetings; 
  • A special calculator that illustrates how alternate retirement plan designs can increase both the amount of personal retirement savings and tax savings; 
  • A search engine that helps financial advisers identify local professional practices that can benefit from new retirement plan designs; 
  • A nationwide network of 70 regional sales directors who specialize in consulting financial advisers about in corporate retirement plan strategies; and 
  • A nationwide network of Third Party Administrators with expertise in alternate retirement plan designs, including cash balance plans. 

 

The search engine, available through Larkspur and accessible through hartfordinvestor.com, helps financial advisers identify professional practices in their area that may benefit from alternate defined contribution plan designs, cash balance plans, or both.  Advisers can target professional practices that do not currently have an alternate plan design, as well as those that do and may benefit from a plan review.    

The directory also allows advisers to focus on specific types of professional practices or types of businesses.  There are no costs or requirements to have previously worked with The Hartford to take advantage of the system, the news release said.  

With the calculator, financial advisers can quickly demonstrate the impact an alternate retirement plan design can have on a professional firm and its owners.  Using various hypothetical annual contribution amounts on behalf of all employees, the calculator illustrates potential annual tax savings for the firm as well as the potential additional retirement savings for the business owner.  

More information is at http://www.thehartford.com.

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