Why Financial Advisors Must Have a LinkedIn Profile
Every financial professional needs a LinkedIn profile. This is not a “should have” — this is a “must have”. Why? What most financial advisors don’t know is that when someone types your name into a search engine, your LinkedIn profile will often rank higher than your own website!
Years ago, the financial industry was light years ahead of every other industry when it came to technology. My first job on Wall Street, in 1973, involved computerizing a division of an operations department.
Today, most financial firms are 15-18 years behind anything Internet-related. If you’re a financial advisor, there is a chance that you don’t have a website (yet), have a very generic website, or are not allowed to have a website. In this case, the only place that may substitute for a website is your LinkedIn profile.
Of course, before you add information to your LinkedIn profile, always speak to your compliance department, the compliance consultant you’ve hired, or your custodian.
Find out what you can and cannot post on your LinkedIn profile as a financial advisor online. Especially important is to add your phone number and/or email account.
(Boy, do I wish more financial firms would just get on board with basic social networking!)
Even if what you include in your profile is dictated to you, create one in order to save your name for a later date. One way or another, get an “approved” LinkedIn Profile up and running.
ADVISOR ACTION STEPS
- Find out what you’re allowed to do regarding LinkedIn. Ask if there are approved tools or templates available as guidelines to create your profile.
- Go to LinkedIn.com and register for a profile. You’ll own a profile page, even if it doesn’t contain much information yet.
- Go through each section of the profile and put your answers in a Word document. (I provide my clients with a template designed for this purpose.)
- Get a written or email approval from the appropriate authority.
BONUS TIP
Once you create a Personal Profile, if you are an advisor-owner, create a Company Profile. Start Your Company Page here: https://www.linkedin.com/company/add/show
If your marketing team is working on a new website for you, ask them to temporarily forward your new site’s URL to your LinkedIn Company Page. This way they can use your new URL in your marketing materials until the new website is ready and the new URL will go to a page about your company.
If you are part of an RIA, search for a Company Profile and follow the company.
(c) Elevating Your Business (Company page on LinkedIn is https://www.linkedin.com/company/elevating-your-business
Photo by Stuart Miles.
About The Author
An irrepressible entrepreneur, Maria Marsala sold AVON at age 14 and landed on Wall Street three years later. She became a bond trader when female executives were as rare as pink diamonds. For 25 years, Maria streamlined Fortune 500 companies, nurtured non-profits, and discovered her niche—mentoring women CEOs and executives. Armed with corporate secrets and life coach credentials, Maria founded Elevating Your Business to help female financial professionals live better using her proprietary brand of consultative-coaching. Contact Maria today and take the first step toward freedom, full-fillment, and a sparkling quality of life! Contact me now!
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