LinkedIn Best Practices for Financial Advisors: Freedom 55 Recap
Founded on strength and stability, Freedom 55 is a full financial security planning organization started by London Life more than 140 years ago. I had the privilege of speaking at their annual Professional Development Day to 100+ financial advisors from across the Lower Mainland.
The topic of the day was how to improve a personal LinkedIn profile to maximize reach and stand out on the platform.
BENEFITS OF LINKEDIN FOR FINANCIAL ADVISORS
Highlight your education, experience and team
A marketing tool to reach more potential clients
Build credibility, including showcasing and celebrating accomplishments with your network
Share relevant information to establish thought leadership
6 THINGS TO START DOING ON LINKEDIN
#1: PLAN your LinkedIn content strategy
Start by designing a strategy that gives a roadmap of when to post, how to engage and more! We polled the advisors in the room on what their biggest challenges with LinkedIn are and found:
#2: OPTIMIZE your LinkedIn profile
This includes completing the “About” and “Experience” sections with details and keywords, adding a professional profile photo, banner image and headline, as well as listing any honours, awards, degrees and certifications you’ve received.
#3: POST at key times
LinkedIn is a professional social network used by recruiters, salespeople and business people, which is why it’s often used during work hours. The best times to post on this platform are Tuesdays to Thursdays between 10 and 11 am, while weekends and after-work hours are the worst times.
Wondering how to craft the perfect optimized post? Reach out!
#4: ENGAGE with your connections
From likes and comments to tags and shares, online interactions can take many forms. Improve your LinkedIn presence by actively engaging with relevant industry people and content.
#5: REACH OUT to the right contacts
Contrary to popular belief, it’s not always all about the numbers. Your LinkedIn contacts should all be people you actually know. I challenge you to purge all the random first-degree connections, and connect with those who matter: colleagues, classmates, industry partners and clients with strong referral potential.
#6: RECOMMEND top talent in your network
Strengthen network connections by giving kudos to and leaving LinkedIn recommendations for teammates, suppliers, and other professionals who refer business to you.
BONUS TIP
Get in touch with me to receive another piece of expert advice for LinkedIn!
Ready to create a results-driven roadmap to leverage LinkedIn?
“Tara is extremely knowledgeable, engaging and a generous hearted speaker who strives to ensure that every attendee takes home a practical idea that they can instantly and easily implement into their practice. We are very appreciative of the time that we spent with her as she is a true difference maker.”
- Izumi Miki McGruer, Freedom 55 Financial
“Tara spoke at a recent professional development day event for financial professionals about how to maximize their Linked-in profiles. She did a fantastic job. Her talk was engaging, concise and she provided wonderful tips that could be implemented immediately. The attendees were very engaged and thought highly of her presentation skills. I highly recommend Tara for your next professional development event and her professional services.”
- Kelly Ho, Freedom 55 Financial