Be Found, Be Heard,Be Trusted

Building a Competitive Advantage through the Web and Social Media

www.humblefinancialservices.com

Warm Up – Show of HandsHow many chances do you have to make a good first

impression?Most likely your first impression will be on the web!Statistics – Who is ‘personally’ using social media? If you are not using social media - Is anyone in your

home using social media?Have you used the Yellow Pages in the last Month?Have You used Google Search in the last Week?You're on the web and so are your clients and prospects

Are You getting Your Share?In Australia, each month, there are:74,000 searches ‘Financial Planning’90,000 searches ‘How to Invest’301,000 – searches ‘Retirement How To’90,000 – ‘Life Insurance’

Source: Google Keyword Tool

The web combined with social media is the ‘go-to’ channel for personal services,

including the services of a financial planner

Marketing is Evolving

$$s not as Important –

reach available to

everyone and free (time)

How you plan and implement is now critical

The Game Changer - PULLOld Marketing – Push messages One way static messagesYellow Pages, local newspapersTell people what to do – Call Me Now!

New Marketing – Pull MessagesEngaging – two way messagingAttract people to ‘connect’ to you and your

businessShow - What you do and why you do it

To be known as a comedian, don’t tell people you’re a comedian, do funny jokes, they’ll soon

catch on

Stop Telling - Start Showing

Your Website = Your FoundationThe LookColours – Consistent on

all pages, easy on the eye, professional (Blue)

Fonts – Easy to read, consistent family of fonts

Very clear that it is a financial planning website – words and images

The FeelEasy to navigateLinks work – Broken

links are a killerNot confusing – Don’t

have too many bells, whistles and PDFs

Easy ‘call to action’Easy to connect –

Social Media, subscribe etc.

Mobile and Tablet FriendlyOver 50% of Aussies have a smartphoneTablets are very popularSearch enquiries via mobile devices is a

massive growth opportunitySharing of information via mobile devices

also growing at a rapid rateIn a nutshell, your website needs to look good

and work on mobile devices

Website – Content is KingHaving ‘Brochure on the web’ is dead – Your clients

and prospects don’t like it and neither does Google

Content needs to be:1. Current – Regularly updated2. Relative - To your business3. Authoritative – The local expert/Niche expert

Be Found - SEO RefresherSearch Engine Optimisation = Get found by

GoogleWhat does Google like?Good quality content – Current, relevant, authoritativeEasy for Google to understand your website – Titles,

headings, URL names, images with descriptionsAppropriate use of Keywords – Not keyword stuffingLinks to similar and well known websites – Don’t link

to websites for the sake of itTIP – Think like a robot that can only read very quickly

Exercise – Be a Google RobotSearch Inquiry - “Help with financial

planning Melbourne CBD”Where do you start as a Google robot?URL and Page Titles Headings for contentWebsite content – updated regularlyRelevant content – Plenty of content, good

use of keywords relevant to the inquiryAuthoritative – Linked to similar websites

Be Heard - Social MediaSocial media contentBlogging - Posting of articles to the web Includes -You Tube, Slideshare, images etc.

Social media distributionEmail – Still social, most people have an email

addressFacebook – Family and friends sharing newsLinked In – Social media for business peopleTwitter – Micro blogging, one to many and many to

one

Facts You Can’t Ignore10,945,950 Facebook users in AustraliaOver 50% of adults on FacebookBest guess – 75% of households have access

to a Facebook account – seen quoted >90%Twitter – 1.8 Million Linked In – 3 MillionGoogle Plus – 1.1 Million

Be Trusted92% - Trust a recommendation from a friend70% - Trust opinions posted online58% - Trust branded websites47% - Trust TV ads42% - Trust Radio ads40% - Trust TV product placements33% - Trust online banner Ads Test

*Nielsen Global Trust Survey April 2012

SoLoMo – Social Local MobileSocial is fast becoming Local thanks mostly to

MobileWhat people talk about re SoLoMoGoogle Maps, Checked In on FB, Four SquareLocal advertising linked to your locationRetailers giving away extras if you ‘check in’

on your mobile appNew technology will allow SMS messages as

you walk past a shop – ‘Come in an buy something’

Local/Niche -OpportunitiesWhat You should focus upon:If you want to known as the ‘local expert’ let

people know, better still get advocates to tell your story

Localise your blog – mention your address and surrounding area throughout your website

Tweet and support local news - add a hash-tag; eg A great day at #town-name today

Niche – Talk to your niche marketBe specific – depth of knowledge versus breadthMix with your niche via Linked In and Twitter

Distribution - CommunicationBasic Rules for all Social Media Platforms:It’s called ‘social’ for a reason –

Communicate, be socialDon’t ‘Push’ messages – Engage and add

valueDon’t bore your followers – “I’ve just checked

in to so and so cafe – again!”Share insights to your and your business –

Let people to get to know you -TrustThink of social media as ‘Casual Friday’

Blogging – Create Good Content

Tips for BloggingEasy to read – Informative but not technical

papersCase Studies -What you do, why you do itClient testimonials – How you helped them Quick tips and tactics – something for nothingCurrent hot topic – ‘How to retire comfortably

with low interest rates’Personal insights – You in the communityDon’t push for the saleDon’t ramble on

FacebookMassive! Approx 50% of Aussies have an account,

75% have accessThe average user has approx 200 friendsSpreading across all age groupsMostly used for communicating - family and

friendsBusinesses set up a page and collect Fans who

‘like’ the pageQuick math – for 1,000 clients:1,000 x 75% x 200 friends = 150,000 prospects

Facebook for BusinessCreate a page and build a fan base – Tell all

your clients, >50% of them will have a Facebook account

Post your blog posts – Click and drop, very easy

Post updates relevant to your market – eg articles you found of interest

Communicate – Respond to commentsNot convinced? – If one client likes or

comments on your FB page, on average 200 people will see your business on their FB account.

Twitter - Micro bloggingBecoming popular to stay in touch with

friends, work, news and ‘streams’ of information

Approx 2 million accounts in Australia – growing faster than Facebook but from a lower base

Ease of use, speed of messages, engage in numerous conversations, check the news, sport, TV programs – even be part of the program - #QANDA

You can follow anyone and anyone can follow you

One to many and many to one messaging

Twitter for BusinessBuild a following – Follow people in similar

businesses, in your profession and in your target market

Post regular tweets and engage in conversations – This will help you to build a following

Fast and easy way to get your messages out, including links back to your website

Let people to get to know you – share personal insights especially on weekends

Listen – A great resource what is going on in business, eg follow #smsf

Linked InSocial Media for business people3 million users in Australia‘Résumé’ on the web!Post messages, like and comment (similar to

FB)Groups with similar interests becoming

popular, eg – Superannuation Australia > 2,000 members

Good for keeping track of staff movement in the industry

Linked In for BusinessKeep up to date with colleagues and business

interestsResearch, network and connect with your target

marketStart connecting with clients – your target

marketParticipate in groups where you can generate

opportunities – eg small business groupsStart a company page – post more info about your

businessA platform for hiring staff and reviewing prospects

Compliance - KISSAvoid being product specific – Keep that for the SOAKeep advice general – Don’t tweet ‘Buy BHP’Refer back to specific material – ‘Why we believe

the share market is still a good investment – LINK’Refer to blogging tips – Keep is easy to read,

personalise you updates.Don’t get technical and don’t ramble onRules for Social Media - No different to rules that

apply for what you say and what you do outside of social media eg – what you might say at a BBQ

Bringing it all togetherIf you feel a little overwhelmed – don’t panic!

Social media is ‘Ready Made’ for financial planners.

“Personal skills to build rapport and engage prospects have always been the difference between success and failure as a financial

planner – The web and social media allow you to touch more opportunities than ever before”

Step by Step GuideDraft a strategic marketing plan – Core focus

being - know your target market and clearly articulate how you add value

Review your current tools – Start with a review of your website as this will be your foundation. Content will be the critical factor, not fancy colours

Agree on a course of action – Which social media platforms, staff appointed, training, articles for the web and a timeline to implementation

Make a start

Implementation1. Create content – make sure it can be easily

shared2. Email to all your clients – ‘what it is and why

important’3. Tweet carefully crafted messages. Use #tag if

appropriate eg #smsf 4. Post on Facebook with comments – what and why5. Post on Linked In and in Linked In groups that fit

your target market6. Monitor and respond to comments7. Have a bit of fun – show some personality

Implementing Social Media

Useful ToolsEvernote – Save just about anything in the

cloudGinger – Word and grammar assistantGoogle - Search Engine Optimisation guide. Google Analytics – Track your resultsHootsuite and Tweet Deck – SM Platforms Mailchimp – NewslettersStorify – Create stories and articles very

quicklyDropbox – Store files in the cloud – very

versatile

For all your Web and Social media needsContact and Connect

www.humblefinancialservices.com

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