“Bob is a Leader” And Other Mistakes Financial Professionals Make on

LinkedIn ®

© 2014 Mindset Digital, LLC

Stand out from the crowd

What does your LinkedIn profile say about you?

Does it say you’re up to speed or out of touch?

Digitally savvy or old-school?

 

If you’re a financial professional, you likely got on

LinkedIn to enhance your reputation, deepen your

current relationships and, most important, drive

new business.

 

But if your LinkedIn profile is boring, half-finished

or careless (think misspelled words and bad

yearbook photos), you may actually be driving

business away.

  

So it’s worth spending a little time on your profile

to ensure potential clients can more easily find you

on LinkedIn—and once they do, that they really like

what they see.

 

First, let’s take a look at the top five ways financial

professionals get their LinkedIn profiles wrong. And

how you can get yours right.

18% �2010

26%�2011

32%�2012

40%�2013

LinkedIn use among �ultra high net worth individuals �

($5 - $25 million)

the buying power of the

average US consumer 2x�

THE LINKEDIN AUDIENCE �

2x�more likely to purchase and

recommend brands they

follow

$83,000�average household income

7 million�C-level executives

How to Create a Smart, Engaging Profile that Drives New Business (Instead of Driving It Away)

®

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NUMBER

1 Don’t use dull language to describe yourself. This is not the place to post a traditional corporate bio. No one will read it.

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2 Avoid describing yourself in the third person in your summary. You wouldn’t introduce yourself at a business event by saying, “Bob is a leader.” So don’t do it on your profile, either.

NUMBER

3 Don’t leave out critical keywords. They’re an important way for clients looking for someone with your skills and expertise to find you.

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4 Don’t skip sections of your profile. Completed profiles are 40 times more likely to attract attention and lead to new opportunities. (This doesn’t mean you need to tell us where and when you went to high school or about that summer job at FedEx. Just don’t overlook key jobs or details).

NUMBER

5 Don’t view LinkedIn as a “static” site that you update once and never visit again. After all, every time you skip telling a client, “congrats on your promotion,” you are missing an opportunity to stay top of mind.

FIVE LINKEDIN DON’TS*�

DON’T USE DULL LANGUAGE

DON’T USE THE THIRD PERSON

*Fine Print: You should carefully review your firm’s social media policy to make sure your posting and activities don’t break any rules.

DON’T LEAVE OUT KEYWORDS

DON’T SKIP DETAILS

DON’T STAY ON THE SIDELINES

Highly regulated financial firms spent years warning their advisors to avoid social media sites like LinkedIn. But now that more companies and competitors are reporting ROI from LinkedIn, those warnings have morphed into encouragement to leverage the channel in smart and savvy ways. But what does that mean? To find a good example of a savvy LinkedIn user, we turned to the top guy himself: LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner.  

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POWER PROFILE = POWERFUL PRESENCE�

  Of course, not only can you figure out a great deal about potential clients through LinkedIn. They can learn just as much about you. If Jeff was making a decision about whether to meet with you, your similarly impressive profile could help persuade him to say yes. Sharing the right kind of information will make it easier for clients to find you, and find the things and people they have in common with you. And that can make all the difference.

If Jeff was your client, a quick review of his profile would give you tremendous insights. You’d learn the basics, such as his degree in economics. And you’d also learn about his habits and core beliefs, including that he likes to ask very detailed questions in business meetings. (Reading his post even tells you he is committed to “random acts of kindness.”)

Creates a professional gallery using visual

content

Uses keywords such as “product development” and “strategy” – the kind

of skills people are likely to search for on LinkedIn

Shares his thought leadership through blog posts

Starts with a high-level summary of his

work and career

Includes friendly,

personable photo

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A good profile gives your clients a sense of not just what you do, but what you love about what you do. An even better one shows off your personality and uses a more casual, friendly tone or even a little (appropriate) humor.   Consider how these leaders describe themselves:  

•  Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates is a “voracious reader,” and an “avid traveler.”

•  Huffington Post President and Editor Arianna Huffington is a “sleep evangelist.”

•  Virgin Group Founder Richard Branson is a “tie-loathing adventurer and thrill seeker, who believes in turning ideas into reality.”

•  Nationwide Insurance CMO Matt Jauchius is an “infrequent and frightening golfer” and his colleague, Chuck Arida, Vice President of Content and Social Media, is inspired to “wow every day, on every cylinder.”

Keep in mind that casual does not mean careless. It’s important to be personable, not personal. LinkedIn is not Facebook. So as a financial professional, this isn’t the ideal space to share intimate details about your marriage (or divorce), your politics, religion or how passionately you feel about long, romantic walks with your partner or spouse. (And let’s just assume all of us are devoted to our families. It can go without saying).   Another key takeaway? Strong profiles must not only attract, but engage people’s attention – in a professional and friendly way. Anything less just won’t cut it.

Anytime someone reviews a LinkedIn profile, they are seeking answers.

Are you someone I’d want to work with?

Are you worth my time?

Can you help me?

BE PERSONABLE, NOT PERSONAL�

MAKE YOUR BEST CASE�

Can I trust you?

Should I meet with you?

Your LinkedIn profile is your chance to provide answers. It’s a microsite all about you. It’s at the heart of your online presence, likely one of the very first places people will go when looking for information about you. Today’s clients are different. They’re busier. More distracted. And more likely to connect with you on LinkedIn than over a cup of coffee. Isn’t it time you made sure your profile conveys exactly what you want it to?

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A few changes to your profile can make a world of difference. Check out these profile highlights from financial professionals:

Ron Carson Founder of Carson Wealth

Management Group and Peak Advisor Alliance

In his profile, Ron’s personable, informal language allows him to convey his firm’s vision and core values in an easy to understand way.   “I wanted to help my clients find purpose, direction and meaning,” he wrote in his summary. “Providing that moral compass is part of our mission.”

Brent Crouch Complex Business Development Manager / Financial Advisor at

Morgan Stanley Wealth Management

Brent captures attention from the start of his summary: “What does a Financial Advisor have in common with a Search and Rescue Swimmer, a Retail Banker and a Business Development Manager? In my case, the thread that connects my career with my previous jobs is a passion for helping people and teams succeed.”

Lazetta Rainey Braxton Partner on Your Financial Journey: Awareness. Wisdom. Courage. |

Certified Financial Planner | Financial Fountains CEO

Lazetta highlights recent articles she’s written and news stories that quote her. Better yet, she added these as visual links to create more interest in her profile:

Evan Levine Independent Financial Advisor and

Planner. 401k / 403b | Fiduciary | Retirement Income

As part of his summary, Evan includes a link to an introductory video:

Richard “Rick” Loek Investment Advisor Representative Onesta Wealth Management, LLC

Rick offers retirement planning videos on his profile page:

Brittney Castro Financial Planner and Founder & CEO of Financially Wise Women

Brittney offers an engaging summary that gives a clear focus for her business. She specializes "in working with busy professional and entrepreneurial women who are passionate about life and want to gain clarity around their money."

Background

BEING THERE ISN’T ENOUGH�

What other steps can you take to improve your standing and get noticed?

Find groups that focus on your profession, your professional interests and specialties. Share news and relevant information (emphasis on relevant – canned content may not get you far). Though, if required by your firm, be sure to get your content approved before posting. Promote your company by linking to its page and sharing or liking its posts. Use the same keywords your firm uses to promote itself in your own description of the company on your profile page. Carefully review your firm’s compliance policy to make sure your profile and posts stay within the boundaries set to meet federal rules and guidelines. Stay up to date on any future policy changes.

BEYOND THE BASICS�

""As LinkedIn has grown into a global professional network, expectations have changed. The bar is higher now. LinkedIn is not a resume site—it’s a networking site, designed to help professionals connect with others and advance their careers. That’s why smart professionals understand that the key to succeeding in a social network such as LinkedIn is making their profiles more, well, social. So optimizing your profile is just the first step. The more savvy advisors aren’t just focused on looking good, they’re focused on sharing good content. To get noticed, you also need to get engaged.

Who would you rather work with?

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How do you get all of this done, especially in your highly regulated

environment? How do you communicate these

best practices in an effective, easy to learn way to your team?

That’s where we come in. You can take our series of online courses, designed for financial advisors and financial professionals, in 15-minute sessions anytime, 24/7, from your laptop, tablet or smart phone.   Our courses are highly visual, fun and engaging. And you’ll walk away with much more than an optimized LinkedIn profile. You’ll have a deeper understanding of how to sell in a social world. To get a demo, enroll in a course or just learn about how Mindset Digital can get you up to speed on fully leveraging LinkedIn, Twitter and other digital platforms, visit www.mindsetdigital.com or email Spencer Hunt at Hunt@MindsetDigital.com.  

BETSY HUBBARD �

DEBRA JASPER, Ph.D. �

Debra Jasper, Ph.D, founder of Mindset Digital, is passionate about creating and delivering highly visual, engaging presentations and stories. She’s provided keynotes/consulting to more than 18,000 people from Utah to Ukraine—and as a 2012 national keynote speaker for KeyBank gave talks to thousands of business leaders in 17 cities across the country. Before starting Mindset Digital, Debra spent seven years as director of the Kiplinger Program in Public Affairs Journalism at Ohio State, where she launched the first social media fellowship for journalists in the nation—showing reporters from CNN, 60 Minutes, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times and other top newsrooms how to tell powerful stories on the latest channels.

Betsy Hubbard, founder of Mindset Digital, oversees product development and the design of the firm’s online courses. She and co-founder Debra Jasper also are passionate about creating and delivering highly visual, engaging presentations and stories—both online and in person.

A former award-winning investigative reporter, Debra also has a Ph.D. from Ohio State in Educational Policy and Leadership and two degrees in journalism. She wrote her dissertation on the art of powerful storytelling.

AUTHORS�

TAKE THE NEXT STEP �

Betsy has a master’s in public policy from the University of Minnesota and a bachelor’s in political science from Goucher College, with a year spent studying abroad at the London School of Economics.

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Betsy has a background in program design, research and grantmaking (giving away money is a really great job). As a consultant, Betsy conducted research on organizational leadership and performance for clients such as the Brookings Institution’s Nonprofit Effectiveness Project.

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