By Stef Dolan on March 6, 2025April 4, 2025 In the fifth ALPINE call presented by the GVA Marketing Team Stef Dolan and Mike Burke discussed Social Media. While this topic is very broad the areas of focus included why financial advisors should use social media, compliance approved platforms, appropriate use (and what to avoid), ideas to grow your audience and reach, and more. Social media allows you to continuously engage with potential & current clients to efficiently, effectively communicate and promote top-of-mind brand awareness. A few metrics to consider: Facebook: 8 billion monthly users // Twitter: 192 million daily users US adults spend 4+ hours daily on their mobile devices (~20% of waking hours) YouTube: 83% millennials, 81% Gen Z, and 79% Gen X-ers visit regularly Facebook: 91% baby boomers, 88% millennials, and 83% Gen X-ers visit regularly 94% of financial advisors are using social media for business (*as of 2023) The takeaway here is that your clients, potential clients, and competition are all utilizing Social Media. Social media – no matter if you like it or not – is now a mainstream best practice for financial advisors. The good news is that implementing the platforms is free of charge – as is metrics that each platform provides – so if you are willing to create the content the initial cost barrier is none. That said the feedback we receive is that many advisors do not have the time to create the content and as such hiring a marketing firm, or marketing associate, to create content for you is where costs will apply. The approved social media platforms for both Hybrid and RIA-only advisors are LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Each platform serves different purposes, and targets different demographics, so it is important you are aware of what you are trying to accomplish and who you are trying to reach before integrating social media into your firm’s marketing plan. Remaining compliant on your social media accounts is paramount. For Hybrid advisors this means completing LPL’s training course and installing Social Patrol; and for RIA-only advisors the SMARSH Archiving Tool must be implemented. Not only do these tools ensure compliance with industry standards, but they also protect you and your brand from spam and offensive content. And while this list is not complete, a few other important reminders, Moving all business-related communication from a social media page or messaging tool to an approved medium or platform, for example telephone or email. If a complaint is received via Social Media, regardless of its merit or validity, it must be immediately disclosed—RIA-only advisors to GVA’s Compliance Team via SalesForce and Hybrid advisors to LPL’s Legal Department. The information included on your business profile – including addresses, website, education, designations, honors, awards, etc. – must all be pre-approved. Appropriate security and advisory disclosures must be listed. Avoid using images of exaggerated wealth or performance. Blogs and videos require preapproval before posting. Client Testimonials or endorsements are prohibited. Promoting your Social Media pages and presence should be considered in all aspects of your marketing plan. Some ideas are to include linked social media buttons in your email signature, on your website, and in your email marketing campaigns. If you have a print campaign, consider adding links to your social profiles, or if you’re presenting at or hosting an event then be sure to mention your accounts – and ask for a follow! Growing your social media followers does take time, but with a well-rounded approach, and valuable content, it will happen. Each new follower you get increases your potential reach exponentially. Be patient and consistent. Consistency in language, content type, and frequency matters. We recommend creating a content calendar and making sure that the content you are releasing is well balanced and timed. We encourage you to ask for help or assign tasks from other team members, so everyone is involved – also then the heavy listing doesn’t fall on one person. Asking others for content could be as simple as sending a photo from a client event or financial services industry event they attended. Also be sure to celebrate and share personal accomplishments – anything from a new designation to a new baby! Including a photo typically increases interactions. While the algorithms on platforms are all different – and a bit mysterious – what holds true across the board is that consistent, frequent posting is important for rankings. Again, if consistent posting seems daunting, seek out support! When posts receive engagement, which in turn expands reach and impressions, then be sure to interact with those engagements. For example, like and respond to comments, answer questions – and let you and/or your firm’s personality come through! There are tools available to support your social media efforts including stock royalty-free images (i.e. iStockPhoto, Pexels, etc) and scheduling tools (i.e. HootSuite), you can also utilize hashtags which group similar posts together and give content a greater opportunity of being discovered by someone interested in that topic (i.e. #retirementplanning, #estateplanning). Additionally, GVA Advisors that utilize our Asset Management program have access to Economic & Market Reports (weekly) and Market Insight videos (bi-weekly) that can be used for social media and SEO. Helpful Social Media Links: How to Add Social Media buttons to Email Signature Getting Started with Social Patrol Social Patrol FAQ Social Media User Guide LinkedIn Social Media Guidelines LinkedIn Company Page Guidelines Facebook Social Media Guidelines Twitter Social Media Guidelines YouTube Social Media Guidelines Investment Advice offered through Great Valley Advisor Group, a Registered Investment Advisor and separate entity from LPL Financial. Compliance Review # – 706069