By Ben Kulis, Simplicity Lone Beacon’s Operations Manager
In the digital age, having a professional online presence is essential for any business leader, especially for Advisors. LinkedIn, the professional’s social network, offers unparalleled opportunities for advisors to network, build their company’s brand, and stay up to date with the latest industry trends. Having spent many years building personal brands for the C-suite, sports athletes, and radio personalities, these are just a few of the tactics I have employed to grow active and engaged audiences on LinkedIn.
Personal Branding: It Begins with the Profile
Your LinkedIn profile is a digital reflection of your professional life. As an advisor, ensuring it’s complete and compelling is crucial.
- Headshot: Use a high-quality, professional headshot. First impressions count, and your photo is often the first thing people see.
- Go beyond your title: Instead of “Advisor at XYZ Company,” consider “Advisor at XYZ | Transforming Financial Landscapes | Forbes 40 Under 40.”
- Summary: This is your elevator pitch. Use this space to share your vision, accomplishments, and the ethos you bring to your role.
Be Active: Post, Share, and Engage
LinkedIn has evolved from a mere resume repository to a thriving content platform.
Establish yourself as a thought leader by sharing insights about industry trends and company successes through videos, shared posts, and original content. Don’t forget, this is your personal business brand, so save the memes and family photos for the other platforms.
Engaging with posts by reacting, commenting on, or sharing is equally important and helps increase your visibility and develop new relationships.
Your personal profile should exude leadership, but remember to amplify your company’s LinkedIn page.
It’s All About Who You Know
Networking is a core feature of LinkedIn, and Advisors should connect with:
- Industry peers for collaboration or best-practice sharing.
- Thought leaders and influencers for insights and partnerships.
- Employees to foster a sense of unity and transparency.
Remember, quality trumps quantity. It’s about building meaningful connections, not just amassing them.
Leverage LinkedIn Articles
Long-form articles allow Advisors to delve deeper into topics. Whether discussing a new company initiative, sharing leadership philosophies, or dissecting industry trends, LinkedIn’s publishing platform positions Advisors as forward-thinking leaders.
Join & Participate in Groups
LinkedIn groups can be gold mines for Advisors as they provide spaces to:
- Gather insights from industry peers.
- Allow prospects to ask questions or seek advice in a confidential setting.
- Discover industry-specific news and updates.
- Reaching business owners. This is a high-net-worth prospect segment that has a specialized set of needs (succession planning, tax minimization, estate planning, etc.), which could be uniquely addressed by you.
Recommendations & Endorsements
Endorsements for skills and written recommendations add credibility to your profile. However, it’s a two-way street. Be sure to actively endorse and recommend peers, team members, and others in your network while politely soliciting recommendations from colleagues and associates. Authentic testimonials can significantly enhance your profile’s trustworthiness.
LinkedIn: A Key Marketing Tool for Financial Advisors
For Advisors, LinkedIn is more than a social network; it’s a dynamic platform to amplify leadership, build brand authority, generate new prospects, and cultivate meaningful professional relationships. By consistently implementing these strategies into your weekly routine, you can transform your LinkedIn profile from a static resume into a dynamic resource, ultimately leveraging it to achieve personal and organizational success.
About the Author: Ben joins the Simplicity Lone Beacon team, having most recently worked in the public relations sector developing marketing and PR campaigns for national brands within Science, Healthcare, Tech, and Professional Services. Before that, he spent over a decade in broadcast radio, creating integrated campaigns for clients and elevating brands. Ben began his marketing career working for the Kraft Group, leveraging the power of the Patriots brand through new media and the grassroots crowd-building efforts of the New England Revolution.
Outside of work, Ben is an active volunteer in youth sports and has served on the Games and Management Team for the MA Special Olympics for nearly 20 years. He lives in Woburn with his wife, Marie, and three children.
