Financial advisors have always marketed themselves through social networking opportunities. So as the public’s use of social media sites like Facebook has exploded, it’s no wonder that so many advisors have discovered that Facebook provides inexpensive yet highly valuable marketing opportunities. If you’re like many advisors, you may already be growing your practice on Facebook.
But the social media giant has experienced some growing pains, and users often complain that their news feeds are cluttered with too much information. In response, Facebook has revamped their news feed algorithm, seriously restricting the number of people who see each of your posts. This can be bad news for the advisor who continues to post in the same old way.
As Facebook evolves, it’s important to evolve your own social media strategy, so that your posts continue reach your intended audience. Facebook marketing is still just as rewarding as ever, but if you’ve noticed less engagement with your posts lately, try some of the following four methods to increase your views, likes, and shares.
Increase posting frequency. This might seem like an obvious strategy, but it’s also effective! Since fewer people are seeing your posts now, it makes sense to post more often. But how will you know whether the same people are seeing your posts over and over – and getting annoyed – or your posts are reaching different people each time? Keep an eye on the Facebook Insights part of your page, which will give you valuable feedback on the reach and feedback you receive from your posts. Gradually increase your posting frequency, and check these stats to see if your post engagement grows.
Try targeted posts. Due to the new algorithm, all of the people who have “liked” your page won’t be receiving your updates in their news feeds. Luckily, Facebook allows you to target your posts in the same way you would create a targeted ad. Use this feature to select an audience for each post, so that your content will be displayed to your followers who value it the most.
For example, if you post a link to a blog about retirement planning for women, target this post toward women among your followers. If you post a blog about estate planning, target the over-50 crowd, and so on. Just ask yourself, “who would be most interested in this information?”
Try a creative approach. If you understand how Facebook chooses posts to display in each user’s news feed, you can use this information to your own advantage!
For example, check out the “trending topics” section in the top right-hand corner of your home page. Click on a trending topic, and you will be shown a list of posts that contain keywords related to that topic. This is exactly what happens when members of your audience click on these stories.
Take advantage of this knowledge by incorporating trending topics into your own posts. If you’re creative, you can incorporate news topics, celebrity names, sports teams and more into your updates. This is a great way to increase your post reach without any additional work or expense.
Grab attention with videos. You probably wouldn’t be surprised to hear that posts containing pictures catch the eye better than text-only updates. But with Facebook’s new auto-play feature in the news feed, you can go a step further.
Create a brief, informative video on a topic of interest to your audience. Perhaps you could introduce yourself, talk about your investment philosophy, or share financial tips. Then, post the directly onto your wall (don’t just use the “share” button from Youtube).
When your followers scroll through their news feeds, your video will automatically begin playing. Talk about a great way to grab their attention and increase your audience engagement!