Digital Tools to Drive Business Growth
Objectives
• Deepen relationships, leverage business and
strategic connections-specifically Linkedin
• Client acquisition—Attract the types of
prospects to grow your business
• Ask for introductions to Drive Business
Growth
• Differentiate Yourself with Your System
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Leveraging LinkedIn to Grow
Your Business
• Your Profile Page Tells Your Brand Story
– First impression, write headline and professional
summary (focus, strategy, specialties, background)
– Include experience, skills, certifications,
accomplishments, interests and advice on how to
contact
– Link with firm and team website
– Include industry related keywords
– Keep your profile up to date
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Leveraging LinkedIn to Grow
Your Business
• Boost Search Engine Optimization within
the Power of Your Organization
– Create and leverage key words and phrases that
will put your page at the top of search results
– Advertise preapproved messaging
– Engage with your followers using status updates
and content sharing- pre approved
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Leveraging LinkedIn to Grow
Your Business
• Content is King
– Firm provides latest research and information.
– Demonstrate your expertise in financial services
– Post compliance approved reports regularly
(2 times per week is a good benchmark)
– LinkedIn will expand your reach
• Be diligent about sharing content the firm provides and
ask yourself: Would I read this and would I share with
my followers?
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Leveraging LinkedIn to Grow
Your Business
• Become Known as a Thought Leader
– Within the professional associations and groups you join
to share insights, engage with potential clients,
ambassadors
– Find group discussions and join the conversation in groups
that align with your expertise.
– Use the “Search Tab” and look for posts by topic that are
relevant.
– Join groups that are in your niche and those you focus on.
Ex. CPA's, Attorneys in your niche, a new target you are
building, alumni school and work, passion/hobby to meet
like minded professionals.
– Explore the groups of existing connections
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Advanced People Search
• Click “Advanced” button on right of LinkedIn Search
box to arrive at “Advanced People Search”
• In Keywords, type “in transition” or “new opportunity”,
or “college you attended”, or “charity”
• Enter zip code and proximity to meet with new client
• Relationship - click 2nd Connections (you are
connected and you have their email address)
• Click search - review the connections you receive.
Bottom line tells you number of connections in
common and you will see the first 3 shared connections
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Advanced People Search
•
•
Strategically analyze options to connect
The Introduction - you are connected and depending on your relationship,
either email or call them.
Dear Connection,
I noticed that you were connected to ____ on LinkedIn and that ___ is currently in between career
opportunities. As you may know I help people in transition take control of the few things in their
financial lives that they can control during these often turbulent times. I was wondering if you would
be open to talking to me about your relationship with ____and if it would be appropriate for you to
introduce the two of us. I would be happy to meet you for coffee or lunch or schedule a phone call at
your convenience.
If your relationship with ___is not such where you would be comfortable approaching her about this
topic, please feel free to say so and I totally understand. If there is ever anything I can do to help you
or your business, please reach out to me. I look forward to hearing from you.
•
After you develop this search- SAVE it. LinkedIn will email you every week
with the latest prospects that meet your criteria. Imagine potential 401 K
rollovers landing in your inbox. (With standard account, you can save 3
searches)
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Client Acquisition
Create Your Consistent System
1.
Continue to grow your online community.
•
Create a prospect list, click on profile and see first if you share a connection. If strong,
reach out to your connection for an introduction, or go direct and say you share a
contact.
•
Your clients are your most important connection on LinkedIn. You can view their
connections.
•
Before a client review, have a couple of introductions you would like. At end of
meeting, say, “I noticed a few people connected to you who look like the kind of
people I would enjoy working with. Based on our relationship, would you be
comfortable in facilitating an introduction?”
2.
Always write a personal note in the subject line when you send the evite and
when you are replying to an invitation. Hello from ________ ,
3.
Ask permission as you build the connection to be introduced to others and do the
same for them.
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Client Acquisition
4. When sending invitations to connect, always send a
personal message.
5. Connect with your first-degree network by importing
contacts from e-mail and other social networks.
6. Add previous colleagues and classmates.
7. Build second-degree connections by browsing the profiles
of your personal network and inviting people of interest.
Always find a way to ask for an introduction.
8. Build advanced connections by searching for professionals
with similar backgrounds. When you find someone who
might be interesting, invite them to connect, being sure to
personalize your message to them.
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Client Acquisition
9. LinkedIn will notify you when people in your network
change jobs or receive promotions. Use this
opportunity to congratulate them and offer a review of
their retirement plans.
10. Followers - opportunity to drip on birthday, mentioned
in an article, anything newsworthy (stay on their
radar)
11. Daily – “Who's viewed my profile?” With premium
package, you can see all information, perfect
opportunity to connect
12. Follow companies to keep up on what is happening
and to serve clients effectively
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10 Minutes a Day
• Review/accept your invitations to connect from
friends, family, clients and COIs
• Browse “People You May Know”
• Send personal notes to your new connections
• Review articles shared by your connections
• Ask for an introduction. Ask your referral, “Who on
this list should know about me and I should know
about them?”
• Pick 3 days each week and a time of day to devote10
minutes to LinkedIn.
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10 Minutes a Day
Create Your Process
Day 1
•
Update your LinkedIn status—key words for optimization. (pre approved)
•
Read top discussions from one group and comment on one that is relevant to you
Who has viewed you? (with Premium package), great lead source
•
Congratulate people. Updates provided by LinkedIn.
•
Answer a question in one of your groups.
Day 2
•
Visit another group discussion. Follow it so you can reply to comments via email
•
Take new contacts from business cards you received from meetings and connect
through LinkedIn.
Day 3
•
Conduct an advanced search, create a list to see who can provide an introduction.
•
Visit two of your groups and comment on discussions where others have started the
discussion.
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Build Your Online Community
• Invite people that you know to link in- clients,
centers of influence, business colleagues.
• Write a personal note in subject line and your
initiation
• Accept invitations from those people you know
and/or would like to know. Do your research by
viewing their profile.
• Ask permission as you build the connection to be
introduced to others and do the same for them.
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Takeaways
• Ask questions and answer them. Be a thought leader and a
credible expert.
–
–
–
–
Q&A platform organized by industry
Your activity is broadcasted to your network
Use the search to find answered questions in your industry
Establish yourself as a thought leader- you have up to date research
from the firm
– Gain visibility on your profile
– Show your knowledge to your network and be seen as a credible
authority
• Join groups in your client and potential client’s market that align
with your expertise
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Takeaways
• Keep up with the conversation—stay active
becoming a thought leader
• Create targeted searches through keyword,
industry, seniority, company size
• Join groups and build a community
• Add value and help your connections base
– Advise, acknowledge, appreciate, advance the other
person
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Utilizing Twitter
Real Time News Wire
• Real time information network that connects you to the
latest information about points of interest.
• Connect with anyone – LISTEN and LEARN
• 45% of Twitter users are looking for a Financial
Advisor
• Follow companies and people for latest updates
• Money in motion opportunities and trending topics
• You can search who to follow based on keywords and
go to “search.twitter.com” to see if your clients and
prospects have a twitter page.
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Google Alerts
Your Secret Weapon
Google Alerts is a free on-line news service
aggregator that scans web searches, blog
searches and news results. You receive email
notification alerts if your keyword or keyword
phrase is mentioned in any of those searches.
Create alerts for your platinum clients, prospects
and centers of influence.
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Setting up Google Alerts
1. Go to Google and type in “Google Alerts” and the
system will prompt the set up (Google Alerts are
email updates of the latest relevant Google results
(web, news, etc.) based on your queries.
2. Enter a search query you wish to monitor. For
example, name, company, ownership, associations,
any key words. You will get an email with a preview
of the types of results you'll receive.
3. You can select the delivery rate of your notifications
(daily, weekly or even real-time), the source of the
search (web, blog, news or all), and the method of
notification.
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Uses of Google Alerts
• Monitoring a developing news story about
anyone
• Keeping current on a competitor or industry
• Getting the latest information on clients;
prospects, any one or any company
• Keeping up to date on any niche you are
developing
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Thank You.
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APPENDIX
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Social Media is…….
• a web-based technology through which users
create online communities to share information,
ideas, personal messages, and other content.
• a level playing field—communication without
borders.
• a landscape that has grown over 800% since last
year and every generation is involved.
• leveraging your online network.
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LinkedIn - Largest Online
Professional Network
Brand Builder
• Online Credentials
• Referral Generator
• Contact Manager
• Business Development Tool
• Company Information Directory
• Group/Club Organizational Tool
• Industry Q&A Platform
• Information Platform
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Leveraging LinkedIn to Grow
Your Business
• Position Yourself
– To reach business owners, you can target by job
title, function, industry and company size and
seniority level
• Educational Platform
– Top articles and news according to industry and
news sources
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Profile
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Profile Tips
1.
Your profile should be 100% complete. Fill out your contact
information, work history and upload your photo. Link your website,
blog and list any awards/professional recognition.
2.
You get one chance to make a first impression. Write a personal
tagline—“your brand” statement.
3.
Position yourself as an industry leader, an expert in financial services.
4.
In order to build a strong network, you must first build a strong
profile.
5.
Write like you would speak. Picture yourself at a networking event—
how do you introduce yourself—be authentic, friendly and
professional.
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Profile Tips
6. Upload a photo—professional and high quality.
7. Develop a professional summary statement—like your 30
second elevator introduction.
8. Add job details and education.
9. Complete the additional information section—key interest;
industry associations.
10. Keep things fresh—update regularly to improve your search
ratings.
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Dashboard
•
From the dashboard you can
view a small list of people
that you may know and
recently viewed, news
articles recommended for
you.
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Connections
1st Degree Connections
• Will be able to view each other’s profiles
• You can send e-mails directly & always with a personal note
• You will be able to see each other’s connections
• Your contact profile updates will show up in your stream
• Think strategically before you connect with people
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Connections
2nd Degree Connections
• Your 2nd level connections are people connected to your 1st level
connections but not connected to you at the 1st level.
3rd Degree Connections
• Your 3rd level connections are people connected to your 2nd level
connections but not to either you or your 1st level connections at the
1st level.
• You can send them direct emails with the Premium upgrade.
• You can view each other’s profiles with limitations.
• You can request an introduction to them through your connections.
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Groups of Interest
•
•
Small business owners, Medical
professionals, Human Resource
managers….
Associations and groups of your
niche and clients
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Takeaways
• You don’t have to tweet to enjoy Twitter—you have access to learn
from voices and information
• Currently over 500 million users, generating over 58 million tweets
daily and handling over 2.1 billion search queries. 135,000 people sign
up daily.
• 43% of Twitter users are mobile Every second over 9,000 tweets are
posted
• Twitter connects businesses to customers in real-time. Businesses share
information with people interested in their products and services, gather
real time market intelligence and feedback and build relationships
• Get quoted—as you build a following, post preapproved content.
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Google Alerts Tips
• Stay aware of your online reputation and that of
clients, prospects, COI's
• Track your competition: articles, press releases, and
mention of names.
• When developing a targeted niche, follow alerts that
focus on key words to stay in the loop for important
news.
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