Besides for recreational purposes, social media can offer you so many benefits to your career and help you prospect for new clients. Here's why:
1. Establishes your brand. Use Twitter for more than just finding out the latest gossip. Provide valuable information to your followers, such as insider financial tips. When done in 140 characters or less, your followers are likely pass along these tips to their followers, which means greater awareness of your company.
2. Everyone is doing it. People want to check credibility and quickly connect with their advisors. Having your own Facebook fan page as a business allows interested clients to read your posts, ask you questions and receive a quick response. This type of one-on-one interaction is one of the easiest ways to secure new client relationships in a fraction of the time as traditional networking.
3. Creates a level playing field. The Internet is the great equalizer, which means small businesses have just as much of a chance at success as big companies. It's all about the way you network, advertise and reach out to people. If you work independently, interacting with clients online gives you as much impact as your larger competition without having to spend the big advertising dollars.
