100 best sales & marketing ideas: 9 social media tips

May 22, 2013 at 12:00 AM
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78. Avoid the "Field of Dreams" fallacy.

You have a firm presence on a variety of social media platforms and have carved out a stout digital footprint? Terrific! Now, are you taking time out regularly to engage your client-base? Despite the optimistic "if you build it, they will come" mentality, creating social media outlets without frequent, active participation is like fashioning a clipper ship without a mast or sails. In order for your efforts to produce a spike in business or revenue, you need to get into the trenches with your clients. Use '@' replies on Twitter to demonstrate light-speed customer service; post valuable, thought-provoking status updates on Facebook and participate in the conversations that unfold. Never underestimate the value your customers place on actively engaging their questions, concerns and compliments.

—Russell Trahan

77. Marketing in 140 characters or less. 

For advisors striving to market themselves on social media, there's a lesson to learn and it's this: You must be concise and recognizable at the same time. Twitter allows you just 140 characters to communicate your message, forcing you to be direct and to the point. Can you create a vision or mission statement in 140 characters or less?

—Shep Hyken

76. Focus on creating simple navigation. 

Lead people exactly where you want them to go and keep it easy and clear. What do you want people to learn about your firm on your website? If you had to pick just one thing, what would it be? You will want to make sure that it is easy for site visitors to discover that one thing. Take a look at how your navigation is set up, and make adjustments accordingly. For instance, a popular website page is often titled, "What Makes Us Unique." To ensure it is found by quick-looking visitors, the navigation for this page should be prominent in your top navigation bar. You can place a link to this critical page below in a larger box.

—Maribeth Kuzmeski

75. LinkedIn's CardMunch.

There is a solution to that pile of business cards waiting to be processed. It's called CardMunch, and it eats your business cards in no time. Here's how it works. Take a picture of a business card and upload it. People at CardMunch will input the data from that paper business card into an electronic one, including any LinkedIn profile information. Then connect via LinkedIn, sync the contact info with your address book or send your new contact an email straight away.

—Jan Vermeiren

74. ALWAYS try new ideas.

Think outside the box.

—Bobby M. Collins

shorten website messaging73. Shorten your website messaging. 

Your content needs to be concise, to-the-point and directed to your target market. Many websites have a general appeal to anyone and everyone that could buy what they have. A financial advisor's website may state that they "serve individuals, families and businesses." This is basically everyone in the entire world. So, who are you targeting, and if they come to your website will they know they are in the right place immediately?

—Maribeth Kuzmeski

72. Build a LinkedIn profile to boost your sales credibility.

If you have good data from your customers, use it. For example, on my LinkedIn profile, I state, "With one client, 87 percent of reps landed pivotal initial meetings with large corporate accounts within just 60 days." It's a fact, and it helps my prospects know what kind of results they'll get by working with me.

—Jill Konrath

71. Your SEO Goal.

Good financial advisors have methods for determining their clients' financial needs. Use those methods to determine the specific goals you want your SEO campaign to achieve, such as ranking highly on search engines. Distinguish your target audience, then research keywords specific to that demographic.

—Amy McIlwain

70. Add a call to action to engage your visitors.

Offer your visitors something of value to them, something that gets them to find out more or contact you. Develop an offer for a free report, white paper or webinar that would be of value and interest to your target market. Create something they want or need.

—Maribeth Kuzmeski

For more sales & marketing tips, visit LifeHealthPro's 100 Best Sales & Marketing Ideas.

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