Having a presence on the internet, and more specifically, social media, is almost a baseline requirement these days for small businesses. For RIAs, social media profiles are a place for you to connect with your community, showcase your culture, and share information about who you are and what you do in an authentic and engaging manner. RIAs often wonder how to harness social media to connect with their current clients and find new ones to expand their reach.  

At Graham Media Partners, we work with financial advisors every day on how to refine their messaging, attract their desired clientele, and take part in timely conversations while still allowing advisors to focus on financial planning – their real job! And the good news is many of these things don’t require a big budget, lots of work, or fancy tools.

If you’re looking to begin or improve your social media presence, here are some places to start. 

1. Define (and locate) your target audience.
   Take some time to determine who you want to reach. What are the demographics of the audience you are targeting? What does a typical person in your target audience look like? How do they think? Where are they located? What type of content are they interested in? Once you establish the who, you can start to think about where to reach them. Will you be making posts on LinkedIn or videos on a YouTube channel? Platforms you may want to consider include LinkedIn, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, YouTube, and even Pinterest or TikTok, depending on the demographic of your target audience. 
2. Don’t go too far out of your comfort zone.
   Effective social media should be authentic, and it’s pretty obvious when it’s not. As you’re adding video or written content or resharing posts, focus on what is natural for you. 
3. Social media can be real without being perfect.
   Your posts and videos should be conversational and in your own voice, and they don’t necessarily need to be refined and written perfectly. Using a more unique, authentic voice will allow your audience to understand your message the way you want it to be received, and it will allow you to establish a human connection with them. After all, people follow people, not brands. 
4. Consistency is key – post on a regular basis.
   If you’ve ever scrolled through social media posts, you know that if it’s not new, it’s not in your feed. It’s not enough to post just once, you have to make it a habit in order to maintain a consistent brand. Try to establish a cadence using a social media content calendar and stick with it, whether it’s posting 1-2 times a week or 3-4. Even if it’s a short thought, resharing an article, or repurposing some of your older content, it will help you stay on the radar of your current and potential clients. 
5. Track metrics to gauge your progress.
   Make sure your content is finding its way to your audience by checking in on your post-performance every month or two. Use Google Analytics to see how social media plays into your larger brand metrics or simply track engagement through your posts’ likes, engagement rate, or total engagements and interactions. If certain types of posts aren’t as popular, you can change your focus going forward. 

These are some of the tactics we use at GMP to make sure that our RIA’s marketing efforts are effective and authentic. These tips go hand in hand with the important work advisors do to serve their clients. If you’d like to learn more about our services or social media philosophy, reach out!