Build your expertise and reputation. How? Establishing yourself as an expert using LinkedIn is a great way to build your financial advisor business, whether you work for yourself or you are the CEO of your own business. The key here is using the platform correctly, as well as consistently and creatively.
- Build a Standout Profile – LinkedIn is created in such a manner that your profile looks a little bit like a very fancy resume. Make use of the space available such that those who visit your profile will have a good look at who you are as a business person or as a professional in your field. Always remember to build the profile for the job you want, and not the job you already have. Put the links relevant to your business,samples and recommendations for each of the task or position you can fill.
- Publish Original Articles – Whether you publish right on LinkedIn, or you publish on your blog and link to them via your status, it is important to publish articles which show what an expert you are and establish your know-how on a certain topic.
- Engage in Discussions – Various discussions are done in groups. Join these groups and show them what you know by answering some relevant questions and discussing information as intelligently as possible. Your smarts and personality will definitely shine through in all your answers and questions.
- Contribute Constructively – It is imperative that your contributions on LinkedIn are professional and constructive. Don’t share anything which does not relate to your business, such as information about your cat or your kids. Be mindful of your activities and make sure that what you do has a purpose. Connect Strategically – While it is tempting to connect with everyone, don’t do it. Connect with people who can help you and who you can help as well. There is no reason to connect with people just for the sake of being connected to a lot of people.
- ‘Big Sale’ – Resist Making It – Do not send InMail with every connection you get and try to sell people anything. Get to know them first before you try to sell anything. People do not like being ‘sold’ to.
- Build Real Relationships – Social networking is actually to build real professional and personal connections. Only after real relationships are built can connections that push your career forward happen.
- Share Status Updates Purposefully – When you have something to share with your connections on LinkedIn, ensure that they have a reason and a purpose. Like what we said before, you only share about your cat if you also sell cat and other cat merchandise for a living.
- Recommend Others – Try to offer recommendations when you can, whenever there is opportunity, even if no one is asking you to. If someone did a good job for you in the past, connect with them and recommend them.
- Get Recommendations – Connect with people in Linkedin whom you’ve worked with in the past and ask if they can give you recommendations. Remind them of the things you’ve helped them with and ask politely for the recommendation by providing a link.
- Join LinkedIn Groups – LinkedIn groups are excellent places to demonstrate your expertise. Get involved in an active group that consists of your audience for the best bang. However, getting involved in groups with colleagues to create business connections is good too and can really pay off.
- Create Your Own LinkedIn Group – If you want to be seen as an expert, you can actually make your own Linkedin Group to attract your target audience. Keep it active with ongoing discussions, value-added posts, job boards and more, and you will surely stand out on LinkedIn.
LinkedIn is a social network meant for business people and entrepreneurs who are serious about making changes and making things happen. This is one way how you build your expertise and reputation. Building your reputation as an expert in the field of financial advising on LinkedIn may take some time and effort. You can always hire a financial virtual assistant to help you do the tasks mentioned above so you can focus more on scaling your business. It can be challenging at first, however, it will be more than worth it.