6th March 2014

Aegon: Are you linked in with other professionals and your clients?

In a true homage to Michael Caine not many people know this, but more than half of all UK pensioners are now on Facebook. But did you also know that 7.9m UK adults are now on LinkedIn?*

While Facebook has many uses and is very popular in direct-to-consumer marketing, it's not yet heavily utilised in financial services. On the other hand, more and more financial advisers are starting to use the fast-growing social network, LinkedIn. They're doing so to develop, grow and maintain long-term business relationships with other professionals - and in many cases with new and existing clients.

There's a dangerous perception that LinkedIn is just an online environment to promote your CV and find a new career opportunity. However, while this is a powerful element of LinkedIn, it's much more than this. LinkedIn has the ability to allow you to:

• promote and sell your professionalism to both clients, prospects and potential business alliances
• have your peers and clients endorse you - highlighting the expertise you have and the help you've given them. Once again, useful in any promotional exercise 
• connect with like-minded business alliances and clients 
• start your own groups to showcase your value or as part of your client service proposition 
• participate in as many groups as you want, again helping you develop strategic alliances and prospect for new business and clients 
• develop your online elevator pitch where you can highlight the experience, empathy and expertise of you and your business 
• create a robust network of like-minded professionals and develop your own business hub 
• act as a referral tool where clients or alliances can refer you to their contacts 
• establish a thought leadership brand which can be attractive for existing and potential clients 
• communicate quickly and cheaply with your business or client network through messages or group discussions

The most powerful element of LinkedIn can lie in your profile - if set up correctly, potential clients and business partners can see an overview of your business. They can see the areas in which you operate, the help you can provide and the service you offer. If promoted effectively, it makes sure that when they want or need what you provide, you're in their thoughts - a wonderful marketing and promotional tool.

If you've not yet created a profile on LinkedIn then now could be the time to start. If you're one of the 37.4 million UK adults who are on Facebook* you'll find it easy and intuitive to navigate. So why not start today, or even go back and make sure your LinkedIn profile isn't just an online CV!
 

John Joe McGinley

Head of Business Brain, Aegon

January 2014

* http://www.umpf.co.uk/blog/social-media/social-media-usage-in-the-uk-the-findings/

Adviser Letter of the Week, Business Development