You know that Web 2.0 technologies can help your business, follow this path to enlightenment.
Have a Plan - Social media might not be for every business. Figure out if it makes sense for your business and if your customers are active on social media sites.
Take Small Steps With a Goal in Mind - Do you just want to communicate with your customers or actively sell to them? Know your goal and start working towards it.
It Takes Time - Understand that social media success doesn't happen overnight. The more time you invest, the more you'll get out of it.
Measurement - Develop a plan to define metrics for success. There are some great tools out there like link shorteners for Twitter or Google e-mail alerts to track online mentions.
Be Flexible - Try different strategies and social media sites. You might have to find other ways to reach your audience or re-work your message.
This is the summary of an article written on Mashable, The Social Media Guide. If you're looking for information on how you can use social media effectively, this website is a great resource.
Many advisors are still trying to define cloud computing. The good news is that you are using cloud computing everyday and probably don't even know it.
Everyone is familiar with YouTube. It is an application that allows users to post videos for other users to view. Before YouTube, you needed to have a video saved on your computer to be able to watch it. Now these videos live in the ”the cloud” or online for other people to access them.
Advisors can use cloud computing for their applications, too. A great example of this is Advisor Portals™. It provides your clients with document storage, task/project management, and unique communication tools while allowing the flexibility to access it anywhere with an internet connection. Be on the lookout for upcoming product releases from MIAGD to help you get your head INTO the cloud.
Here is an example of how advisors might tie Integrated Blogs, Social Networking, and Newsletter Distribution into their website.
Some key points...
Automatically "pull" your recent "tweets" into your site.
Automatically "push" blog posts into Facebook and LinkedIn via RSS feed.
Use services link Constant Contact (email) and FeedBurner (RSS) to manage your lists & distribution.
Once the tools are in place, create a newsletter process to simplify your efforts and extend your exposure.
Blog Comments: We currently also offer comments to your blog which can be controlled by email notifications prior to publishing. Down the road, the author of those comments will also be able to share those comments automatically with friends, contacts, and followers on popular social networking sites (without having to login). "A great way to gain potential [A client] site referrals."
People use it to find dentists, restaurants, and YES, financial advisors around their local area. It will build credibility for your firm and if you have a qualifying process built into your website, it can't hurt.
A Tactical Search Engine Marketing Concept for Financial Advisors
Overview: This exercise has 3 key benefits. (1) Boost your site positioning in Google (and other search engines). One of the factors Google uses to determine your site's Search Engine Ranking Position (SERP) is the amount of "inbound links" from other popular sites. This tells Google that your site must be important (thus moving your site description up the list). (2) Use other sites as a "stepping stone" to get to your site. Instead of asking other sites to link to yours, take advantage of the powerful social networking craze and use these sites to get to yours. Many of these sites are strategically optimized for search engine marketing. Let's say a prospect types "Wealth Management Chicago" into Google. Maybe both your Facebook and Twitter pages show up in the search results. These sites would both have a company overview with a link to your site. Some pretty nice stepping stones if you ask me. (3) ROI. Take an hour out of your day and follow this guide to (a) identify keywords, (b) compose an overview paragraph, and (c) post it to location, directory, pr and social networking sites. Do it once, and forget it. "Traditional marketing only lasts a few seconds. Internet marketing lasts forever."
Advisors always ask me; “How can I move up in search engine rankings on Google?” The only way to guarantee it (for specific keywords) is to pay for your position with pay-per-click ads, but here are a few things that will really help. But don’t tell the competition! Much of the information here is based on a 2007 study about ranking in Google from SEO moz.org.
1. Keyword Use in Title Tag
The number one factor in ranking a page on search engines is the title tag. These are the words in the source of a page in <title> and appear in the blue bar of your browser. Choose the title of an article very carefully. AdvisorFlex™ 2.0 Websites will automatically use the title of the article in the title tag (what appears in the blue bar), which is very helpful.
