Financial Advisor Communication: Is It Too Much?

How Much Communication is too Much?

“How much communication is too much?  I don’t want to be annoying.”  This is the reason I hear most often from financial advisors for why they do not want to send regular communications to their prospect or client lists, post content for their Twitter or Facebook followers and engage with LinkedIn connections.  They have a fear of “being annoying.”

Communication is acting in service of your audience

If you’re afraid you are annoying, ask yourself: “Do I have valuable knowledge that empowers people to create the life they want to live? Does my content help define the steps a person can follow to achieve their goals? Does the message I share help eliminate anxiety, reinforce security and create excitement?”

Don’t you want people to know what you care about?  How you can help?  You have a valuable voice to share with the world and communicating in a meaningful way is not only helpful when it comes to marketing, it is essential.

The 4 factors that reinforce communication

The next time you think, “I really shouldn’t comment or share,” consider these four factors that prove you do not communicate too much:

1. Your Audience Wants to Hear from You

   If the content you share is truly valuable, then people will want to read it. They may not read it as often as they want because of time constraints or distractions, but they still equate “quality content” with your brand. You are a generous expert, and they aspire to learn all that you share.

2. Frequent Communication Does Not Mean Frequent Selling

   Frequent communication means you are educating, entertaining, and editorializing on topics through myriad channels. It is annoying if all you do is push your service and sell the features of your offering.  Rather, weave in calls to action in your content sharing when appropriate that provide additional value to the consumer. Whether it is an invitation to download a guide for more information or to schedule a call if they want personalized advice, give someone the opportunity to engage more deeply when they are ready.

3. You Are Your Biggest Follower

   With social media, you’ll be lucky if followers read one out of every twenty posts you make. Social media is an in-the-moment connection that engages quickly and fades even faster. Believe it or not, you are the only one who cares enough to read all of your posts. Because of the fleeting nature of most platforms, it is hard to communicate too much on social media.

4. Passion Shines

   I know you believe in the value you offer, the knowledge you can impart and your ability to make a positive impact on your clients’ overall wellbeing. When you genuinely communicate this, passion will shine through in all that you offer. Whether it’s through tweets, posts or emails, keep in touch with your followers in your authentic way.

The bottom line is: you will know if you’re being annoying. Metrics tell-all or at least reveal possible problem spots. If you are overdoing it, you’ll see higher unsubscribe rates, lower open rates, and flat growth on “likes” and “follows.” Watch the interaction with your blog, monitor your clients’ feedback and know what content enrages and what content engages.

Most likely, you are not communicating as regularly or as effectively as you could be. If you’re posting the same generic content that many other advisors pay to share, you do not illuminate your expertise, passion, or perspective.  No one knows what you stand for, and they will find you annoying; or worse, not notice you at all.

(a version of this article was published first on the FPA’s blog).