Many critics of Facebook point to its lack of ‘Return on Investment’ as a reason to ignore its use in a professional setting. In many respects, people who say this are correct… well at least with the way that Facebook is currently being used by most Advisers.
In a previous post, we spoke of the type of content that clients find engaging. Taking this one step further, we think that Advisers in general need to take more of a step towards their professional lives becoming more personal, and their personal lives becoming more professional (especially on Facebook).
Many Advisers have told us that they often have clients try and ‘add them as Friends’ on their personal Facebook account. Rather than getting annoyed at this, consider embracing it as a client wanting to deepen their relationship with you. Accepting a client as a personal contact can help them see who you really are and what your passions are. This doesn’t mean having to share all your personal and family life with clients. Transparency and intimacy are two completely different things.
With the way Facebook is now structured, you can sort your ‘Friends’ into different lists. This allows you to control the content that each list sees (thus preserving your privacy), while at the same time being able to perform a number of useful functions (such as promote your business’ Facebook page to clients and tag them in photos). Ultimately it comes back to how open you are willing to be with your clients. Whilst boundaries around professionalism and legality obviously need to be respected, consider bringing your clients closer to you, rather than creating a barrier between you and your clients.
In an era where Professional Services is more competitive than ever, your ability to form deep and enduring relationships with clients is king. Converting prospects into clients is a matter of creating a personal connection, and perhaps this could be the way that Facebook starts producing the ROI that your firm is looking for.