Improve Your RIA's Twitter Page: Guide for Financial Advisors

Step 3: Quick Sanity Check!

Before we move on, it’s time to do a quick sanity check. 

While I opened this blog post with an argument that there’s value in being on Twitter, I also wholeheartedly believe that this marketing medium is neither required nor a fit for every firm. If either you or your audience despises Twitter, then proceeding through with the rest of this improvement process may not be the best use of your time.

Take a moment to think through:

• Is Twitter a good choice of platform for my specific audience?
• What audience am I expecting to connect with via Twitter? Prospects? Peers? Members of the media?
• Is Twitter a good choice of platform for me?*

*For XYPN members who want my help critiquing whether Twitter is a good platform for your firm, please watch Part 1 and Part 2 of my Social Media Strategy & Execution Webinar Series (available exclusively to XYPN members).

If you clear this sanity check, believing there’s an audience for you on Twitter, and your firm wants to continue trying it, move on to Step 4.

Step 4: Research Tips about Your Priority

At this point, you’ve properly identified the current problem with your stagnant Twitter page, focused on the next priority of what to do, and confirmed that Twitter is a valid choice for your firm. Next, it’s time to level up your knowledge, and research some tips about your priority.

There’s no need to reinvent the wheel. The internet offers a bounty of advice and guidance from credible sources that can save you months of time trying to figure things out on your own.

Again, to continue with the examples in this blog post, I’ll share a few resources for: Use these to get started.

1. Starting to use Twitter - Research some “beginner tips” to supercharge your understanding of the platform. Here's an example list.

2. Need to generate awareness - Google around for tips on how to get more followers. Exclusive to XYPN members: Use the same strategies I suggest for generating awareness of your firm and apply them to driving traffic to your Twitter page.

3. Changing the types of things you post about - Experiment with new topic ideas your prospects would actually care about and/or try content types you haven’t dabbled with before. Exclusive to XYPN members: Watch Part 3 of the Social Media Strategy & Execution Webinar Series for my coaching on what to post.

4. Understanding how Twitter fits into your audience’s experience - Outline one or two specific paths for prospects that involve your Twitter page. This exercise will help inform the true purpose and KPI’s of your time on Twitter.

   (Exclusive to XYPN members: Click here and watch the webinar titled “Workshop: Evaluate Your Social Media ROI.”) It complements your funnel work.

Step 5: Commit to a Baseline of Activity

You’ve made amazing progress! At this point, you’re clear about what to focus on, and equipped with expert guidance. Now it’s time to commit to a plan.  

Take 10 minutes to write down a baseline activity you will commit to. For instance:

1. Starting to use Twitter - “I will commit to spending 15 minutes on Twitter every morning, and 15 minutes after lunch on Monday-Thursday. During this time, I will Tweet at least once, and reply to at least 5 Tweets from my target audience.

   Each Monday, I will spend my morning time reviewing the beginner tips list, and choosing one to implement this week.” Consistency is key.

2. Need to generate awareness - “I will commit to a Twitter Growth Hour every Tuesday morning. During this hour, I will execute at least one effort from Carolyn’s list that will help drive more exposure for my Twitter page.

   For the last 10 minutes of that hour, I will decide what I’ll focus on for the following week’s Twitter Growth Hour so I just show up and be focused on the task at hand.” This focus will help.

3. Changing the types of things you post about - “On the last Monday of every month, I will have a 90-minute session to plan my Twitter content strategy for the upcoming month. I will try adding a new type of content every month in order to see what my audience is most engaged with.

   At the start of this 90-minute session, I will review the performance of my previous months’ experiments, summarize lessons in my document, and then choose a new theme for the following month. I will set at least 2 experiments to execute, and block additional time in my calendar as needed.”

4. Understanding how Twitter fits into your audience’s experience - ““On the first Monday of every month, I will review the marketing funnel metrics and Twitter KPIs from the previous month. I will take this time to check how many people did ‘the next step’ I want them to do, and what types of Twitter content was the most effective in encouraging that behavior.

   I will also use this time to come up with new ideas for what to do this month in order to create a positive experience for my followers, and encourage them to ‘do the next thing’ to engage with the firm.” Adjust as needed.

Next, block time in your calendar (or the calendar of a marketing staff member) to ensure the baseline activity gets done. Seriously, open your calendar right now and create a recurring event.

Protect that time. If something else needs to bump it, then move the item to another spot in your day.

Commit to that schedule for a certain timeline. For instance, if you decide to spend 15 minutes on Twitter every morning, and 15 minutes after lunch on Monday-Thursday, that’s great. You also need to decide how long you’ll run with this baseline activity before reevaluating.

I suggest 3-6 months. After the timeline is up, schedule a meeting with yourself to evaluate the action plan and strategy. 

At this point, if you think your Twitter dream is too big to execute, scale back. What we envision as ideal isn’t always realistic.

Done is better than perfect, so scale back your idea in order to ensure you actually do the things you want! Start small.

Step 6: Experiment to Improve

Experimentation is always the final step in any marketing execution plan. You can (and should!) experiment with your marketing until you no longer want to grow.

Maybe a year or two from now, you’ll have mastered your baseline of activity on Twitter, and feel excited to experiment to find the next best thing. At that point, check out my list of Experiments to Try When Marketing Your RIA.

Ideas #3-9 can be used on Twitter. Try them as you iterate.

Want to chat about this topic, or have an idea for my next blog post? Let's connect... on Twitter 😉.

About the Author
Carolyn Dalle-Molle is a professional marketer with several years of experience helping small businesses reach their growth goals. Her approach to marketing is both creative and analytical; helping people achieve a creative flow that’s unique and exciting, while using tracking and metrics to learn what actually works for their business.

Based in Boston, she's honored to work with XY Planning Network  from coast to coast. Outside of work, she enjoys volunteering with elderly, making videos, and traveling with her friends and family.