As a financial advisor, having a strong LinkedIn profile is crucial for attracting new clients and growing your business. LinkedIn is the top social media platform used by professionals and a key place where people research financial advisors before deciding to work with them.
An optimized LinkedIn profile allows you to establish credibility, demonstrate your expertise, and highlight the value you can provide to clients. It serves as a 24/7 marketing tool that works even when you are not actively networking or acquiring new clients.
But creating a compelling LinkedIn profile is an art and science. You need to know how to structure your profile, what key details to include, and how to showcase your skills in a way that convinces prospects to contact you.
This guide will walk you through step-by-step how to create a LinkedIn profile that attracts your ideal clients as a financial advisor. Follow these best practices and you’ll be on your way to growing your business through LinkedIn.
Complete your profile 100%
The first step is making sure your LinkedIn profile is 100% complete, as this signals to LinkedIn’s algorithm that your profile should be shown more prominently in search results.
Be sure to fill out all sections, including:
– Professional headline
– Professional summary
– Experience
– Education
– Skills
– Licenses and certifications
– Volunteer experience
– Publications
– Honors and awards
– Courses
– Projects
– Test scores
– Languages
– Organizations
– Interests
Incomplete profiles run the risk of looking unprofessional. The more robust your profile, the more opportunities there are for your profile to be found.
Optimize your professional headline
Your professional headline appears right below your name at the top of your LinkedIn profile. This key real estate should be used to succinctly convey who you are as a financial advisor and the value you provide.
You have 120 characters to work with in your headline. Make them count by including important keywords, such as:
– Your focus area (e.g. retirement planning, investment management)
– Your credentials (e.g. CFP, CFA)
– Key services you provide (financial planning, wealth management)
Here are some examples of optimized LinkedIn headlines for financial advisors:
– Retirement Planning Advisor | CFP®
– Wealth Manager | CFA | Portfolio Management
– Financial Planner | Insurance | Investment Management
Your headline gives people a first impression when they land on your profile, so make sure it accurately captures your expertise.
Craft an engaging, benefit-focused professional summary
Your professional summary section is your opportunity to share your story, highlight your experience, and get prospects excited to work with you.
This section can be up to 2,000 characters, so use the space to focus on communicating the value you provide rather than just listing your skills and credentials. Share details on:
– How many years you’ve been advising clients
– The types of clients you work with
– Your advising philosophy
– Your areas of specialization and expertise
– Why clients should work with you – focus on the benefits!
You can also touch on what makes you unique as an advisor, such as a specific approach you take or niche you serve.
Be sure to write your summary in first-person language to make it approachable. This section is essentially your “sales pitch” to prospects, so sell yourself and the value you offer!
Showcase your experience strategically
The experience section is one of the first places prospects will look to learn more about your background.
Each position you’ve held should include:
– Your job title
– The company name
– Employment dates
– A brief 2-3 line description summarizing your role and responsibilities
Focus on conveying the aspects of each role that are most relevant for a financial advisor. For example, highlight experience in:
– Financial planning
– Investment management
– Insurance planning
– Client relations
– Business development
Also emphasize any unique accomplishments at each position, such as “Increased AUM by 20% within first year” or “Grew client base from 50 to 150 families in 3 years.”
You can reorder your positions to showcase the most relevant ones first. And if you’re tight on space, you can omit or condense descriptions for older positions. The key is emphasizing your financial advisory experience.
Leverage the skills section strategically
The skills section allows you to highlight specific areas of expertise and competencies important for financial advisors.
Some key skills to include are:
– Financial planning
– Retirement planning
– Investment management
– Wealth management
– Portfolio management
– Insurance planning
Skills related to working with clients can also be useful:
– Client relations
– Communication skills
– Customer service
Including numeric stats, such as “Investment Management (10+ years)” can strengthen your case.
You can ask colleagues and clients to endorse you for skills they’ve seen you demonstrate. These social proof endorsements lend credibility.
Flaunt your credentials
Licenses, certifications and designations like the CFP and CFA carry a lot of weight with prospects and should be prominently displayed.
In the Licenses & Certifications section you can list credentials like:
– Certified Financial Planner (CFP)
– Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA)
– Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC)
– Certified Public Accountant (CPA)
– Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU)
If you’ve achieved a professional designation, don’t be shy about flaunting it as a badge of your expertise!
You can also link to a media item or document providing more details on the requirements for attaining the credential.
Show off your education
Although your experience is more important, highlighting your educational background can also lend credibility.
In the education section, list any degrees earned, with a focus on ones relevant to financial advising, such as:
– Bachelor’s Degree in Finance
– MBA with concentration in Financial Planning
– Master of Science in Financial Analysis
If you obtained your degree from a top school for financial planning, such as UT Austin or NYU, be sure to mention it!
You can include brief bullet points summarizing relevant coursework or highlights from your time in the program.
Spotlight media coverage and publishing
If you’ve been quoted in media or published any articles or whitepapers, link to them in your profile to showcase your expertise.
Having an established media presence or track record of publishing conveys thought leadership in your field.
You can include a Publications or Media section with links to:
– Articles or blog posts you’ve written
– Whitepapers or ebooks you’ve published
– Quotes and interviews you’ve given
– Podcasts or webcasts you’ve participated in
Links to video content can be especially eye-catching.
Show off speaking engagements
If you’ve spoken at industry conferences, corporate events or other engagements, include details in your profile.
Similar to media exposure and publishing, speaking engagements demonstrate you’re considered an opinion leader in your field.
In a speaking section you can list:
– The event name
– The date and location
– A 1-2 line summary of your presentation topic
If videos of your talk are available, link to them to give prospects a preview of your on-stage expertise.
Share customer reviews and testimonials
Reviews and testimonials from satisfied clients provide powerful social proof vouching for your services.
The easiest way to showcase these is by linking to your Google My Business or Facebook Business Page, where reviews are displayed.
You can also directly request clients to post reviews on your LinkedIn profile through the Recommendations section. These display prominently right on your profile.
Positive client reviews, especially those that mention specific ways you’ve helped clients, can go a long way in persuading prospects.
Highlight volunteer work and causes
Participating in volunteer work, nonprofits and causes you care about adds dimension to your profile.
It presents an opportunity to share details on who you are beyond just a financial advisor. Prospects want to work with real people they can relate to.
In the volunteer experience section you can highlight:
– Organizations where you actively volunteer
– Causes you care about and support
– Ways you make an impact through volunteering
Even unrelated volunteer work still shows you’re dedicated to giving back.
Join relevant LinkedIn Groups
Joining LinkedIn Groups related to financial advising is a great way to connect with prospects, demonstrate expertise and get involved in conversations.
Look for active groups focused on areas like:
– Financial advising
– Financial planning
– Wealth management
– Investing strategies
– Retirement planning
When joining groups:
– Complete your membership profile
– Be an active participant by posting and commenting
– Provide thoughtful advice and value to the group
– Avoid overt self-promotion
You can include the most strategic groups you’ve joined in the “Groups” section of your profile.
Follow leading companies in your space
Following key companies on LinkedIn related to financial services conveys your active interest and involvement in the industry.
Relevant companies to follow include:
– Large wealth management firms
– Top investment management companies
– Leading financial services vendors
– Compliance services providers
– Financial advisor marketing agencies
– Key financial media outlets
When these companies post content, it will show up in your feed allowing you to like and share to your own network.
You can also list some of the most relevant companies you follow in your “Following” profile section.
Show off projects and examples of work
Providing concrete examples of your financial advisory work can give prospects a preview of what it would be like to work with you.
In the project section you could showcase:
– Example financial plans
– Sample investment portfolios
– Outlines of retirement plans developed for clients
– Before and after examples of performance improvements
Avoid sharing anything confidential, but samples and case studies can demonstrate your approach.
Infographics, charts, videos or presentations can provide visual examples of your work.
Customize your LinkedIn URL
LinkedIn automatically assigns your profile a random URL with a string of numbers.
Customizing this with your name makes your profile URL more professional and recognizable.
From your profile, click “View profile” then use the URL field to create a custom URL, such as:
www.linkedin.com/in/firstname-lastname
A customized URL also looks better displayed on your website or in your email signature.
Craft an appealing profile photo
Your profile photo is one of the first things people notice when visiting your profile.
A high-quality, professional headshot inspires confidence in you as an advisor. Avoid casual photos or blurry selfies.
Tips for an inviting profile photo:
– Dress professionally as you would when meeting clients
– Smile warmly and make eye contact with the camera
– Ensure optimal lighting so your face is clearly visible
– Use a simple, solid color background
– Make sure image is high resolution
If possible, hire a photographer to take a quality headshot just for your LinkedIn profile. This important photo deserves an investment.
Add rich media to stand out
Including relevant videos, images and presentations can help your LinkedIn profile stand out from competitors.
Visual media brings your profile to life and conveys important information faster than blocks of text.
Types of media to include:
– A welcome video introducing yourself
– Image collages summarizing services or credentials
– Infographics showcasing your thought leadership
– Slideshares from presentations you’ve given
– Client appreciation event photos
Media not only looks more engaging, but also plays a role in LinkedIn’s algorithms for search rankings and suggestions.
Optimize your profile for search
To maximize your discoverability on LinkedIn, it’s important to optimize your profile for search.
Here are some key tips:
– Include relevant keywords in each section, especially your headline and summary. Think about words prospects would search to find advisors.
– Use strategic keywords in your URL if possible, such as “retirementplanner” or “financialadvisorexpert.”
– Add local area names relevant to clients you serve, such as Chicago or Miami metro area.
– Mention important credentials, like CFP®, multiple times.
– Leverage skills, volunteer work and group memberships to cover additional keyword bases.
Doing SEO for your profile leads to more people finding you when searching LinkedIn.
Stay on top of notifications
LinkedIn provides notifications when you have new profile views, connection requests and messages.
Stay on top of these by:
– Checking notifications regularly
– Replying promptly to anyone reaching out or viewing your profile
– Following up on connection requests from ideal prospects
Timely responses show you’re actively monitoring LinkedIn for opportunities.
You can also get notifications when you’re mentioned by others or there’s activity in key groups. Enable these alerts in Settings.
Share content regularly
Posting content builds your professional brand by showcasing your insights.
Share content like:
– Your latest blog article or whitepaper
– Commentary on recent financial news
– Tips for investors
– Links to your media mentions
– Highlights from conferences you’ve attended
Post at least 1-2 times per week to stay top of mind. This content also fuels LinkedIn’s algorithm suggesting your profile to others.
Use LinkedIn ads to expand reach
LinkedIn advertising allows you to promote your profile and content to qualified prospects beyond just your network.
Options like Sponsored InMail and Sponsored Content can get your profile directly in front of relevant audiences like:
– Financial advisors in your metro area
– Investors over age 50
– People who have clicked on finance articles
Ads also show up prominently when prospects search for advisors on LinkedIn based on criteria you target.
Conclusion
Optimizing your LinkedIn profile as a financial advisor is an important step to growing your business through attracting more qualified prospects, establishing credibility and showcasing expertise.
By following the tips in this guide, you can craft an engaging profile tailored to generating more clients. Focus on highlighting your experience, credentials, unique value and professional brand.
Treat your LinkedIn profile as you would your personal website – a hub to persuade visitors to work with you. Keep it updated regularly and ensure each section conveys why prospects should choose you.
With a compelling and comprehensive LinkedIn profile, you can leverage the platform to take your financial advisory practice to the next level.