Why Did You Share That?

Sometimes I look at posts on social media - especially on LinkedIn - and wonder why the person shared what they did.

It's a serious problem in the industry that I serve; most financial advisors are just sharing stuff for the sake of putting something on their newsfeed.

Please don't do that. It's kind of like showing up to a party and making it obvious that you don't really want to be there. It just ruins the vibe.

Years ago, that kind of activity might have been enough but it's not anymore. Honestly, as the reader it feels almost patronizing and like you're wasting my time. It does absolutely nothing for your business.

In fact, I would argue that it might even HURT your business:

As your ideal client, why should I invest in you when you won't even take the time to post something that's beneficial to me?
If all you're doing is posting an article from CNBC but not telling me why...do you even know what you're talking about? Are you the expert?
How is posting a random article allowing me to get to know you better? Don't make me work for it.

If what you're doing is going through your compliance-approved social media scheduler and just checking a box - skip it. You're not giving me your thoughts. You're not telling me why this article is important to me. Frankly, you're just cluttering my newsfeed.

Here's what you should consider:

Don't make digital noise. Post something that I, your ideal client, might find helpful.
If you're going to post an article, at least tell me why you're posting it. Was there something specific in the article you thought I might find interesting?
I'll take quality over quantity any day. If what your time allows is one good post a week, that's good enough for me.

Remember that social media is representing YOU. What kind of impression do you want to make?