An industry organisation has launched a social media guide intended to help its members best utilise their online brand presence.
The marketing resource from the Mortgage & Finance Association of Australia (MFAA) has been crafted to help brokers better engage with their customers and attract new prospects through the online platforms available to them.
The ‘Finance Brokers 101 Guide to Social Media’ was developed based on broker feedback, with one of the key propositions being the clarification of the differences among the social media channels, with input given as to how to create content to best suit each one’s purpose.
“Great social media strategies are now a mandatory requirement to grow your business, so it’s important to know your target audience and to get the foundations right from the start,” said Stephen Hale, MFAA head of marketing and communications.
“Personal branding is one of the best tools you have to distinguish yourself from your competitors and show potential customers and referrers what you have to offer.”
Aaron Christie-David, award-winning broker and director of Atelier Wealth, believes that social media can be harnessed as a tool to provide for the whole spectrum of customers.
“A huge advantage with social media is the ability to target particular niches such as first home buyers or investors, which is great when we're running workshops and seminars,” said Christie-David.
“From our experience, we’ve learnt that social media is a platform to educate, not sell; educational posts are generally the posts which get traction.”
According to the guide, the highest calibre of post is thoughtfully crafted to add value to the target audience.
“Brokers are increasingly moving towards creating ‘communities’ for their customers via Facebook groups and writing thought-leader style blogs and articles on their LinkedIn pages to share with their referrers and SME customers,” said Hale.
“This guide can help brokers learn how to create useful social media material and information with the intention of building relationships rather than generating leads.”
