Virtual Strategies To Elevate Your Platform

By Paul Feldman

By Joseph Stemmle

When getting started in financial planning, it can be hard to find the right virtual strategy to get your voice and content in front of your target audience.

A virtual presence went from being optional 10 years ago to a necessity in essentially every industry and profession. But having a social media account or a website is only the standard in our digital age, so planners are becoming innovative with their approach in the new wave of online engagement.

Building and creating authentic content for a virtual world requires an intentional approach. Below are some strategies to help elevate your platform and voice.

Media

Jake Northrup, CFP®, CSLP®, CFA, founder and financial planner at Experience Your Wealth has built great relationships with reporters for various publications. The first thing he did was “learn from people who were already successful and identified what my unique voice would be.”

Jake took some time when he was launching his firm to identify the publications he wanted to contribute to, learned from professionals who were constantly being quoted in industry publications and targeted what his value add could be when working with the media.

After completing the FPA Media Training, Jake signed up for both FPA MediaSource and Help a Report Out (HARO), two resources that connect reporters with financial planning experts.
When responding to media inquiries, Jake mentioned, “I always have a philosophy that I don’t want to say anything that can be Googled.”

His approach is to be a unique voice for the topic in the areas he focuses on. When the CARES Act was passed back in March, Jake focused less on business impacts or Required Minimum Distributions and more on the impact to student loans, which is one of his areas of expertise.

“I was intentional about blocking time on my schedule to create content,” like other areas in his life, Jake said, but he noted that sometimes you have to respond in a timely manner to reporters, who often have short deadlines.

Educational Videos

Recording videos on specific financial planning topics is a great way to provide helpful financial planning material and potentially build credibility with your audience. There are only so many hours in a day and you can only reach but so many people doing one-on-one phone calls.

Colin Overweg, CFP®, Founder of Advize Wealth Management, felt that creating videos would “allow me to educate an unlimited amount of people online while building credibility in the profession.”

Colin gets the topics and ideas for his videos from his clients.

“Have you ever had to explain a topic to more than three clients?” he posed. If so, there are probably more people out there asking that same question and the video is a great way to reach potential audiences.

When getting started, Colin was worried about his lack of editing skills and zero marketing budget. As he has done his videos over the last two years, Overweg mentions “People care more about my message than my editing skills.” Today, he is able to do his production using only OBS software for recording, Filmora for editing, a USB microphone, a USB webcam and a simple circle camera light.

Podcasts

Luis F Rosa, CFP®, EA, founder of Build a Better Financial Future, LLC, has created weekly themes for social media and content around his On My Way To Wealth Podcast. Rosa said he initially did two podcast a month, then worked his way up to doing them weekly.

Luis also has videos throughout the week that coincide with the podcast. He is intentional with the content and gives his wife credit for the themed days like Money Motivation and Tuesday Money Tips. He offers one video a day is in English, one in Spanish, and one motivational quote, and all are focused on promoting financial planning topics and the podcast.

On getting started with content Luis emphasizes “Whatever you choose to do—make sure you are consistent. Many days you won’t see the immediate results but if you stick with it and are willing to be flexible,” you can start to see progress and positive outcomes from your work.

There are so many opportunities and strategies to create a platform to elevate your voice. Being intentional about making time for your content, finding your unique perspective or voice and being consistent are the foundation for long-term success.

Joey Stemmle is a financial advisor with Riverstone Wealth Advisory Group in Midlothian, Va.

Joey graduated Magna Cum Laude from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) with a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance. Joey serves as the President-Elect of the Financial Planning Association (FPA) of Central VA and on the Board of Directors for the Financial Empowerment Board for the City of Richmond Treasurer’s Office. Joey also serves as the Program Director for the VCU CFP Board Registered Financial Planning Program and an adjunct instructor in the Finance Department.

FPA NexGen, a community of the Financial Planning Association® (FPA®), aims to provide support and collaboration for those professionals new to the financial planning profession. With more than 2,500 like-minded young professionals, members of FPA NexGen are ready to share their experiences and further the future of the financial planning profession. Learn more about our engaged community and join the conversation on Twitter.

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