Compliant Social Media

I’ve had a number of clients and prospects recently that work in highly regulated financial industries. They work within the confines of very strict compliance guidelines. Every email, every fax, every letter they send or use to communicate with clients or prospective clients must be scrutinized and approved.

 Networking is a must for individuals in these industries and social media (LinkedIn in particular) is a natural conclusion. FINRA has a social media task force, recently released some guidelines and it looks like they will be revised shortly. The SEC did a massive sweep of social media data in February and will likely have their own recommended practices soon.

 If you are a financial professional trying to navigate these ever-changing waters, there are a couple of new tools on the market that might help alleviate your compliance concerns, particularly in regards to record-keeping and suitability

Social Media and Content for Associations

I gave a presentation last week to a very specialized local association. As always, it is interesting to format my message for a new audience. When speaking to new prospects, as well as here on my site, I always temper the (truly exciting) possibilities and opportunities with the realities of making an online content program successful. Social media and online content marketing is not the "pot of gold" at the end of the rainbow.

Which isn't to say there isn't gold to be had, just that you have to work for it!

I thought I'd share a few of the key points for all my nonprofit homies in the audience.

First of all, social media and online content marketing can and should be used to help you reach your overall goals- just like any marketing program. Some common ones for associations tend to be:

It’s All About the Plan

Fort Worth Business Press put out this great article about small businesses and social media. It highlights the biggest issue I come across with nearly every client and prospect I meet with: The need for a plan.

What’s exciting about social media and other online media tools is that they appear to be a cost-free venture with nothing but reward to reap. But the truth is, most businesses are out there with no plan or strategy and no method of evaluating and assessing their efforts.

So, ok, you have a Facebook Page with thousands of fans or a Twitter Account with legions of followers. What does that mean?