Seven Strategies for Marketing your Practice on Instagram

Is your practice on Instagram? It should be! While many tout LinkedIn as the premier online networking platform, I prefer Instagram for promoting my practice to consumers. Instagram provides an extra layer of personal connection that LinkedIn lacks, plus it’s extremely user-friendly and casual so you don’t have to agonize about crafting the perfect post. I’ve found that our clients and prospects actually prefer when we are more natural, direct and authentic.

Instagram currently touts 1 billion active users each month, and it’s one of the top platforms that millennials use. If you want to grow your younger client base, earn more referrals or just stay present in your current clients’ lives, Instagram is an excellent tool for cultivating deeper relationships and building your brand. Plus, it’s free advertisement for your practice and expertise.

Whether you only share one photo a week or several stories daily, it’s a great tool for any adviser to incorporate into their practice. By using the following seven simple best practices, you can promote your brand, stay on the forefront of prospect’s minds and solidify client relationships -- all with a few taps of your phone.

1. Show clients who you are outside of the office. It helps to humanize our industry and build a connection a client might not see in a meeting. Don’t feel as though you have to talk about insurance all the time. Keep things lighthearted by posting videos of your children at their soccer game or spelling bee, or sharing a hike you took with your dog. When they see that you’re personable and relatable, it creates an added layer of trust.
2. Showcase what you’re passionate about. Post a photo of a recent webinar you attended or an industry award you just won. It lets your followers know that you’re serious about your profession and you’re constantly refining your skills. If you’re passionate about community involvement, share a photo of your most recent volunteer day. Clients will appreciate seeing that you intentionally invest in the community on a regular basis.
3. Stay professional. Even though they are more casual, your Instagram posts should still remain professional as an extension of your business. Stay away from inappropriate jokes, memes or political commentary. Remember, your intention is not to provoke or initiate an argument. Instead, you want to provide your audience with innovative ideas they will find useful in their daily lives and can share with others.
4. Share finance 101 tips. One of the benefits of Instagram is that it allows us to provide our clients with helpful information in a non-intrusive way. I’ve found that sharing simple financial tips with my followers helps to remind them that we are not only personable, we’re also a knowledgeable resource in the industry. When you post financial advice, keep it brief, don’t lecture and include information that the average American would find valuable.
5. Try new things. Alongside the traditional post option, consider using Instagram’s story or reels features, which allow you to publish bite-size video clips that are highly engaging and easily sharable. Keep in mind: Instagram favors users who use the platform’s latest features by giving them more exposure. This means that whenever you upload a reel, Instagram will push it to the top of the Explore page, even for users who don’t follow you yet.
6. Be shareable. One of the best ways to advertise your expertise and reach new prospects is to make your financial tips as easily shareable as possible. That way, if a current client finds your advice useful and shares it with her coworker, the coworker quickly becomes a potential prospect. Increase your chances of people sharing your content by posting a short caption alongside your financial advice tip. Remind your followers that, if they found the quick tip helpful, they should share with others who might appreciate it as well. Including relevant hashtags in your captions such as #financialadvisor, #fintech or #financialplanning is another great way to make sure even more people see your content outside of your regular follower base. In fact, including just one hashtag will score your post 12.6 percent more audience engagement.
7. Build relationships online and off. Don’t be shy about following clients or prospects on Instagram. I’ve found it helps cultivate the relationship because it allows you to see what’s going on in their lives and then proactively reach out to them if appropriate. If they buy a new house and post about it, give them a call to congratulate them, then advise them on how that purchase affects their current policy. Liking a client’s or prospect’s post keeps you on their mind. If you show up on their feed every so often, it makes it easy for a prospect to reach out about a specific product or for a client to quickly refer you to a friend.

While the goal is to establish a presence on Instagram, don’t rely completely on that virtual connection to connect with clients. You should still call them on their birthday or send them a present when they have a baby. Remember: Instagram helps supplement the human component of our profession, not replace it – especially in these times where personal touch and human interaction is needed and appreciated.

Ana Sofia Rodriguez D., MBA, is a 16 year Qualifying and Life MDRT member with six Court of the Table qualifications. She qualified for the first time in 2006 at age 25, becoming the youngest female member to qualify from Latin America. Rodriguez currently serves as Divisional Vice President for the 2021 MDRT Annual Meeting.