Stop Imitating What You See on Social Media

What works for an influencer in another industry will not work for a financial advisor.

If you’re going to do social media, please don’t imitate what you see people in other industries are doing.

There’s a whole world of trending content out there: lip-syncing to audio clips, memes, choreographed bits, and hot takes designed to go viral. And for some businesses, that works.

But you’re managing people’s entire net worth. The person you’re trying to attract is trusting you with their life savings, their retirement, and the well-being of their family after they are gone. When that person sees you acting out a trending skit or lip-syncing to a trending audio clip, what does that do for their confidence in you?

I’m not saying you have to be stiff or boring. Personality and authenticity matter. But there’s a difference between being personable and being performative. Your ideal client, especially if they’re a high-net-worth individual, is evaluating you for professionalism. They want to see competence, expertise, and judgment.

If you are getting marketing advice to take part in these types of gimmicks, it’s because your agency or consultant is chasing algorithms. Trendy content does get more views. But views from the wrong people are worthless to you. A reel that gets 50,000 views from people who will never be your client hasn’t done anything for your business. But if one of your highly qualified referrals happens to run across your content and doesn’t like what they see, you may have lost them.

If your digital agency is telling you to chase trends and engagement metrics, ask them how many clients those tactics have actually produced.

The takeaway: Social media tactics that work for influencers and consumer brands do not apply to financial advisors. Protect your reputation. The people you want as clients are watching, and they’re judging your judgment.