How Financial Advisors Can Become Subject Matter Experts
Financial advisors who do not prioritize public relations often hold the common misconception that they are not newsworthy. This belief isn’t true, and the fact is, every single one of them likely has something interesting to share in their own right. Every financial advisor can provide a unique perspective on their approach to the profession and provide advice to the public based on their years of experience.
Establishing PR success comes down to identifying your specific area of expertise and the most press-worthy aspects of your practice. Once identified, you will need to effectively present those views to the proper media outlets.
Identify areas of expertise
Whether it’s retirement planning, tax planning, estate planning or any number of other services, you likely hold deep knowledge and experience in one or more specific areas of your trade. There will always be reporters, producers, bloggers and other media professionals looking for subject matter experts like yourself to serve as credible and trusted sources for their stories.
This creates a mutually beneficial relationship between advisors and reporters. Media professionals are constantly tasked with finding new story angles and sources to share expertise and insight while financial advisors are looking to earn third-party credibility and expand their visibility by being featured in the media. Most of the time you will have a public relations specialist or agency in the middle to facilitate each party’s goals.
Establish your presence
Another dynamic to serving as a subject matter expert is that, over time, the media will often begin to seek you out if they enjoy your commentary, ideas and perspectives. There is a popular line in the PR community: media gets media. It’s important to understand, however, that this avenue to earning third-party credibility is very much momentum driven. The advisors who experience the most success as subject matter experts make it an ongoing part of their company cultures and brands, not something they turn on and off at will.
While there are plenty of financial experts out there, your voice can be just as important. Don’t let the crowded digital space overwhelm you—you have expertise that the public wants to hear. The key to establishing yourself as an expert is to tap into your unique area of expertise, and speak up when an opportunity presents itself.
Want to learn more? Download Turning Press Into Profits: A PR Guide For Professional Services Firms today!
Kaitlyn Smith is an account executive at Flackable, a national financial public relations and digital marketing agency. Follow Kaitlyn on Twitter: @Kaitlyn_Perez
