3 ways to avoid social media’s time suck when prospecting

Too often advisors find any reason they can to avoid making direct contact with a prospect. Whether it is picking up the phone and calling a prospect, calling a client and asking for a referral or setting up some sort of passion prospect event, many advisors are steering clear of direct contact in favor of social media. I keep hearing social media is the go-to tool for prospecting but can’t help but think it has become an avoidance tool when used incorrectly. 

Recently on LinkedIn somebody connected with me by sending along the usual invite. After accepting, LinkedIn tried to connect me to more people by showing me other people I may know. I started to scroll through one page and click a few people you know, and before you know it I’d spent 20 minutes surfing for connections — valuable time wasted.

I’m not alone on this. We know how distracting LinkedIn, Facebook Twitter, and all the other sites can be without a strategy. The content is sticky and it’s just too easy to get sucked in. An hour later you find yourself asking where the time went. 

Now I’m certainly not saying to avoid social media altogether. It’s here to stay and is playing a more vital role in how advisors grow their businesses every day. What I am saying is to avoid spending too much directionless time on social media. Much like you do for team and client meetings, set aside specific time for your social media. Here are three strategies to enhance your social media efforts and reduce the drain on your time. 

1) Automate

Advisors must stay important and engaged by regularly sharing relevant content via social media. The problem is that there is an abundance of content out there and sifting through it takes precious time away from more important work. So eliminate surf time by subscribing to a trusted service provider that consistently delivers the content your clients are looking for. 

See also: 7 ways to attract the perfect life insurance prospects every month