Stats on 4 social media platforms advisors are adopting

As social media enters the mainstream as a tool for disseminating and gathering business information, a growing number of consumers are turning to Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and other portals for information about insurance and financial services.

And not just here in the U.S. As we reported in this space in September of last year, nearly half (48 percent) of the 6,000 insurance customers from 11 countries participating in an Accenture 2013 Consumer-Driven Innovation Survey said they would consider comments on social media in making their insurance-buying decisions. And more than half of the respondents (55 percent) said they would use one or more insurance services offered through social media. 

These numbers are not lost on insurance and financial service professionals, many of whom are also turning to social media to promote their practices to prospective clients. For evidence of this, look no further than a new Cogent Reports study from Market Strategies.

The research firm finds that 3 in 4 financial advisors now use social media for business-related purposes. The top platform: LinkedIn.