Social media roundup: Top 6 tips for advisors

Over the past week, Jay Palter kept an eye out for social media articles targeted at advisors and financial professionals. Here are 6 of the best:

Don’t give advice online

Looking for a way to safely give financial advice online? There isn’t one.

When using social media, stick to the basics, such as industry news and general content that’ll either amuse or interest your audience. Discussing a specific product or giving advice may cause provincial regulators to come knocking at your door. You may even drive away your followers.

Universal standards for all financial advisors

In April 2011, BrightScope launched a comprehensive directory of retail financial advisors. It contains information on more than 700,000 securities license holders.

It was created to provide consumers and clients with easy access to the information to research prospective advisors. BrightScope advocates for the creation of universal standards to measure the performance, experience, certifications, fees, and conduct of all advisors.

10 Social media time savers

Looming deadlines and lengthy to-do lists means social media falls through the cracks for many advisors.

Constantly updating blogs and twitter accounts can be difficult. Amy McIlwain, founder of Financial Social Media in 2010, offers professionals creative and timesavers to help them effectively leverage social media.

Media manuals for your summer reading list

Some amazing books have been written about the use of social media, says Michael Brenner, senior director of Integrated Marketing for SAP.

As advisors grab their flip-flops and head to the beach, check out his list of the 11 of the best titles on the market.

How to get the most out of ETFs

ETFs have prompted a major shift towards indexing strategies.

While they appear simple on the surface, investors need to understand their structure, opportunities, and limitations to get the most out of the vehicle. Read 101 facts that advisors and investors need to know about ETFs.

5 ways to boost your Twitter presence

Twitter’s been toted as the platform of choice for sophisticated investors and clients. But, are you getting the response you’re looking for?

With over a million different apps for Twitter, it’s hard to decide which ones add real value to your day-to-day tweeting. Leo Widrich, co-founder of BufferApp.com, provides 5 tools to help boost your Twitter marketing efforts.