Could taking on the role of ‘asset manager influencer’ help you build trust and loyalty with institutional and wholesale clients? Could it grow your business?
Definitely – but you need to be aware of a few ground rules.
Being where people live
Influencers have a role in many worlds, from fashion to finance. The position of influencer has the advantage of being where people live – on social media. And that’s not just younger people.
Sophisticated financial decision makers of all ages are getting their news and information from digital sources, including through their social feeds. Institutional and wholesale investors – previously known for their uber-traditional attitudes, have been forced to embrace the digital age. Covid and volatile market conditions have seen to that.
In fact, with reduced face-to-face interaction between asset managers and their institutional clients, “asset managers must make a conscious effort to provide the personal touch that many institutional investors expect,” according to a LinkedIn report.
Social media is one way to meet that expectation.
How clients research now
The 2023 Brunswick Digital Investor Survey reported that 94% of institutional investors surveyed systemically harvest data from social and digital sources. 88% said they have made a recommendation or decision based on information from digital or social media.
According to the Brunswick study, LinkedIn is the preferred business social media platform, rated just under corporate investor relations websites as the most important source of information. YouTube, Instagram and Facebook are next most popular, above X, in the research. This is apparently how investors “keep a pulse on the conversation”.
And who do they want to see communicating the information? The LinkedIn research reveals that 44% of institutional investors consume content based on the individual who produced it, and 24% connect with leading voices to help shape their views.
The influencer is welcome here, if you get your approach right.
Some tips to bear in mind
In a survey of people who follow financial influencers, credibility stood out as the most important factor in creating trust as an influencer. Meanwhile, content and referrals are seen to be more important than the number of people following you. So, if you want to establish yourself as an influencer, credibility and trustworthiness trump popularity.
You’re not there to spruik a product or service. You need to maintain a personal focus and stand apart from sales. Your role is to educate, humanise concepts, even entertain. Within that, there is scope to tailor an approach that suits your own style and outlook. There is also scope to convey your firm’s values and purpose to inspire further trust.
“ 44% of institutional investors consume content based on the individual who produced it.”
Obviously, influencers need to comply with any local laws that proscribe certain behaviours within financial discussions and advice online. There are rules around how you can influence an audience in the financial sphere.
It helps if you’re a person who enjoys writing and communicating with an audience. Ideally, an influencer would live and breathe social platforms, understand the nuances of subject matter and audience, and be able to put their own unique and entertaining spin on news and data.
Influencers also need time to strategically develop quality, topical content, working with their firm’s marketers and supported by other social media-savvy employees – perhaps even by third-party content writers and agencies. Getting other employees to share the content with their networks is important too.
One last thought
With an audience that is small and specialised, like institutional and wholesale investors, the influencer may find a more targeted approach is effective. Make it feel like you’re sharing on-point personal nuggets of advice rather than being part of a vanilla content marketing campaign.
As the LinkedIn research shows, customised content is key, shared using the formats and the channels your audience prefers. This of course requires an understanding of audience needs and priorities.
With that under your belt, go forth and be influential!
