Establish Yourself as an Expert: Increase Exposure and Media Mentions

We live in a noisy world. Everyone has something to say, and we're obligated to turn out the content to keep up.

We also need to produce content in various forms to establish ourselves as experts in our professions. After all, how is a prospective client supposed to vet and verify us as capable, talented, planners and advisors if there's no digital trace of ourselves or our work available for them to view?

So we create websites where prospects can visit us online, to check out what we stand for, what we do, and how we add value to lives of consumers. We blog, sharing our knowledge and proving that we can talk the talk and walk the walk.

And while we have control over our own platforms -- like our websites and blogs -- we don't have as much say when it comes to being featured on other platforms. These other outlets, places like Forbes, The New York Times, Financial Advisor, Investment News, are just as important to master as our own websites if we want to establish our expert status.

But how?

How can advisors increase exposure and gain more media mentions?

Be Proactive and Get Out There

Have you noticed tweets from XYPN, pins on Pinterest, or that little section in the newsletter that mentions when an advisor was featured in yet another article on Forbes or in a post for a major, widely-read financial blogger? Wondering how you can see your name in that area?

The key is to be proactive. Don't wait for opportunities to come to you.

Here's a quick rundown on how to make it happen:

• Utilize social media
• Use the appropriate tools to find media outlets who need your help
• Reach out to members of the media; don't wait for them to find you
• Show off your media mentions once you start establishing yourself as a go-to professional

Is this sounding easier said than done? No worries. With the proper knowledge, you can increase exposure and rack up those media mentions before you know it. Let's go into detail on how to make this happen

Be An Active Participant on Social Media Platforms

Social media is an incredibly valuable tool we should all be utilizing. Being active on various platforms helps you get noticed by others, boosts your visibility as an expert with the answers, and serves as a simple way to start a conversation with an influencer you might otherwise have a hard time getting in touch with.

The top platforms advisors should be active on are LinkedIn and Twitter. Beyond that, Facebook is a good place to be if you know your ideal clients are there, and Pinterest is important for anyone who has female clients (which is likely all of us).

Not sure what to say on one platform, let alone all of them? Remember to post what's relevant, what's valuable, and what can help others. Share your own content and the content of others. And keep things friendly and conversational; you want to be approachable, not scary.

Here are a few more best practices to keep in mind for social media posts:

• Use hashtags where appropriate (key words there: where appropriate. Don't be like Jimmy Fallon).
• Use @mentions. Start conversations!
• Ask questions to encourage engagement. Or search for terms you consider yourself an expert on (like, "retirement" and look for questions you can answer yourself).
• Reply to everyone you can. People won't bother reaching out to you if they look at your profiles and see you don't respond to people who took the time to try and connect with you.
• Don't just post links all the time. Provide cool insights, brief but informative tidbits, or share a favorite quote or tip. And again, ask questions to spark conversations.

And don't forget: there are tools available to make social media even easier. Schedule posts ahead of time and across multiple platforms at once with Hootsuite or Buffer.

Convinced you don't have the time for social media? Consider outsourcing this work to someone reliable. It's too valuable of a resource for connecting with others -- clients, collaborators, and media members -- to let it sit idle.

Connect with Members of Media through Appropriate Channels

Not so great at social media yet? While you're improving your tweeting skills, consider some other channels that allow you to quickly and easily get in touch with reporters who are actively looking for experts to quote for their pieces.

• HARO (Help A Reporter Out -- reporters file queries to find experts who can provide information)
• Reporter Connection

And don't forget about one of your excellent XYPN member benefits and respond to requests that members of the media file with the network.

Utilize your LinkedIn groups, as well. It's likely that reporters and other writers will be doing the same when they need expert opinions.

Monitor the ones that you're a part of that are most relevant to your area of expertise, and watch for anyone asking questions that they need answered to complete an article or post they're working on. If you know the answer, jump in with a snippet -- and then provide your email and allow that person to connect with your privately, where you can give a more detailed answer.

Don't Be Afraid to Pitch Your Ideas

In addition to using social media and tools like HARO, you can also reach out directly to reporters and journalists.

This doesn't mean email them and say something like, "hey, I'd really like you to write something where you can squeak in a clever quote from me, link back to my website, and get it seen by thousands of readers."

Please don't do that. Seriously, don't.

Instead, email them and ask how you might be able to add value to their work. Explain that you thought it would be great to see a post on XYZ, and if they're interested in writing on that topic, you'd be happy to provide your expert insight to help them craft a great piece.

You've just made this extremely easy for them. You not only provided an article idea (which any writer will tell you can be the hardest part of their job -- brainstorming up something original that can be written in an engaging way), but you also offered to be a resource for that piece.

Remember, it's all about helping the other person in this situation -- even if the end goal is to help yourself by increasing your exposure and earning yourself one more media mention.

Show Off Your Good Press

Once you start being featured in major outlets left and right, your work has just begun. It won't mean too much if people can't find your media mentions.

On your website or blog, include a page for your media mentions and press. Link to the articles and list out the publication where they were featured.

And be sure to tweet out, pin, like, and share the articles you've been mentioned in. Doing so makes you more memorable in the mind of the reporter who quoted you, and helps foster a good connection with someone who now knows exactly which financial expert to approach for help in the future.

The following tools will help you track your media mentions (set up relevant feeds or create alerts for things like your name and the name of your practice with these apps):

• Hootsuite
• Talkwalker
• Google Alerts
• Social Mention

Also, be sure to keep in touch with reporters and bloggers who you've worked with, or whose work you've been featured in. Ask them to share the link with the piece with you when it's live so you can help promote it.

Maintain that line of communication down the road, as well; periodically send a friendly email to ask if they might need help with a current piece or article they have in mind for the future.

Are you ready to get out there and drum up some good press for your practice?

About the Author

Alan Moore is the CEO and Co-Founder of XY Planning Network—a support ecosystem dedicated to helping fee-for-service advisors start, run, and grow their own financial planning firms and serve the clients they want. His favorite part about his job is dreaming about possibilities for what's next, knowing his stellar team will either tell him no or Get Sh*t Done to make it happen.