Wladimir Simonov is an expert for financial advisors who want to win customers via Facebook and Co. He has done this successfully over the years and was named “Social Media Broker” of the year at the DKM 2018. Simonov likes to polarize with his statements regularly, which has brought him a large reach in the social networks. (Image source: Alexey Testov)
Social media has become one of the most important components of corporate communication. Platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn make it possible to get in direct contact with a target group. However, there are peculiarities that must be observed in order to operate successful marketing there. Social media experts and coaches reveal what these are Wladimir Simonov.
Wladimir Simonov knows exactly what entrepreneurs have to pay attention to when positioning themselves on social media. He is a social media expert and coaches financial advisors in this area. The native Ukrainian has lived in Germany since he was eleven. In 2005 he started his career as an insurance broker until he decided to switch to the coaching business in 2018. “I just had more fun showing my colleagues how a clever insurance business really works,” explains Simonov.
Despite the increasing importance of social media, he keeps seeing financial advisors who only rely on referrals to attract new customers. However, this type of new customer acquisition takes a very long time and is usually not a predictable source. This is precisely why Vladimir Simonov advises financial advisors not to just bet on it.
Buying leads is also nonsense in his eyes. “This data is often obtained through dubious landing pages, with unrealistic promises and with apparent bargains and is therefore usually worthless,” he emphasizes. The won customer comes to the financial advisor with an expectation that is completely unrealistic. Financial advisors naturally want to reach premium customers who are willing to pay the appropriate price for what is offered to them. Simonov is certain: “The best way to do this is to address the target group via social media.”
One customer per day in lockdown times is possible
Hardly any marketing tool offers the range and precision that social networks promise. The low expenditure of time and endless design possibilities are additional arguments that speak in favor of acquiring new customers via social media. As an insurance broker, Wladimir Simonov was able to win over 1,000 new customers with Facebook in four years. That’s almost a new customer every day. “And that was all online, which means: Even in lockdown times, as my customers have proven to this day,” he clarifies. He gives us important tips on how financial service providers can start with digital marketing.
1. Use social networks to address the right target group
In order to successfully win customers with social media, financial advisors need to know who their target group is and where to find your target group. Because: Every social media platform addresses different target groups. Facebook or Instagram are particularly suitable for private individuals. However, if entrepreneurs are to be addressed, Xing and LinkedIn may be more interesting.
2. Formulate clear and concise messages
Social media is not about writing a long report about why the advertised product is so great. Instead, the advantages must be clearly and precisely highlighted so that the reader is immediately aware of the added value that is offered here. The content should be planned in advance and ideally coordinated with one another. In addition, they must be tailored to the target group, i.e. the content must be formulated in the language of the target group. Marketing only shows its effect if you feel directly addressed by the right words.
3. Offer varied content
Nobody on social media wants to see the same campaign for the tenth time. The more varied the content a company offers, the more interest the target group will have in following the site. Switching between images, videos, texts and links is ideal. Care should be taken to ensure that the content is professional.
The users on social media platforms don’t want to hear exuberant advertising slogans either. That means long press releases or advertising phrases are taboo. Sometimes a simple question is enough: “I once posted: Your car is fully comprehensive insurance – but how about you? This alone resulted in queries from potential customers, ”recalls Simonov.
4. Interact with the target audience
One of the great advantages of social media is that companies can interact with the target audience. This enables direct feedback on content to be received. As an insurance broker, you can therefore assess what will go down well with the target group and what they are less interested in. In addition, the interaction can create an initial basis of trust between the company and the customer.
As an entrepreneur, you also have to be prepared for the fact that reactions to a contribution can come that are not entirely positive. Here it is crucial to always react professionally, to accept criticism and, if necessary, to use it as an impetus for improvements. “But if it’s obvious nonsense, you can counteract it,” says Simonov.
5. Use statistics for optimization
How successful social channels are and whether the strategies used make sense can usually be tracked on social media platforms using statistics. Feedback functions such as “Like” buttons and comments provide some good key figures with which companies can assess the results. It is important to keep an eye on the development of the statistics in order to be successful with social media marketing in the long term. If you take the game seriously, you can save your post and interaction in an Excel spreadsheet – so you can recognize patterns.
Author: Wladimir Simonov
You can read the full article in the current issue of the e-magazine The mediator.
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