Creating Social Glue with Web 2.0 Strategies

Good stuff. This quick and fun video makes the point in 90 seconds: Advisors who use Web 2.0 and Social Media strategies online can build buzz and generate awareness.

I'm hosting a "live" online discussion this week only for Financial Planning magazine. To join that discussion click here: http://www.financial-planning.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=240851&t=2365211&p=2368180#p2368180

Time to Ramp Up Your Marketing Plan!

Here are three resolutions FAs should tackle in 2010 to improve their market share:

• Resolution #1: Work Some Media Magic
• Resolution #2: “Celebritize” Yourself
• Resolution #3: Expand Your Reach

Here's how to do it: Read my article, just published as a web exclusive by Research magazine: Time for a Transition (V): Ramp Up Your Marketing Plans in 2010

Looking Ahead

In my next installment for Research, I will provide tips on using Web 2.0 and online social networking strategies to expand your reach and generate positive search engine results.

But, if you are hungry for information on using Web 2.0 and social media to build buzz and create additional traffic to your primary Web site, you might want to sign up for the Using Web 2.0 and Social Media to Build Relationships webinar being offered by the Financial Planning Association (FPA) on January 20, 2010, at 1:00 pm CT.

I’ll be hosting the virtual learning session and will be joined by compliance expert Nancy Johnson Jones (www.compliancemaze.com), who will tell you what you can and can’t do under FINRA and/or SEC regulations, and multi-media expert Chris Hall (creator of “fast, fun and informative” Practice Management tips brought to you by the "vanguards of practice management" at Securities America, online and FREE at www.AdvisorPod.com) who will give an overview of LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, blogs, YouTube, podcasts and other tools you can use to build relationships with people online. You do not need to be a member of the FPA to attend; everyone is welcom, although there is a small fee to attend (goes to FPA to defray costs).

Of special note:

I will be at a number of industry conferences this year and would love to hear your marketing success stories. You’ll find my ever-evolving schedule of events at www.impactcommunications.org.

In the coming weeks, you can find me at:

• TD Ameritrade national conference in Orlando, February 4-5, 2010
  
• T3 Technology Tools for Today conference in San Diego, February 18-20, 2010
• The FPA Business Solutions conference in Dallas, March 1-3, 2010 (save 15% with the code you will find at top of the page here: http://www.socialmedia-bootcamp.blogspot.com

My team and I are also leading the Web 2.0 and Social Media Boot Camp being offered by FPA as a pre-conference option on February 28, 2010 in Dallas (FPA early bird incentive ends January 22, 2010).

Hope to see you at one or more of these events!

Tamarac Takes Leap - Provides All-In-One Online Platform for RIAs

Davis Janowski, Tech Editor for Investment News writes today about Tamarac Inc., which is best known for its sophisticated portfolio re-balancing technology.

Tamarac is "stepping out of its niche and seeking to fill the broad needs of advisory firms by launching an all-in-one online platform. The effort is a bid to expand the company's business and address what its representatives describe as the lack of a comprehensive and truly integrated technology platform in the advisory market. In theory, the full platform will allow an advisory firm to run its entire operation with a set of laptops and an Internet connection."

This could be a game-changer for many firms!

Read the rest of Janowski's article here:
http://www.investmentnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100110/REG/301109968/1082/INIssueAlert01

Did You Miss These Tweets? Good Stuff!

Ck out the Web 2.0 and Social Media Boot Camp (2/28/10) being offered by FPA and Impact Comm - a first! http://www.socialmedia-bootcamp.blogspot.com

Doing webinar for FPA (1/20/10) on Using Web 2.0 and Social Media to Build Business. Sign up now - cheap! http://www.fpanet.org/Learn/VirtualLearningCenter/ClassDescriptions/UsingWeb20AndSocialMediaToBuildRelationships/

Will be speaking at TD Ameritrade's national conference first of Feb. Then on to the T3 Conference mid-Feb where speaking, doing PR for conf. www.tdainstitutional.com and www.technologytoolsfortoday.com for more info.

RT @Fiduciary360 Social networking site for advisors built to be FINRA compliant: http://bit.ly/6Fci7C @NewsfromIN

RT @ovrdrv What are the five biggest mistakes in social media measurement? http://bit.ly/6xsUDU

Kiplinger's PF says Seek Advice on 401k, profiles Impact client Smart 401k - puts Smart 401k clients on cover: http://bit.ly/7hwRNY

New tools 4 end of life planning http://www.investmentnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100103/REG/301039968/1082: http://bit.ly/8IxHI5

What's your major? http://www.investmentnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100107/BLOG01/100109903: http://bit.ly/4zespt

Don't know your risk tolerance? Here's how to find out: http://www.pbs.org/nbr/blog/2009/12/dont_know_your_risk_tolerance.html

Bob Veres offer Client Article Svc. Great 4 FA's client newsletters. Inside Info subscribers $151 discount code E2DE http://www.bobveres.com

Evolution of a Planning Firm - http://blogs.wsj.com/financial-adviser/2009/12/31/voices-sheryl-garrett-on-the-evolution-of-a-planning-firm/

RT @WSJPersFinance Relax, You Can Beat That Stress http://bit.ly/6bkn4h

RT @tweetmeme Tips for Better Twitter Tweets — Art Biz Blog http://bit.ly/K7gYv

RT @sangsito I need NAPFA advisor that can help me reach my goal in life without cost me arm and leg. Thanks.

@sangsito Visit http://www.garrettplanningnetwork.com to view 300 fee-only (commission free) planners. Will work on hourly or project basis.

Take a look at six social media trends for the upcoming year. http://bit.ly/5pKp0k

Great PM info for Financial Advisors = AdvisorPod.com http://www.advisorpod.com/SociallyAdept

New Year = Perfect Reinvention Time

Great article!
A "must read" as we enter the New Year:
Cover Story - Investment Advisor magazine: Reinvention Time

By Robert F. Keane

Scott Hanson and Pat McClain have built several successful advisory businesses. Now they’ve launched a new firm to serve low-net-worth clients. Pay attention.

You'll want to read the primary article (link above) as well as the 3 corresponding side bars. Why? I've worked with a lot of highly successful financial advisors over the past 23 years. Hanson and McClain are two of the smartest financial advisors I know. They treat their business like a business, outsource or hirer in expertise for anything they don't enjoy or do well, use time blocking and hold to personal time commitments, focus on first things first, are constantly in marketing mode - even when they don't need the business (which is, of course, the very best time to market) - and much more.

"A lot of financial advisors are just tradesmen," said Hanson in Keane's article. "They have a certain service that they provide and that’s what they do. As they get more successful they just work with bigger clients or more complicated clients to generate more revenue for the service that they provide. Most advisors don’t view themselves as a business. That’s why most advisory shops stay small, and I think it’s a mistake. Moving forward, it’s going to be even more of a challenge for these folks.

"We look at this as a business. We’re business people first and financial advisors second. Any decent businessperson would say, ‘How can I leverage the brand I have right now to bring in additional revenue?’"

Smart advisors everywhere will read Keane's article and take note. Hanson McClain are ones to watch in 2010 - and beyond.

LifeBio.com - Have Meaningful Dinner Conversations this Holiday Season, Win New Clients in 2010

Just in time for the holidays ...

LifeBio is offering a free Family and Friends Conversation Kit, available at www.lifebio.com through December 31, 2009. Company founder, Beth Sanders, guarantees the kit will make family dinner conversations richer and more meaningful. The holidays are one of the best opportunities families have to permanently capture family stories and make them last forever.

LifeBio's free Family and Friends Conversation Kit includes:

1. Life story questions ideal for the holidays or anytime. These table tents can actually be printed and set right on the dinner table. Answer cards for recording memories are provided.
2. LifeBio's 7 Tips for Interviewing
3. Ideas for kids to draw or write the memories being discussed
4. 5 good reasons to capture life stories NOW
   

Everyone has a story to tell, yet not everyone knows it, or knows quite how to tell it. That's where LifeBio comes in. Read more here: Free Download From LifeBio.com Promises Meaningful Dinner Conversations this Holiday Season

Advisors: Learn how to use LifeBio Events to generate better conversations with current and future clients - Read my article, published by Research magazine, here:

LifeBio Events: A New Way for FAs to Bond with Clients

Tom McCarthy, affiliated with Commonwealth Financial, uses LifeBio system to build rapport with current clients and special guests – a great “next generation” strategy for smart advisors nationwide.

The Missing Piece of the Portfolio Puzzle

Only recently have managed futures become accessible to individual investors. These assets – investments whose value varies with changes in market indexes, interest rates, currency exchange rates and commodity prices – have long been used by foundations and other institutional investors to diversify traditional portfolios of stocks and bonds.

Now investors who have total portfolios of $500,000 to $5 million can benefit from managed futures. These investments are often viewed as being a bit risky for individual investors, and it’s true that they’re not for the faint of heart.

Unlike many traditional investments, managed futures aren’t suited to long-term, buy-and-hold strategies; they must be closely monitored and managed. But when added to well-diversified portfolios of stocks and bonds and properly managed, they may help to protect individual investors against market declines.

Bob Lindner, CEO of Lindner Capital Advisors, provides more details in his article published by HCPlive in their Finance/Money section:

HCPlive | Finance/Money | The Missing Piece of the Portfolio Puzzle

EstateLogic - a Powerful Tool to Build Client Relationships

Just learned about EstateLogic, a wonderful new system that allows people to organize their lives online. It's a "virtual safe deposit vault" that can help you and your clients organize and archive critical information in the right way, across the Four Categories of Estate and Legacy Preparation:

	Estate Documents: Wills, powers of attorney, trusts, medical directives, birth certificates, marriage licenses and other important papers
	Financial Catalog: Financial assets, liabilities, properties, collectibles, contracts, preferences on planned giving, etc.
	Family Legacy: Stories, pictures, videos, heirlooms, ancestry information, key family contact information, and other important aspects about your heritage
	My Instructions: Your preferences for continued dependent care, pet care, funeral instructions, along with personal values, and messages to be passed on to your family

Executor's Resource was founded by long-time wealth manager and highly-respected financial planning practitioner Myra Salzer. Having taken the time to demo the system and try it out myself, all I can say is "wow!" Not only is this a great gift for loved ones (and for ourselves) but it is a great client conversation starter - and a great client gift. They even have a whole marketing program for financial advisors to use in their marketing communications plan. Do yourself a favor and go check it out - www.executorsresource.com.

Here are some ideas from the most recent edition of their "Smart Way" newsletter.

5 meaningful gifts for the holidays:

1. Trace your family tree and give copies to family members.

2. Create a family cook book of favorite recipes.

3. Get out old family photos and design a coffee table style picture book. Identify who is in each picture and provide captions and descriptions.

4. Write a short letter to your loved ones about why they make your life special.

5. Give a new, blank journal to each family member for use in 2010.

What will you pass on?

What will your legacy be? You needn't be famous to have one. Each of us has a story worth celebrating and preserving. The key is to start collecting memories and thoughts now. Executors Resource provides an actionable "how to" in "What will you pass on?". Login to access this and other unbiased, professionally written content in the EstateLogic Resource Center Library.

Record your legacy one memory at a time:

No more postponing! Here’s how to record your legacy one memory at a time.

1. Login to EstateLogic.

2. Click on the Family Legacy tab.

3. Under the Quick Links menu, click Add Family Story.

4. In the title, type "My favorite childhood holiday memory."

5. In the body, type in the first things that come to mind when you think of the holidays and growing up. Was there a specific tradition your family had? Are there favorite foods, people, special songs, or one holiday season in particular that takes you back? Simply write about it!

6. When you've completed your entry, click "Save". Remember, it doesn't have to be lengthy or perfect. The beauty of your EstateLogic account is that you can come back in and update your entry at any time. What's important is recording your memories - your legacy.

With EstateLogic, it's quick and easy to have a well-organized estate and a lasting legacy.

Charles Schwab and Ken Fisher Share Spotlight, Receive Awards at Tiburon CEO Summit XVII

NEW YORK, Nov 19, 2009 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Tiburon Strategic Advisors, a market research & strategy consulting firm serving a wide variety of financial institutions and investment managers, recently awarded its inaugural Tiburon CEO Summit Awards to Charles Schwab (Chairman, The Charles Schwab Corporation) & Ken Fisher (CEO, Fisher Investments). This release highlights some of the key points made by both award recipients.

Tiburon's CEO Summits are built around two key themes:

-- Maintaining a focus on consumer needs

-- Challenging conventional wisdom

In the spirit of recognizing leaders in the financial services industry who have excelled at applying one or both of these concepts, Tiburon awarded its inaugural Tiburon CEO Summit Awards. Charles Schwab (Chairman, The Charles Schwab Corporation) received Tiburon's award for Maintaining a Focus on Consumer Needs. Ken Fisher (CEO, Fisher Investments) received Tiburon's award for Challenging Conventional Wisdom. Tiburon believes that maintaining a focus on consumer needs and challenging conventional wisdom are two of the keys to success in the rapidly evolving financial services industry.

These awards were presented at Tiburon CEO Summit XVII on October 7, 2009:

Charles Schwab (Chairman, The Charles Schwab Corporation) - Tiburon's Maintaining a Focus on Consumer Needs Award

Charles Schwab started the well-known San Francisco based brokerage firm that goes by his name in the early 1970s. Subsequently, Mr. Schwab has served as chairman of The Charles Schwab Corporation since incorporation of the firm in 1986. He also served as CEO or co-CEO from 1986 to 2008. Today, The Charles Schwab Corporation is one of the nation's leading providers of financial services, with 12,000 employees, more than 300 branches nationwide, approximately 10 million client accounts, & $1.2 trillion in client assets.

Mr. Schwab is the author of several books, was named chairman of the President's Advisory Council on Financial Literacy in 2008, and, along with his wife Helen, is the co-founder & chairman of the Charles & Helen Schwab Foundation, a nonprofit organization that focuses on helping children with learning disabilities and supporting low income families through initiatives in poverty prevention, homelessness, & substance abuse.

Mr. Schwab was presented Tiburon's Maintaining a Focus on Consumer Needs award because of the numerous consumer-centric innovations of The Charles Schwab Corporation, including its discount brokerage, telephone-based services, branches, web based trading, mutual fund supermarket, and its custodial, operational, & trading support services for independent fee-based financial advisors.

Mr. Schwab sat down with Tiburon managing principal Chip Roame to discuss some of the factors that have contributed to his success as well as to discuss some of his opinions about the state of the financial services industry. Some of the highlights are included: When Mr. Roame asked how Mr. Schwab has been able to maintain a focus on consumer needs while also consistently introducing innovations to the industry, Mr. Schwab said that timing is everything. He went on to say that it is important not only to be in the right place at the right time, but to recognize and then act on opportunities as they present themselves. One of Mr. Schwab's key points was that he has always asked himself how a given situation will affect the common guy, and that this consideration, more than any other, caused him to rethink what a customer was and to reclassify customers as clients. Mr. Schwab referred to ETFs as Schwab's next big initiative.

When Mr. Roame asked about Mr. Schwab's insights into what might lead the recovery of the financial services industry, Mr. Schwab said that the basic fundamental values of middle America - family, saving, & college education - are still the leading factors in considering how to reach clients. He also went on to acknowledge the debate over how to move forward ideologically, and said that in any case, the financial services industry must evolve to inherently embrace high ethical standards.

When an audience member asked how Mr. Schwab has been able to consistently generate ideas that work, Mr. Schwab talked about the value of testing - starting small market and moving bigger as successful testing warranted. He specifically mentioned that he has oftentimes considered his own needs when considering the needs of the masses. In one case, as Mr. Schwab preferred no-load mutual funds in his IRA account, this may have led to the genesis of the mutual fund marketplace at The Charles Schwab Corporation.

Ken Fisher (CEO, Fisher Investments) - Tiburon's Challenging Conventional Wisdom Award

Ken Fisher has been CEO of Fisher Investments since founding the firm in 1979. His firm is the largest direct marketer in asset management and depending on one's definition, the largest fee-based financial advisor. Today, Fisher Investments has 950 employees, 85 professional sales people, tens of thousands of clients, and more than $30 billion assets under management.

Mr. Fisher's theoretical work in the early 1970s yielded a tool known as the price-to-sales ratio, now a core element of financial curriculum. Mr. Fisher is also known for his Portfolio Strategy financial investment column featured monthly in Forbes magazine, where his 25-year tenure makes him the fourth longest-running columnist in the magazine's 92-year history. His recent research, published in professional & scholarly journals, focuses on behavioral finance.

Mr. Fisher was presented Tiburon's Challenging Conventional Wisdom award because in almost every facet of his business he has challenged the trends of others, including his use of direct mail, web based advertising, & infomercials; the use of dedicated sales people and a separate dedicated service organization; aversion to hiring graduates of big name universities; telephone based service model; and well defined job descriptions with unparalleled levels of specialization of labor.

Mr. Fisher sat down with Tiburon managing principal Chip Roame to discuss some of the factors that have contributed to his success as well as to discuss some of Mr. Fisher's opinions about the state of the financial services industry.

Some of the highlights are included: When Mr. Roame asked how Mr. Fisher has been able to challenge conventional wisdom, Mr. Fisher said that there are two ways to think about the question - internally & externally. Mr. Fisher said that externally, his only real contribution has been the price-to-sales ratio work that he did in prior decades, but that internally, at Fisher Investments, he continues to challenge conventional wisdom daily, saying that he prefers never-yet-done-practices over best-practices.

When Mr. Roame asked about Mr. Fisher's insights into what might lead the recovery of the financial services industry, Mr. Fisher said that financial services professionals must lead with innovations that are good for consumers.

He also said it is vital that the industry monitor itself, that there always be a sense of Am I Doing the Right Thing? driving any decision that is made.

When an audience member asked how Mr. Fisher maintains very high client retention at Fisher Investments despite the firm's unusual sales-oriented structure, Mr. Fisher explained the value of binding both employees & clients to his firm. In binding employees to his firm, Mr. Fisher discussed the necessity of each employee having a breadth & depth of experience in order for promotion.

In binding clients to his firm, Mr. Fisher discussed the importance of frequent client interactions and specifically about managing client expectations. He said that both considerations are important to maintaining a robust business.

Tiburon CEO Summit XVII was held on October 7-8, 2009 at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in San Francisco, CA. Tiburon CEO Summit XVIII will be held April 14-15, 2010 at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in New York, NY. To learn more about this unique forum for debate & networking among financial services CEOs, go to www.TiburonAdvisors.com, or if you are a qualified Tiburon client and would like to attend the upcoming Tiburon CEO Summit XVIII, please contact Tiburon Managing Principal Chip Roame directly. Contact information can be found at www.TiburonAdvisors.com.

Source: http://www.cnbc.com/id/34036760

An Amazing 43 Minutes: Sarano Kelley Serves as Accountability Coach to (Formerly) Broke & Famous TV Actor

As a young star on two of the then most popular shows on television, Willie Aames had both wealth and fame, and lived the good life -- he is now faced with the prospect of losing his house, his possessions, and his family, after making a series of bad financial choices and living beyond his means. With no acting roles in sight, Willie is in dire straits with no plan to pull himself out of his situation. Enter Sarano Kelley, a tough, no-nonsense life coach who will be tasked with giving Willie the wake-up call he needs and helping him to reshape his financial future...before it's too late.

Watch Willie Aames's life completely change as he goes from famous to broke to the person he never knew he had inside.

Air Date: 11/09/09:
http://www.vh1.com/video/play.jhtml?id=1625079

Backing Up The Brokers

Regulators are requiring brokers who sell retirement savings plans to meet a fiduciary standard.

by Scott Revare, CEO, Smart 401k

The last thing that most broker-dealers that sell and service 401(k) plans want is for regulators to classify their representatives as fiduciaries. Under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, brokers who give plans or participants advice on specific investments are considered to be acting as fiduciaries. As regulators step up enforcement of these rules and new layers of regulation are added, the likelihood that a broker may become a fiduciary inadvertently is increasing sharply.

Click here to learn how some brokers are handling this.

Watch a Sneak Peek of Broke and Famous - Then Download Free "Town Hall In A Box" to Host Your Own Financial Literacy Meeting

Watch a Sneak Peek of Broke and Famous: Preview the show now. Then tune-in Nov. 5th at 10pm to see if actor Willie Aames can dig himself out of his financial hole.

Financial advisors:

Download free Town Hall Materials (customizable flyers, post cards, news releases and more - all developed by my team of professionals at Impact Communications and free for the taking) and learn how you can use the first episode of Broke and Famous as a conversation starter at a financial literacy gathering hosted by you in your own community.

Go to www.iafsca.com now to get the entire turnkey plan.

IAFSCA Launches Largest Financial Literacy Campaign in History

The International Association of Financial, Sport and Celebrity Advisers (IAFSCA) will use a ground-breaking, one-hour television special to expose the horrors of financial illiteracy and launch the largest financial literacy awareness campaign in American history. Millions of Americans will tune in to VH1 on November 5, 2009 at 10:00 pm EST to watch or TiVo the first episode of "Broke and Famous," a one-hour docudrama that tells the heart-breaking story of former child-star Willie Aames.

As the docudrama begins, Mr. Aames -- who is best known for his roles in "Eight is Enough" and "Charles in Charge" -- is in deep trouble. Lack of financial knowledge and lack of trusted advisers leaves him with no home, no possessions, no family and nothing to show for his past entertainment success. With the help of world renowned Financial and Life Coach, Sarano Kelley (www.saranokelley.com), widely known in Hollywood and Wall Street, Mr. Aames is given a second chance to regain not only financial stability but countless other blessings.

Using the "Broke and Famous" docudrama as a conversation starter, thousands of financial advisers across the country will lead Town Hall Meetings in their communities during November and December 2009. These professionally led Town Hall Meetings will help participants understand what they and other important people in their lives can do to become more financial literate and personally responsible in their roles as global citizens. "As we enter the season of Thanksgiving and other important winter holidays, what better conversation to have with your loved ones than financial literacy," says Mr. Kelley, who emphasizes that many of the world's problems could be solved if we as a society were more personally responsible and financially aware. Financial advisers can download free Town Hall Meeting materials and Fact Sheets at www.iafsca.com.

According to U.S. Bankruptcy Court documents, Mr. Aames joined over 850,000 Americans who filed for business and/or non-business bankruptcy in 2007. As that figure rises with total filings reaching 1,117,771 at the end of 2008, the need for an American financial education lesson plan is crucial and immediate. "The IAFSCA is responding to these alarming numbers," says Mr. Kelley. "We will use Aames' 'Broke and Famous' story to reach millions nationwide on Nov. 5, 2009."

Kelley and an army of financial advisers will continue their financial literacy campaign by creating a "Stand Up for Financial Literacy" petition that concerned citizens can sign online. Updates will be issued via Twitter (sign up to follow @STAND4FL), Facebook and via the IAFSCA's website www.iafsca.com.

April 1, 2010 marks the start of U.S. Financial Literacy Month, where the "Stand Up for Financial Literacy" Campaign will take 100,000 advisers, educators, athletes, celebrities and business coaches into the country's classrooms to establish financial literacy awareness all across America.

ABOUT THE IAFSCA

Headquartered in Washington, DC, the IAFSCA is a cross-section of professional coaches, financial and business advisers dedicated to establishing a new generation of financially literate and purpose driven individuals who serve as fiscal role models. For more information, visit www.iafsca.com.

SOURCE IAFSCA / PR NEWSWIRE

Twitter Live! with Thought Leaders at FPA Anaheim 2009

Eric Rasmussen, a reporter for Financial Advisor magazine, called me the other day to find out about the session I hosted at FPA Anaheim 2009 called Twitter Live! with 20 Industry Thought Leaders.

Here is the part of his article that relates to the Twitter Live! session:

During the conference itself, the FPA also tried to keep its members up to date on social and technology trends with a presentation called “Twitter Live!” in which industry stars twittered their key thoughts about advising for 2010.

“They wanted to create a sense of connectedness with those who could not be at the conference and/or those who could not attend every session,” said Marie Swift, a communications specialist and president of Impact Communications in Leawood, Kan., who hosted the “Twitter Live!” event.

Read the rest of the article here:
http://www.fa-mag.com/fa-news/4596-fpa-conference-subdued.html

New to Twitter? Set up a free account at http://www.twitter.com. If your compliance department does not allow you to use Twitter to conduct outbound communications, keep in mind that you don't have to post (or "tweet" as it's called) to "follow" people and organizations.

When you sign up, search for people you know using the "people search" function, then click "follow". Twitter will consolidate all of their Twitter feeds onto your Twitter personal page. You can "protect" your Twitter page so only certain people (or no one) can follow you (and there wouldn't be any Twitter feeds from you if you don't post any).

If you want to follow me, type in marie swift. My Twitter "handle" is @marieswift (http://www.twitter.com/marieswift).

Twitter Digest - Did you Miss These Tweets?

I will be one of 18 "world class presenters" in a virtual summit next week. FREE. No travel involved! Register: www.InsuranceSellingSummit.com

Highlights from Invest In Others gala http://tinyurl.com/investinothers Impact Communications proud to represent top advisor / industry thought leader Brett Ellen.

Great article by Tara Siegel Bernard in the New York Times - To Retire in This Weak Market, the Magic Word Is ‘Focus’. An added bonus: several of Impact Communications' clients are quoted - smart people, all.

Interesting 7 minute podcast with New York Times reporter Tara Siegel Bernard and editor Jane Bornemeier - how to plan for and think about retirement: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/15/your-money/15LIFE.html

Julie Littlechild of Advisor Impact / Client Audit system - Watch Twitter Live! vblog: How advisors should be thinking about defining/articulating their value http://fpatwitterlive.blogspot.com/2009/10/julie-littlechild-advisor-impact-client.html

Mary Zimmerman of Kinder Institute / Path Financial - Watch Twitter Live! vblog: Thoughts on achieving success in 2010 and beyond: http://fpatwitterlive.blogspot.com/2009/10/mary-zimmerman-path-financial.html?spref=tw

Advisors - how to Create a Five Touch Campaign. Read my articles on MorningstarAdvisor.com

Financial planning dean - Deena Katz - says more regulation on the way - Watch Twitter Live! vblog

Liz Weston says credit will be the big story for 2010. View Twitter Live! video blog. Follow @lizweston

Impact Communications hosted the Industry Thought Leaders at booth at FPA Anaheim 2009. Wonderful seeing everyone there!

Great conversations w/ old friends and new at FPA Anaheim. Beth Sanders http://www.lifebio.com offering cool services for advisors.

Impact Communications coordinated a new and exciting session at FPA Anaheim 2009 -- Twitter Live! with Industry Thought Leaders. Watch video clips at www.fpatwitterlive.blogspot.com

Follow all the FPA Thought Leader tweets @fpassociation and/or use hash tag #FPA2009 to pull up consolidated digest.

Use my name "swift" and save 30% off ASN360 Practice Mgt Summit. I am speaking Nov 7. Enter SWIFT in discount box - early bird ends10/5 - register at www.asn360.com

Read George Kinder's article in Bank Investment Consultant magazine. Help your clients achieve their dream of freedom.

Gave away over $10,000 in prizes at FPA Anaheim 2009. Fun hanging out with dozens of industry thought leaders.

Securities America Congratulates Brett. S. Ellen - Invest in Others Award

Brett S. Ellen, CFP, president of American Financial Network of Calabasas, Calif., founder of TKO Helping Hands, has been named winner of this year's Community Leadership Awards Mentoring Excellence Award. A top advisor and registered representative with Securities America, Ellen is a great example for financial advisors across the globe. His family foundation, TKO Helping Hands, will receive $12,500 from the 503(c) Invest in Others organization.

In photo: Brett Ellen accepts his award from Robert DeChellis of Allianz Life Financial.

Read article about Brett Ellen's charitable activities in Investment News: Teaching Children to Help Others

Hear podcast with Janine Wertheim, CMO, Securities America, Inc. - great ideas for companies who wish to give back to the community: Securities America Celebrates 25th Anniversary with 25 Weeks of Caring, Giving and Sharing.


Read related article: Entrepreneur.com

Five-Touch Campaigns - Advisor Success Stories Here

In my last article for Morningstar Advisor, I provided thoughts and detailed instructions on how financial advisors could create an effective Five-Touch Marketing Campaign.

Be sure to read Power Up Your Marketing Plan - a companion article - too.

Please post your comments and success stories on this blog. We can create a dialog here.

Tiburon Strategic Advisors Honors Charles Schwab and Ken Fisher - FOXBusiness.com

As a Tiburon Consulting Fellow, I am proud to share the following news item with you. For those of you attending the Tiburon CEO Summit XVII in San Francisco next week, I look forward to seeing you there.

Tiburon Strategic Advisors Honors Charles Schwab and Ken Fisher

Inaugural Awards Ceremony to Take Place October 7-8, 2009 at Tiburon CEO Summit XVII

Tiburon Strategic Advisors, a market research & strategy consulting firm serving a wide variety of financial institutions and investment managers, has announced the recipients of its inaugural Tiburon CEO Summit Awards: Charles Schwab (Chairman, The Charles Schwab Corporation) and Ken Fisher (CEO, Fisher Investments). These awards will be presented at Tiburon CEO Summit XVII to be held at the Ritz Carlton San Francisco October 7-8, 2009.

Read full article now.

The Fundamentals Never Change

Economic indicators suggest the global economy is stabilizing. The financial dark cloud of the Great Recession may indeed be lifting. It’s given investors some renewed optimism. I’m reminded by this improving economic climate that no matter how dynamic markets are, the core principles of providing quality client-centered financial advice never really change.

I spoke with Roger R. Bell, president of Roger R. Bell & Company, Inc. in Dublin, Va., to get his thoughts on the immutability of financial planning. Here are four timeless tips that can help deliver long-term client relationships.

As published by Research magazine, August 29, 2009 - read:

The Fundamentals Never Change

Going Independent? Great Webcast!

5 Industry Experts share their views and insights:

1. Marie Swift, President and CEO, Impact Communications
2. Gregg Johnson, Senior VP, Branch Office Development, Securities America
3. Clyde Wyatt, Managing Director, Navigation Financial
4. Arthur Cooper, Co-Founder, Cooper McManus
5. Don Patrick, Managing Partner, Integrated Financial Group

In this 50 minute webcast, the panelists share over 100 years of experience in the independent financial advisory world - including practical considerations about setting up your office, selecting a broker/dealer, building a team and much more!

Why are we happy? 21 minutes of pure insight.

Smart Advisors Embrace Collaborative Services Platform

Listen to this 5 minute podcast from:

#1 Top Advisor Brett S. Ellen, CFP

speaking on the Collaborative Services Platform

To request your invitation to the September Training Class in Santa Monica:

http://www.afn-net.com/section10.cfm

American Financial Network Hires Impact Communications to Promote Business Services - FOXBusiness.com

American Financial Network Hires Impact Communications to Promote Business Services - FOXBusiness.com

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Friendly Persuasion ...

Smart business people are getting the hang of "the basics" now - blogs, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, webinars, podcasts, digital multimedia recordings, wikis, intranets, You Tube, Flickr ...

Are you keeping pace?

A little friendly persuasion:

Axis of Influence:One book you must read this year!

Two of my favorite authors are also people you probably know - Michael Lovas and his wife Pam Holloway. They are true thought leaders, and their new book is insightful - Axis of Influence: How Credibility and Likeability Intersect to Drive Success.

Michael and Pam are smart and extremely good at the psychology of making advisors more likeable and more credible. In their book, they teach you how to systematically improve both credibility and likeability.

In an era when so many books are filled with opinion and conjecture, Michael and Pam give you the psychology, the processes and the skills. And, thy they give you the research to substantiate their advice.

I believe Michael and Pam have written an essential book for every advisor who wants to achieve greater success, in personal life and professional life.

In addition, they are giving away $2,300 in Bonuses. You can get the details at:
http://www.axisofinfluence.com/PromoSummer2009.htm. And, be sure to tell them I said Hello!

Buy this book! Your business needs it!

Risk Tolerance, Psychometrics and You

Geoff Davey, founder of FinaMetrica (www.riskprofiling.com), talks with me about the differences between risk tolerance, risk assessment and risk capacity. He talks about "psychometrics" and how to get a true measure for the clients' risk tolerance.

Davey's firm is also doing some interesting research. They are surveying investors to find out if their risk tolerance has changed due to the economic downturn and market turbulence. The people they are contacting had worked with an advisor who in the past had used the Finametrica Risk Profiling system. They are asking them to use the same Finametrica Risk Profiling system again to see if their risk tolerance has indeed changed. Stay tuned to this blog and I will post a summary of their research findings as soon as they become available.

For now, do listen to this very interesting and insightful interview:

Impact Communications’ Marie Swift interviews FinaMetrica cofounder, Geoff Davey, about the FinaMetrica system, psychometric testing, the four aspects of risk, marketing opportunities and current research (23 mins.)

How to Beat Your Competition as a Small Business Owner or Service Professional

Do It Yourself PR Tips

Based on a question I received on an association discussion board, I thought I would share this information here as well. The question was essentially: how can IFAs can post news releases online "for journalists to 'pick up'" and/or target specific media outlets and journalists.


D-Y-I STEPS USING THE WORLD WIDE WEB / BUILDING AN ONLINE PRESENCE

There are many different vendors that offer online news release distribution / posting services. Some are free. Some are low cost. Some are pricey. There's some wisdom to the old adage, "you get what you pay for."

Most of the online free and low cost options, such as http://www.prweb.com, are meant to be online visibility tools. In my experience, most "real journalists" don't pay much attention to online postings and RSS feeds from services like PR Web. The real value of something like PR Web is that you can create an online news room and bank of permanent online news releases. This can boost search engine ratings and create happy "just stumbled upon your news release online" type of business results.

Other free services (some with a premium / paid upgrade option) include:

24-7PressRelease.com – Free release distribution with ad-support

1888PressRelease.com – Free distribution, paid services gives you better placement and permanent archiving.

ClickPress.com – Distributs to sites like Google News and Topix.net, Gold level will also get you to sites like LexisNexis.

EcommWire.com – Focuses on ecommerece and requires you include an image, 3 keywords and links.

Express-Press-Release.com – Free distribution company with offices in 12 states.

Free-Press-Release.com – Easy press release distribution for free, more features for paid accounts.

Free-Press-Release-Center.info – Distributes your release, offers a web page with one keyword link to your site. Pro upgrade will give you three links, permanent archiving and more.

I-Newswire.com – Allows for free distribution to sites and search engines, premium membership differs only slightly in adding in graphics.

NewswireToday.com – All the usual free distribution tools, premium service includes logo, product picture and more.

PR.com – Not only will they distribute your press releases, but you can also set up a full company profile.

PR9.net – Ad supported press distribution site.

PR-Inside.com – European-based free press release distribution site.

PRBuzz.com – Completely free distribution to search engines, news sites, and blogs.

PRCompass.com – Distribute your press release with a free or paid version, others can vote it up ala Digg (Digg) style.

PRUrgent.com – Not only distributes your release, but attempts to teach you how to write one, and even offers downloadbale samples for you to work with.

Press-Base.com – Submit your release for free and get on their front page and the category of your choice.

PressAbout.com – A free press release service formatted as a blog.

PressMethod.com – Free press release distribution no matter what, but extra services based on the size of your contribution.

PRLeap.com – Free distribution to search engines, newswires, and RSS feeds. Fee based bumps get you better placement.

PRLog.org – Free distribution to Google News and other other search engines.

TheOpenPress.com – Gives free distribution for plain formatted releases, fees for HTML-coded releases.


IF YOU WANT BETTER RESULTS, YOU'LL NEED PROFESSIONAL HELP ...

If an organization or individual had a more specific goal of getting a news release in front of a select group of journalists, the best options are to work with a professional PR firm.

Working with a professional PR firm has the following advantages:

1. Relationships with real journalists. Any good PR firm will have cultivated and will constantly be cultivating relationships with a targeted group of media outlets and specific journalists.

2. Access to comprehensive media databases. Any good PR firm will subscribe to a media database so that they can quickly build targeted media distribution lists and glean specific pitching tips for specific journalists. For instance, at my firm, we subscribe to Media Atlas / PR Newswire.

3. Proprietary media lists. Any good PR firm will have developed their own proprietary distribution lists. They won't share this information with you at any cost.

4. Insights about when to use a news release, when to do a virtual or in-person media tour, when to do email or phone pitching, mass blasts or personal outreach, etc.

5. Strong ability to write a compelling news release that will get the attention of the targeted media list or news wire service.

6. Insights on when to use direct distribution to their proprietary list versus a news wire service versus a satellite feed (or a combination thereof).

- Most PR firms use a professional news wire service to supplement their direct email and fax distributions -- for instance BusinessWire or PRNewsWire. We use PRNewsWire and can thus target specific media distribution areas in the US, select the entire US, or opt for global distribution.

- A professionally written news release put out on a good news wire service will get picked up by news aggregation sites such as Yahoo! news, Google news, etc. and various online publications such as Forbes.com, Marketwatch.com, MSNMoney.com, etc. Real journalists watch and search these sites for items of interest and resources that pertain to their "beat." In addition, there is a credibility factor that occurs when a company/advisor links to what looks like a "news article" on a credible outlet such as Forbes.com versus

- Sometimes PR firms will also use an Associated Press satellite feed to ensure it goes right into media outlets and has a higher chance of hitting editors/producers desks.

7. Integration of Web 2.0 and viral marketing strategies with traditional PR tactics.

- For instance, submitting a news release in the most appropriate way(s) as described above. Then finding the top 10 bloggers on the topic and sending them an e-mail, linking to the release somewhere it was published.

- Another example: Blogging, tweeting, participating on social and business networking sites like Facebook, various Ning and/or subscriber-based communities, LinkedIn, etc.

- One last example: Using multi-media news releases and/or an electronic media blitz.

8. Ability track and measure results.

More tips and insights on why PR should be a big part of every independent financial advisor's marketing plan is available here:

www.impactcommunications.org - check the Advisor Resources tab and the In the News tab, which houses almost all of the past articles I've written.

WHAT TO DO IF YOU CAN'T AFFORD TO WORK WITH A PROFESSIONAL PR FIRM ...

1. Get some media training. If you are a member of FPA, NAPFA, IAFSCA, GPN or other professional associations you are probably offered live and virtual media training opportunities. Another option is Media Mastery University: http://tinyurl.com/cxqvje.

2. Practice small before you leap large. Talk to peers about what they have done and how they have been successful. Get into a PR Training and Empowerment group lead by a PR professional.

3. Build one success on another on another on another. Leverage your media successes so that you to become a "slightly famous" planner with your clients and strategic partners. Enjoy the crebility and take the next step as you improve your media skills (e.g., go from a local newspaper bylined column or TV appearances to national outlets and TV appearances, write a white paper then a book, etc.)

AdvisorPod - Fast, Fun and Informative Practice Management Tips for Financial Advisors

Since it's recent launch, AdvisorPod.com has provided podcasts and tools to hundreds of subscribers. Check out a few of the latest podcasts available:

- Client Segmentation and Analysis,
- Structuring Your Client Communications
- The Number One Non-Investment Service

AdvisorPod.com is an exciting new podcast subscription service for financial services professionals that provides relevant best practices for running an efficient, profitable and enjoyable practice.Advisorpod podcasts have been featured as "New and Notable" in the Podcasts/ Business/Management & Marketing section of iTunes. Find out why!