Developing a ‘digital doppelganger’ that works for you 24/7 to establish an online presence and develop name recognition can be the decisive difference in getting a deal, advises the digital guru. retirement industry Spencer Smith.

In a September 14 keynote address at the 2021 NAPA 401 (k) Summit, Smith shared his insights on how 401 (k) diet advisers can identify and amplify their digital presence to ensure they are ahead. prospects they are trying to achieve. Smith is one of the founders of AmpliPhi, an investor / start-up advisor for over 20 companies and co-author of the best-selling book, ROTOMA: Social media ROI tops the list.

Smith outlined a series of steps to developing an online presence, including:

• develop a framework of key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure what works and what does not;
• develop an online role and decide if you want to be a host, guest, contributor, or a combination of these; and
• performing what he called a “STEM” test (intelligent, thoughtful, entertaining and motivating) to determine which personality you want to portray online.

In emphasizing the importance of these steps, Smith refers to ROTOMA – “return to the forefront of mental consciousness” – by which he means that “people think of you or not, and if they don’t. don’t think of you, they can’t do business with you… the idea of ​​showing up, and showing up constantly, is really important, ”Smith advised.

KPI framework

When it comes to KPIs, Smith suggests “bundling” them together to figure out what to measure and over time determine what works and, therefore, what to manage. The first KPI framework is what he calls a “zero-sum game,” which means if you’re not at the top, you’re second or even lower.

“Every time we measure our ranking and hit that top spot winning is fantastic, but what happens then? Smith asked. And once you hit that top spot, you’ve got a target on your back, he suggested, and you better be ready to act. One example he cites is search engine optimization (SEO) and how your practice appears in web searches.

A second style of KPI is what Smith calls collectibles. “You continue to enrich your collections, and it’s something to do from a KPI perspective to prepare you for success over time by having a wellness metric,” he explains. An example of a collectible seeks to increase your followers and social media connections, say from 500 to 700.

A third style of KPIs, a highlight, which he notes is important because you need to be ready to peak. “It’s really important to understand that we will eventually retreat, so we want to put something in place to be successful in that regard as well,” said Smith.

Host, Guest or Contributor?

Whether you have a LinkedIn profile or website, or meet people in person at networking events, those involved can be divided into three roles, Smith explains: host, guests, and contributors. “Whether you’re planning the party, having guests, or an outside contributor, anything you can do in that capacity will help raise your brand’s profile online,” says Smith. “You don’t have to be the star of the show, you don’t have to be either. You can just add to the conversation very easily.

Smith notes that this activity does not have to relate to your consulting activity. He suggests looking outside the industry to share your best practices – like in a Facebook group, for example – on something that interests you, like your hobbies. From there, he notes, you can develop relationships that can eventually turn into leads.

Smith also suggests trying to differentiate yourself beyond the standard everyone-approved posts that anyone can create. “We need to differentiate you by what you share that is personal to you. This is how we get people to understand who you really are and this is when they want to do business with you, ”he explained.

STEM test

As for the STEM test, Smith explains that it has three main components:

• what you share makes you feel fulfilled;
• what you share helps your audience to feel how you would like them to feel; and
• what you share on the platform is relevant to the content you share.

Why is it important for you to share the things you care about and achieve for yourself? Smith notes that if you don’t, you will end up not doing it, which will lead to an inconsistent and haphazard way of doing business. On the other hand, if you share things that are important to you and do so consistently over time, you start to build your brand, which leads to greater recognition within the communities you want to serve, he noted. Plus, if people are afraid to miss out on the content you share, it helps them see you as a valuable source of information.

Call trust

Once you have a digital doppelganger that works around the clock, it helps build your self-confidence. “When you reach out to people or see them in person, and they welcome what you share, suddenly invoke trust and activating sales becomes a lot easier,” says Smith. “If we optimize what we do a bit more, feel better about what we do, and this digital version of us helps you – that’s really what it can do for you: create more confidence in your business. practice knowing that you are representing something welcome online.