Financial advisors are increasingly using social media for business purposes. A survey of over 700 advisors found that 75% use social media for business, with LinkedIn being the primary network used by 55% of advisors. Younger advisors and women tend to use social media more, and it is proving effective for many advisors, with 66% reporting having gained new clients through social media. Facebook use is also on the rise among advisors.

1. Networked:
Financial advisors find
success with social media
Putnam Investments surveyed over 700 financial advisors to
learn more about how they are using social media for business.
The findings are a continuation of research begun in 2012.
75%
are using social
media for business
Use is steady year-over-year
THE SOCIAL ADVISOR
The typical financial advisor
who uses social media for business
Has 11 years
of experience
Book of business:
$84M
Typical client assets:
$900K
46-year-old wirehouse
advisor living in the
southern or western U.S.
Is active on an average
of three social networks
66%
gained new clients
via social media
Up from 49% reporting
client gains in 2013
$5.5M was the average asset gain
Median = $1.6M
39% gained new
assets over $1M
Up from 29% reporting
>$1M gains in 2013
“Social media expanded my clientele
by approximately 25%. This is a great
way to recruit new business.”
FINDINGS: NETWORKS
LINKEDIN REMAINS THE TOP SOCIAL NETWORK
55%
of advisors use as a primary network
56%
of advisors gained new business 64%
of financial advisors
use LinkedIn
Business use
Personal use only
Do not use
Numbers may not equal
100% due to rounding.
22% 22%
61%
18%
Twitter YouTube
Instagram Pinterest Tumblr Vine
Women advisors
have higher
social media usage
82%
use social media for business
36% 26%
25% 28%
17% 48% 21% 52% 47%
62%
13%
12%
11% 10%
Google+
Wirehouses
have the highest
adoption rate
15%
83%
use social media for business
76%
78%
Advisors under age 30
blur the lines
between networks
94%
use social media for
business — highest
among all age cohorts
FACEBOOK USE IS ON THE RISE
OTHER NETWORKS ON THE HORIZON
FINDINGS: DEMOGRAPHICS
Most relevant for advisors age
50-64 years old
13 times
average usage in a month
24%
of advisors use as a primary network
83%
of advisors gained new business
Most relevant for advisors age
<30 years old
21 times
average usage in a month
36%
of financial advisors
use Facebook
Up from 22% in 2013
“My social presence keeps me top of mind with
clients I can’t speak to on a regular basis.”
71%
gained
clients
$5.6M
average
asset gain
Median = $1.7M
67%
give social media a
significant marketing role
83%
gained
clients
$9.6M
average
asset gain
Median = $6.0M
77%
give social media a
significant marketing role
80%
gained
clients
$5.7M
average
asset gain
Median = $2.6M
31%
use smartphones as the
access device of choice
Use three or more
social networks
for business
Use more than four
social networks for business
Are more likely to consider
all major social networks
equally relevant and eective
Base = Using social media for business.
“As more people turn to social media as a
way to connect, it will naturally become
a more ecient way to communicate and
build a brand.”
The 2014 Putnam Investments Survey 0f Financial Advisors’ Use of Social Media was conducted in
partnership with Brightwork Partners LLC among 729 advisors nationally who have been advising retail
clients for at least two years. The online study was conducted in late July 2014.
Putnam Retail Management 291514