10:55 AM
Hearsay Social and LinkedIn Introduce Social Business Platform
Hearsay Social, whose customers include Sun Life, announced today at LinkedIn’s FinanceConnect event that it has expanded its partnership with the social network to create a software solution that helps financial services firms leverage social media to better engage with their clients.
“We’re witnessing a shift from social media as being optional to becoming necessary,” says Clara Shih, CEO of Hearsay Social, provider of a social business platform for financial services. Though it has worked with other industry, the need to address regulatory requirements drove Hearsay towards financial services.
Sixty-eight percent of online adults who own an investment account maintain a profile on social networking sites, says Shih, citing a Forrester report. According to an FTI study, she continues, 71% of advisors report being able to find their targeted clients on LinkedIn.
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Statistics such as these, combined with Hearsay’s goal of serving leaders in financial services, made LinkedIn an ideal partner for forming a social business solution. LinkedIn has earned its reputation as a foundational social network for relationship managers and the two have a longstanding relationship, says Shih.
“Increasingly, customer conversations are happening across LinkedIn Company Pages, individual profiles, and LinkedIn Groups,” explains Shih in a statement. “It’s imperative for today’s financial firms, business units, and representatives to take part in these conversations.”
Their joint solution, entitled Hearsay Social for LinkedIn, was created in conjunction with LinkedIn Marketing Solutions and LinkedIn Sales Solutions. It allows businesses to manage and enhance their online presence, and boost client engagement, while meeting regulatory requirements. Account holders can manage all social media aspects of LinkedIn and publish content to multiple social media accounts.
Through Hearsay Social for LinkedIn Company Pages, marketing teams can leverage company pages to share ideas on LinkedIn while ensuring compliance. Firms can also publish and share relevant content with clients, prospects and recruits.
Hearsay Social for Advisors and Wholesalers allows relationship managers to update their profiles with compliance-approved content and expand brand reach. It is also compatible with LinkedIn Sales Navigator, the network’s enterprise sales solutions.
Financial advisors can use Hearsay Social for LinkedIn Groups to seek and engage with customers, prospects and peers who share common interests. This outlet allows leaders to build their professional credibility and connect with more people while meeting compliance standards.
Users of the platform also have access to a content library created by Hearsay and LinkedIn to provide individualized content. The library contains articles, posts and industry-specific information that account holders can share with followers. Each user sees different content based on their location, cultural market or product offerings. The library is accessible via mobile device and can also post to Facebook and Twitter.
Hearsay Social for LinkedIn is currently undergoing staged deployment.
Kelly Sheridan is the Staff Editor at Dark Reading, where she focuses on cybersecurity news and analysis. She is a business technology journalist who previously reported for InformationWeek, where she covered Microsoft, and Insurance & Technology, where she covered financial ... View Full Bio