Although I work with financial advisors from all over the nation with all different types of experience, there is one thing that stands out the most they, ironically, more times than not, come to me for advice. Captions. Should I caption my content? What should I say in my posts? Is it really that important? Yes, it is. I know it can be quite tricky to come up with captions, especially if you don’t have the typical “creative” brain that you feel you need to have; however, don’t let that steer you away from captioning your photos. Perhaps if you look at it differently, it may help you develop ideas the next time you post a social media design.

All advisors, or people in the professional sense, can relate to client meetings. There are crucial moments in a client meeting, funny moments, learning experiences, and perhaps even empathetic circumstances. No matter what industry you are in, I am sure you have experienced at least one, if not all, of the situations I listed. Do you know what all of these experiences can translate into? Content. Have a social media design with verbiage that pertains to retirement, let’s say. The design relays a brief statement or question already, so now you’re like, “Okay, what else could I possibly say in the caption?” What if you had a circumstance the other week where a client of yours had a situation that tugged on your heartstrings. Or made your belly laugh. Or that reminded you of why you do what you do. Lean into that and use that (leaving out names, of course).

Something I like to relay to my clients is to think of seeing their content from their target audience’s point of view. If you saw one of your designs with the caption that just said “Call me 555 5555”, would you want to work with that advisor (or whatever industry that may be)? The truth is, no, you probably wouldn’t. Your first impression would be to scroll past it or perhaps even have the initial thought of, “Oh, just another advisor seeking more money”. Sounds harsh, but it could very well be true. Now, what if you saw that same ad but with a caption talking about their childhood and how they have always been drawn to money from a young age. Or a funny story about what their 4-year-old daughter had said that was somehow related to the topic. Or even just a noteworthy meeting with a client. From your potential client’s perspective, they may not think those same thoughts as the previous situation. They discern you differently, and although your intention was the same, the way it was perceived is changed. So, the next time you are stuck on what to caption a post, don’t put so much pressure on yourself to be super straightforward and almost robotic in your professionalism. Just let it be. Tell your stories. Show your authenticity. From your audience’s perspective, you are now not just seen as an advisor but even more so now as a mother, a friend, a fellow human.