A LinkedIn summary is one of the most important sections of your LinkedIn profile. It’s often the first thing people will read about you, and it’s your chance to make a strong first impression.
For financial advisors, your summary needs to quickly convey your expertise, experience, and value proposition. It should highlight your key skills, credentials, specialties, and approach to working with clients. The goal is to get readers interested enough to keep learning more about you.
An effective LinkedIn summary is concise, engaging, and professionally written. Follow the tips in this comprehensive guide to craft a summary that represents you in the best possible light and attracts your ideal clients.
Why Your LinkedIn Summary Matters
Your LinkedIn summary matters for several important reasons:
- It’s often the first section visible on your profile – it’s prime real estate to make an impression.
- It communicates who you are, what you do, and what makes you different.
- It determines if viewers will continue reading your full profile.
- It’s indexed by Google and other search engines, making you findable.
- It gives readers context before viewing your experience or connecting.
- It sets you apart from other advisors and establishes your professional brand.
In other words, your summary is your chance to put your best foot forward and get noticed on LinkedIn. Taking the time to craft a compelling, keyword-rich summary will pay dividends when it comes to expanding your reach and visibility.
How Long Should Your Summary Be?
Aim for a length between 150-250 words or 20-30 lines of text. This keeps your summary focused while allowing you to include details on your background, skills, and specialties. Avoid excessively long summaries, as they are difficult to read in LinkedIn’s small summary text box.
Key Elements to Include
Make sure your financial advisor LinkedIn summary covers these key elements:
Your Title/Role
Begin with your current professional title or role – for example, “Financial Advisor” or “Financial Planner.” This gives readers immediate context.
Years of Experience
Quickly state how many years you’ve been in the financial services industry. This establishes your expertise level. For example, “With over 15 years of experience…”
Firm Name or Brand
If you want to showcase your firm, include the name upfront. This gives you credibility by association.
Licenses or Credentials
Mention relevant licenses like Certified Financial Planner (CFP), Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), etc. along with any educational degrees. Credentials add legitimacy.
Specialties
Highlight your niche focus areas like retirement planning, investments, insurance, or tax planning. This shows what types of clients you work with.
Approach
Briefly explain your philosophy, values, or approach to financial planning. This provides a glimpse into how you operate.
Call to Action
End with an invitation or call to action to connect with you. This gives readers a clear next step.
Keyword Optimization
Your summary also needs to be optimized with relevant keywords and phrases that clients search for when looking for financial advisors. This helps you come up in LinkedIn search results and improves search engine optimization (SEO).
Some keyword examples include:
- Financial advisor
- Financial planner
- Retirement planning
- Investment management
- Insurance planning
- College savings
- Tax planning
Don’t go overboard with keywords, but try to naturally incorporate 1-2 keywords per sentence. Vary them throughout your summary.
Formatting Tips
Apply these formatting best practices:
- Use concise sentences and avoid lengthy paragraphs.
- Incorporate bullet points or numbered lists when possible.
- Mention locations like your city, state, or country.
- Use proper capitalization and check for typos.
- Publish your current, updated summary. Don’t use a draft version.
Proper formatting will make your summary more scannable and digestible for readers.
Example Financial Advisor Summary
Here is an example summary incorporating the above elements and tips:
Financial Advisor with over 10 years of experience helping individuals and families build personalized plans for retirement, investments, insurance, and tax strategies. Founder of Vision Financial based in San Diego, CA.
Specialties:
– Retirement Income Planning
– Investment Management
– Estate Planning
– Asset Protection
Certified Financial Planner (CFP) with a Masters in Financial Planning. Known for taking a goals-based and holistic approach to each client’s unique financial life and objectives.
Invite me to connect if you need an experienced financial advisor to help you achieve financial freedom.
This example quickly establishes credibility and expertise, highlights specialties, mentions credentials and education, provides context on approach, and ends with a call to action.
Tailor Your Summary for Your Goals
As you write your summary, keep your specific goals for LinkedIn in mind. What types of clients do you want to attract? How do you want to come across? What makes your services unique? Tailor your content accordingly.
For example, if you want to appeal to tech-savvy clients, highlight your use of financial planning software or digital communication tools. If you want to attract small business owners, mention your experience working with that niche.
Let your target audience and ideal client shape your summary content.
Do’s and Don’ts
Follow these basic do’s and don’ts when writing your summary:
DO:
- Keep it professional – no emojis or excessive exclamation points!
- Showcase what makes you unique
- Use a friendly, approachable tone
- Highlight notable achievements or awards
- Include a call-to-action for readers to connect
DON’T:
- Make it all about yourself – focus on helping clients.
- Use industry jargon or convoluted language.
- Misrepresent your qualifications or experience.
- Leave it blank – always publish your summary.
Stick to these guidelines, and you’ll be on the path to LinkedIn summary success.
Proofread and Revise
Treat your summary like any professional document – take the time to proofread it carefully before publishing on your profile.
Read it aloud and check for awkward phrasing. Run spelling and grammar checks. Ask trusted colleagues to review it and give feedback.
Revisit your summary quarterly and update it as needed. Refreshing your summary helps keep your profile dynamic and engaging over time. It’s not a one-and-done task.
Integrate With Your Overall Profile
Your LinkedIn summary doesn’t exist in isolation – it’s part of your full profile. All sections should work cohesively to present a consistent personal brand and expertise.
Make sure your summary aligns with your current position, headline, experience, skills, accomplishments, recommendations, and other profile sections. This strengthens how you come across to viewers.
Tools to Help Craft Your Summary
Take advantage of available tools to help create a polished, professional summary:
- LinkedIn Summary Generator: Creates pre-filled Mad Libs-style summary templates to customize.
- Hemingway Editor: Checks readability and suggests edits to improve clarity.
- Grammarly: Catches grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors.
- Keyword Planner: Helps research and analyze keyword usage.
- CoSchedule Headline Analyzer: Rates the effectiveness of your summary based on best practices.
These resources can take your summary from good to great.
Get Feedback from Connections
Ask for input on your summary from colleagues, mentors, or clients before finalizing it. They may catch issues you missed.
Positively framed feedback questions could include:
- “What parts resonated most with you?”
- “Does this accurately reflect my work and approach?”
- “Would this make you want to learn more or set up a consultation?”
Feedback helps prevent your summary from being too one-sided or hyperbolic. The goal is an accurate, authentic representation.
A/B Test Different Versions
If you’re undecided between two summary options, try A/B testing them.
Post one version for a set time period, then switch to the other version for the same time period. Track metrics like profile views, connection requests, or messages received during each period.
The better performing option is likely your winner. Just be sure to adhere to LinkedIn’s terms of service.
View Other Examples
Research how top advisors in your niche write their LinkedIn summaries. Take notes on what works well. Look at both their tone and specific language used.
Don’t copy them verbatim, but let their summaries spark ideas you can incorporate into your own version. Adapting proven messaging is better than starting from scratch.
Promote Your Summary
To maximize its impact, actively promote your LinkedIn summary once published. Here are some ideas:
- Share the link to your profile in your email signature.
- Mention it in relevant social media bios.
- Bring it up conversationally when networking.
- Include it on any marketing collateral like brochures.
- Reference it in website bios or blog author profiles.
Promoting your summary gets more eyes on it and drives engagement. Don’t just let it sit passively.
Track Performance Over Time
Leverage LinkedIn’s analytics to see how your summary is performing. Look at:
- Who’s viewed your profile
- What content they engaged with
- InMail response rates
- New connection requests
- Growth of your follower base
These metrics help you quantify the ROI of your summary. Review them regularly rather than taking a “set it and forget it” approach.
Conclusion
Your LinkedIn summary is a core part of your overall personal branding and ability to attract clients online. By following the strategies in this guide, you can craft an engaging summary that sets you apart from other financial advisors.
Focus on highlighting your experience, expertise, approach, and specialties. Apply optimization and formatting best practices. And don’t forget to actively promote it and track performance over time.
With a compelling, professional summary in place, you will maximize your discoverability and appeal to potential clients searching LinkedIn for qualified financial advisors. Use your summary as a strategic part of your digital presence and lead generation toolkit.