Scroll-Stopping Strategies for Harnessing Social Media Leads Compliantly

How do you get in front of your target market and keep them from scrolling to the next post? That is easier said than done. Facebook reports that the average time people spend on a piece of content is 2 seconds (3). Just think about how quickly you scroll to the next post on social media if your attention is not immediately grabbed.

What can your target market take away from your content in 2 seconds? If branded well enough, a consumer may be able to recall the brand and general message of your content in that fleeting moment. Although, you do not want them to spend just a moment on your content – you want them to engage with it, so the message resonates with them.

Social Media Playbook
Your path to social media success!

Affiliated Agents: Please ensure NLG content is only shared through approved social media sites using Hearsay. See the Affiliated Social Media Playbook link above for how to do this.

Independent Agents: Don’t forget to follow the Do Good. Be Good. Make Good. accounts and share our posts! Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter

• Independent Agents, please note that you cannot post NLG content or any of our logos, images, videos, advertising, etc., directly to your social media profiles and accounts. However, we do allow you to share content from our corporate sites. See the Independent Social Media Playbook link above for how to do this.

• Your content should be authentic and relatable, so consumers see you are human.
• Mix in some non-promotional content to show your personal side.
• Stand out. Visually appealing images and catchy captions can get the user to stop scrolling and break up the monotony of their feed.
• Tell a story that resonates with you and can emotionally engage your audience.
• Directly engage with your audience through interactive polls, questions, or challenges.
• Remember to respond and acknowledge any comments or messages you receive. Avoid engaging in debate or interacting with negative comments.
• Stay current with trends, events, or holidays to remain relevant and part of the ongoing conversation.

Outside of these suggestions, mirror what you see getting a lot of traction on social media. You do not have to re-invent the wheel.

Since the financial services industry is highly regulated, it is important to keep your social media activity compliant with state and federal regulations because it is considered a 24/7 “live” advertisement. Like any advertising, any social media content you create must be fair, balanced, and not misleading, among other things. This can be hard to do with the brevity of social media posts and profiles.

It will be important for you to find a way to be concise and still provide enough information that the user can make an informed decision from your post. This can be why it is better to talk about general concepts rather than specifics, so you do not have to add lengthy disclosures to your post. Avoid using promissory language and get in the habit of using “may happen” instead of “will happen”. Also, you may see a lot of trending videos out there describing life insurance as an investment – life insurance is not an investment and regulations prohibit the comparison, so do not follow that trend.

A good way to stay compliant is to share the content from the National Life Group (NLG) social media pages or look at our posts for ideas. The posts on the NLG pages have been pre-approved, reviewed for context, and provided with disclosures when necessary. You can safely share these posts to your platforms or get ideas from them; just keep the tips mentioned above in mind.

As a reminder, if you are registered with our broker/dealer and registered investment adviser – Equity Services, Inc. (“ESI”) – all your business-related social media must be pre-approved by our Advertising Guidance Team (“AGT”) and your social media pages must be connected to Hearsay.

Additional information on our social media policies can be found once you log onto NLG’s Agent Portal under Training àCompliance à Advertising/Social Media. Also, the AGT is available at adreview@nationallife.com, or by calling (802) 229-3129. We are glad to demystify any compliance concerns you may have around social media!

Happy Posting!