LinkedIn best practices for financial advisors 

Aaron Hector, a private wealth advisor and financial planner with CWB Wealth Management in Calgary, posts about twice a week on LinkedIn. He shares tips on everything from RESP decumulation strategies to how RRSP contributions could affect a client’s Canada Child Benefit entitlement.

He was asked to join the Institute of Advanced Financial Planners (IAFP)’s board in 2021 and has been its president since January 2025.

“Part of the reason why I was asked to join the board of the IAFP was through sharing information and building up that profile,” Hector said. “I don’t think [it] would have ever happened if not for me being willing to share good information.”

Advisors have found clients and career development opportunities through professional networking website LinkedIn by engaging often by posting and commenting, not providing specific investment advice and being patient with direct messages.

Post valuable content and comment often

Interacting with your network’s posts daily is a good way to be seen, said Sabita Singh, a LinkedIn trainer and president of Trivetta Consulting Inc. in Toronto.

Travis Koivula, a senior wealth advisor at Island Savings Wealth Management in Victoria, posts on LinkedIn five days a week. He spends about 20 minutes a day on content creation and finds that niche topics drive the furthest reach.

Koivula’s online presence has won him received referral business from other financial advisors through social media due to a licensing mismatch or a bad fit with the previous advisor, he said.

“It really surprised me at first,” Koivula said. “Other advisors [messaged] saying, ‘Hey, do you think you can take care of this person for me?’”

But advisors shouldn’t pressure themselves into a regimented posting schedule. They should prioritize quantity over quality, Singh said. Reposting someone else’s content with your own comments is a great way to amplify your voice and theirs.

Singh also reminds advisors to go beyond the usual “good job” and “congrats” to reflect how they truly feel, and to react with icons other than the default thumbs up where appropriate.

Never make specific recommendations, don’t sound salesy

Providing investment advice online could provoke the ire of your compliance department, Koivula said. He never posts about what to buy or sell and never makes predictions about what products might perform well.

Hector, too, avoids making specific product recommendations as it’s outside of his licensing area and it’s impossible to know what the right fit is for everyone on the other side of the screen.

And, when crafting a thought leadership post, resist the temptation to include a call to action that prompts people to reach out to you, Singh said. If someone wants to reach out to you, they can do so through LinkedIn messages, so there’s no need to attach your contact information.

“As soon as you state the sales pitch at the end, it stops being true thought leadership and true value add. It shows that it’s all about that ulterior motive and all you’re looking to do is get the sale,” she added.

Be patient with DMs and keep them short

LinkedIn’s powerful search tool can help you connect with potential clients, said Singh, who was previously a digital marketing director at a large insurer. But advisors should send a connection request with a personal message rather than using InMail to avoid making it seem like a sales pitch.

Once the other person has accepted your invitation to connect, send a thank you message and engage with their posts, Singh said. Advisors should take time to build a relationship before trying to get them on a call.

Don’t immediately ask for a meeting — it can be a huge turnoff, Singh said. Instead, start a conversation with them to build likeability and trust by highlighting one of their achievements or mentioning mutual connections.

Advisors could share success stories of clients in their prospect’s demographics to show them why their services are valuable, Singh said.

Those messages should be short, said Hector, who doesn’t prospect by messaging others but has had prospects message him on LinkedIn after reading his content.

“If there’s legitimate interest on the other side, it shouldn’t be hard to schedule a call,” Hector said. “You’re doing a bit of a dance when it comes to the DMs, and I’d rather just pick up the phone and talk to someone.”

Tell a story on your profile

An advisor’s LinkedIn profile matters as it’s the first thing potential clients and industry peers may see after searching your name online, Hector said. “Give some serious thought to what your profile page looks like … that’s where you can control the messaging.”

Advisors can present their career like a story rather than a resume in the about section of their profile and save the marketing speak for the work experience section, said Singh, who has written over 250 profiles for clients.

And the headline, the first thing others see before others click onto a profile, should include a value statement, such as “helping clients feel secure in every financial decision,” she added.