By Weld Royal

Some financial advisors may get nervous about using social media as a business tool, but Alanna Morey, a private wealth advisor at Ameriprise Financial Services has come to embrace it. On our latest The Way Forward: Next Generation podcast , the Naples, Fla.-based advisor discusses how she began making LinkedIn videos and how that practice helped her grow her business.

Morey's path to wealth management started nearly 14 years ago when Siena Wealth Advisory Group, an Ameriprise-affiliated practice that now has more than $2 billion of assets, hired her as an administrative assistant. She worked her way into an operations role and continued advancing, thanks to mentorship. "The lead advisor on the team would ask me to join him in client meetings," she recalls. "I would see how he was communicating with clients and how he reviewed a portfolio. It allowed me to build rapport with the clients, but I also learned about how you run a meeting."

Staying connected. Those client conversations gave Morey many ideas on the top concerns and questions clients ask, and how to address them. When the pandemic hit in 2020, it became difficult to meet with clients face to face. "I wanted to make video content with the other advisors on my team, just to reach out to people and be with them, even if we couldn't be with them in person."

She produced videos addressing topics such as common retirement-planning mistakes and how to plan for the cost of a big trip. "It was something that I knew I had to do, and [now] actually really, really enjoy it," she says.

Morey says social media is a helpful tool to connect with clients and new people in general. She points out that her digital activities translate into new business and help build awareness about her services. "Everyone's going to Google you before they meet you, so I want them to be able to learn about me authentically," she says.

Topics for Morey's social-media videos often still come from conversations with clients -- what's going on in the world, trepidation over tax season, fears about their children's financial well-being, or tips for end-of-year planning. "If they're concerned about it, definitely other people are too," she insists.

When to involve compliance. Some wealth managers stress over how to wade into social media, and Morley has advice for them. She says start by meeting with the compliance department to make sure creating videos is OK. If it is, write out a script, keep it short, and stick to it. Invest in good lighting and a decent microphone. Ask friends, family, and colleagues to offer feedback. "Just put yourself out there," she says. "It doesn't have to be perfect. I really think that's why people engage more [with me] because I am just being myself. You want that to come through."

Hear more on the podcast:

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March 27, 2025 15:41 ET (19:41 GMT)

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