Financial Planning Association and LinkedIn Conduct a Study About Social Media Use by Financial Advisers

DENVER and MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., March 3, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Financial Planning Association® (FPA®), the professional home for Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®) professionals, and LinkedIn, the world's largest professional network on the Internet, are joining forces to study the role social media has in growing advisory businesses today and how social networks play a role in advancing thought leadership in the profession.

The research project will be conducted in two parts with both being released as one report. The first part will involve an online survey of financial planners who are members and non-members of FPA. The focus on this survey will be on the ways planners are using social media to raise their profiles online, engage clients and prospects, and how social media plays a role in growing advisory businesses today. The second part will involve an online survey of investors to gauge their use of social media in proactively engaging financial planners. The research will be conducted in the coming weeks and results will be available in early May.

"We are pleased to have this opportunity to work with one of the top brands in social media to conduct a study that will uncover the ways in which financial planners are using social media to grow their businesses," said FPA Executive Director/CEO Lauren M. Schadle, CAE. "Over the past year FPA has conducted original research into several key areas of business development. This study with LinkedIn will augment that research and further enable CFP® professionals to build productive, profitable and successful businesses."

The research will be conducted in partnership with the FPA Research and Practice Institute™ and Julie Littlechild of If Not Now Research. The results of the quantitative and qualitative study will be released in a detailed report in May with initial results being revealed at the LinkedIn FinanceConnect event in New York City on May 6-7.

About the Financial Planning Association
Since 2000, the Financial Planning Association^® (FPA^®) has been the principal professional organization for CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER^TM (CFP^®) professionals, educators, financial services professionals and students who seek advancement in a growing, dynamic profession. More than 23,000 FPA members adhere to the highest standards of professional competence, ethical conduct and clear, complete disclosure to those they serve. Through a collaborative effort to provide members with One Connection^TM to tools and resources for professional education, business success, advocacy and community, FPA has become an indispensable force in the advancement of today's CFP^® professional. Learn more about FPA at OneFPA.org and follow on Twitter at twitter.com/fpassociation.

SOURCE Financial Planning Association