I’ve just got back from a holiday in Ibiza, and I’m already wishing I was back by the pool.

Like most people after a holiday, I’ve come home with hundreds of photos and videos on my phone, but I’m not going to bombard everyone and post all 300 of them at once. They’re all from the same trip, but there are lots of different things I could talk about.

And you can do exactly the same with your social media content.

As a financial adviser, you don’t need to come up with a completely new idea every time you want to post. One client question, blog, financial planning topic, or conversation could give you five completely different posts.

So, here’s how I’d turn one financial planning idea into five social media posts.

1. Turn it into an educational post

Educational posts are probably one of the easiest places to start, especially as a financial adviser, because you already have plenty of knowledge you can share.

Pick one question your clients regularly ask or one useful piece of information and keep the post focused on that.

For example, if your main topic is retirement planning, you could talk about:

• How much money you might need to retire
• Where your retirement income could come from
• How to decide when you can afford to retire
• The costs people sometimes forget to plan for.

One retirement planning topic has already given you four possible educational posts, without having to think of four completely new ideas.

2. Turn it into a client story

You can take the same topic and turn it into a post about a real conversation you’ve had with a client.

You don’t need to share lots of personal information, or even name the client. Just focus on the situation they were in, what they wanted to achieve, and how you helped.

You could talk about:

• A client who didn’t know when they could afford to retire
• A couple who wanted to retire at different ages
• Someone who wanted to spend more in the early years of retirement
• A client who realised they could retire earlier than they thought.

You’re still talking about retirement planning, but this time you’re showing what it can look like in real life rather than simply explaining it.

3. Turn it into a personal post

Personal posts give people the chance to get to know the person behind the advice.

You don’t need to share anything too private. You could take the same retirement planning topic and share something you’ve learnt from working with clients, your own opinion, or an experience that changed the way you think about retirement.

You could talk about:

• What clients have taught you about enjoying retirement
• What you think people underestimate when planning for retirement
• What your ideal retirement would look like
• Why you enjoy helping people reach this stage of their lives.

It’s still about retirement planning, but adding your own thoughts and experiences makes the post feel completely different and gives your audience a chance to get to know you.

4. Turn it into a carousel

Sometimes you don’t need to change the topic at all, just the way you present it.

Carousels are a good way to break a bigger subject down into smaller, easy-to-read points that people can swipe through.

Sticking with retirement planning, you could create a carousel about:

• 5 questions to ask yourself before you retire
• 4 costs you might forget to include in your retirement plan
• 5 things to think about if you want to retire early
• 6 ways your spending could change in retirement.

You can then use the caption to introduce the topic and encourage people to swipe through, giving you another post without having to start from scratch.

5. Turn it into a question

You don’t always need to give your audience all the answers. Sometimes, asking a simple question can make a good social media post.

Think about questions that are easy for people to answer and could start a conversation in the comments.

You could ask:

• If you could retire tomorrow, what’s the first thing you’d do?
• What does your ideal retirement look like?
• What are you most looking forward to about retirement?
• What’s one thing you’d love to have more time for in retirement?

It’s another way to talk about retirement planning, but this time you’re encouraging your audience to get involved and share their own thoughts.

Contact us

You don’t always need more ideas; sometimes you just need to look at the ones you already have in a different way.

If you’d like help turning your ideas into social media content, we’re always here to help.

Email social@theyardstickagency.co.uk or call 0115 8965 300 to find out how we can help support your content.