COVER STORY
that will find candidates for city chief health officer and create overall healthcare policy for the city .
While McClanahan doesn ’ t “ get into posting political opinions just to post ,” she has been a longtime advocate of healthcare for everyone and supported President Obama ’ s push to expand care . “ I think people should be authentic so they ’ re never putting on a face they don ’ t wear ,” says McClanahan . “ So , I ’ m always authentic in all I say and do and that helps me attract the clients who appreciate who I really am . But we don ’ t make it a personal thing .”
Has her social media ever cost her clients ? “ One time a client , when I was advocating for the Affordable Care Act , was not happy with that and left . But that was a good thing . If they were that angry that I supported healthcare for everyone , we were probably not a good fit .”
McClanahan also served as a volunteer family and emergency medicine doctor at Volunteers in Medicine , a free clinic for the working uninsured in the city , until she went on hiatus last year to work on Deegan ’ s healthcare platform .
Does her X account ever bring her clients ? “ I never approach anything in the public or media trying to get clients ,” McClanahan says . “ The thing that brings us clients is doing a fantastic job taking care of clients . I don ’ t care what clients ’ political beliefs are or what they believe in , but I do like working with nice people .”
If clients try to discuss politics with her , “ I let them lead and by all means I take note of their opinions from a planning perspective , but I probably wouldn ’ t engage , unless they ask for an opinion ,” Sun says .
Her clients come from all walks of life , she says , especially the entertainment , media and tech industries . She and her partner at Sun Group , Brandon Chang , pride themselves on working with a diverse clientele that includes everyone from “ very conservative ” retired business owners to LGBTQ clients .
Would Sun hire an advisor who had a political bent on their social media ? “ It would not be a deal-breaker ,” she says . “ We ’ re looking for talent that is interested in learning and growing with us . I ’ d never tell someone to be anyone but who they really , really are , especially in this line of work , where it ’ s tough . But I ’ d also say , ‘ Keep an open mind . Rarely is anything black or white .’”
Sarah Howes , the vice president of advisor marketing at Commonwealth Financial Network , helped create the firm ’ s Brand Studio platform , a suite of marketing tools that help advisors think strategically about their desired
“ I never approach anything in the public or media trying to get clients . The thing that brings us clients is doing a fantastic job taking care of clients . I don ’ t care what clients ’ political beliefs are or what they believe in .”
— Carolyn McClanahan , a licensed doctor and founder of Life Planning Partners
Of course , some advisors have created high profiles on social media while avoiding politics . Winnie Sun , the managing director and founding partner of Sun Group Wealth Partners in Irvine , Calif ., has garnered 312,000 followers on X , which has helped her firm grow to $ 250 million in assets under management since she left Smith Barney 10 years ago to join LPL .
She prides herself on completely sidestepping all things political or controversial . “ I try to stay away from that online because it ’ s very polarizing , at least for me ,” Sun says . “ I know plenty of advisors who share online , and I think some of them do that effectively , but for my brand and community , I don ’ t think it ’ s appropriate . I lead the biggest business tweet chat online on Twitter . My community expects me to be inclusive .”
The frequent CNBC guest also hosts the digital TV show “ Level Up with Winnie Sun ” that appears on Nasdaq , Amazon Fire and Roku , and she co-hosts another show , “ The Loop .” She uses a full-time , in-house videographer to produce her shows , which garner her thousands of views each week . audiences and how to reach them . Brand Studio launched in 2021 .
Howes ’ s biggest concern isn ’ t political tweets but a lack of consistency . “ You can ’ t be good at something unless you ’ re willing to be bad at it . You can ’ t step out of the gate and be a rock star . The people who get leads have been doing it for years and get better and better ,” she says .
She says the most successful advisors hire or outsource the production of video posts , vlogs , podcasts — which she says can be “ quick , snackable bites ” of helpful information that clients and prospects crave .
The overall challenge of social media , Howes says , is to keep investing when there isn ’ t an immediate return . “ You have to think about the missed opportunity costs . If you ’ re not doing it , someone else is .”
44 | FINANCIAL ADVISOR MAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER 2023 WWW . FA-MAG . COM