We’re honored to welcome Marie Swift to In The Suite today. Marie is a public relations powerhouse. Over the years, she’s accrued insights, advice, connections, know-how, and tools to enable her to master the art of content. She’s known as the thought leader for thought leaders.
“I want to help other people find their voice now. That’s my mission,” says Marie. Marie Swift is President and CEO of Impact Communications, a full-service marketing communications firm serving a select group of independent financial advisors and allied institutions. She created her own conference called the Advisor Thought Leader Summit. She is known for bringing together some of the industry’s best and brightest voices for dialogue and debate.
In a business all about trust, Marie walks the walk, not just talks the talk. She is well-known as the mastermind behind-the-scenes. She aims to work with financial advisors to transform them from subject-matter experts to thought leaders through her speeches, presentations, podcasts, and written works. Her expert comments and articles can be found on Forbes.com, MarketWatch.com, Barron’s, Wall Street Journal, NAPFA Advisor magazine, ThinkAdvisor.com, and so much more.
“You have to work to get good at it,” Marie wisely tells us in the episode. And just like any hero in a book or film, she didn’t magically start at the top with more than 20 years of experience. That doesn’t make for a good story now, does it?
It all began when Marie ran across a newspaper ad for financial services. It said something about starting from the ground up and working your way up. She had an interview with Tony Reguero at Financial Network Investment Corporation who sat down with her right then and there to map out her career. She said yes to the position, and spent almost five years there eventually rising up to the marketing role of Director of Corporate Communications.
Marie hiked and climbed and maneuvered and earned each rung on her ladder of success. She’s also seen a change in the industry as well as personally shifted the industry with her bare hands. Marie says there’s an openness and conversation about intentionally, diversifying the profession. The more we can include a genuinely diverse range of people, the more we can actually grow as a workforce, all of us. Diversity makes everyone better.
“I’ve actually made it a mission of mine to seek out those people who look like they’re more of a wallflower. I wish I had had more people who are friendly to me early in my career,” says Marie. She also says that millennials get a bad rap. She works with her son and has a lot to learn from the next generation. Millennials are the future.
If you are listening to this podcast looking for advice on how to advance your career or maybe improve your marketing, Marie says you need to be producing content. People will notice, whether it’s a fellow thought leader or a journalist, it’s all connected. Build your platform and it’ll start to take on a life of its own. However, that’s not enough.
“You can self-publish content, and that’s all well and good, but get that third-party credibility through an outside credible publication or a show or a platform,” says Marie. She talks about third-party credibility in this podcast episode, finding a balance between creating content for yourself and being published in notable, credible sources.
Oh, and what is a thought leader? “A thought leader is someone who actually advances a conversation,” Marie says. They’re not just competent about something, they’re actually pushing the boundaries and moving the discussion further.
Marie has a treasure trove of knowledge, hidden gems and little nuggets of information that you just can’t help but pause to listen to again or grab a pen to jot down a sage piece of wisdom. Listen to Marie’s episode and apply these three thoughtful tips to help yourself and others have a seat in the suite.
- Be kind to yourself. Kindness starts with yourself. Treat yourself with grace and kindness, just like you would a friend or a peer. If you flub up on a speech, a video, a podcast, at work, or perhaps an interview doesn’t go so well, be as kind to yourself as you would be to somebody else who had an issue. You wouldn’t berate them, you’d tell them it’s okay and to try again. Treat yourself with kindness and care.
- Be welcoming toward others. It’s a tough world out there. Be welcoming, or at the very least be friendly. It certainly doesn’t hurt to go out of our way to reach out to those who may not be included. We’ve all been there at some point. It helps to be that booster for other women as well as anyone who might need that boost. When there’s an opportunity to help someone, take it.
- Focus on third-party credibility. Marie recommends getting a third party of credibility through an outside credible publication, show, website, or platform. Try to get in those credibility publications, so that your reputation precedes you when people Google you. People will Google you, so you better show up with something to say.
Show Notes:
Today’s episode of In The Suite welcomes Marie Swift. Marie has been growing her expertise in communications and marketing for over 20 years. Marie Swift is President and CEO of Impact Communications. She has spoken at major industry conferences such as IAA, FPA and NAPFA events. She even established her own conference called the Advisor Thought Leader Summit, now in its third year.
Marie is known for bringing some of the industry’s best and brightest voices together for dialogue and debate. She seeks to welcome others into the suite with open arms, allowing them to learn, discover, and grow.
In this podcast episode, Marie shares how she got started in the finance industry, why credibility marketing is a necessity, and what it has been like seeing the industry change and shift toward the next generation.
Join the conversation to hear about:
- Marie talks about life in March before COVID hit (03:50)
- Updates on the future of T3 Advisor & T3 Enterprise Conferences (08:20)
- All about the Advisor Thought Leader Summit (11:50)
- Almost like magic – Marie’s origin story (19:10)
- How to make a difference and find your voice (26:05)
- Diversity and inclusion in the finance profession (29:30)
- What is credibility marketing? (36:00)
- Showing up online with something to say (40:50)
- The different types of content to show your true colors (43:30)
- Why you need to be kind to yourself (49:15)
- What it’s like for Marie to work with her son, Jonny Swift (56:10)
- Why Marie loves the Wonder Woman yoga pose (61:40)
Referenced Materials
- Impact Communications, Inc. – Website
- Marie Swift – Twitter
- Marie Swift – LinkedIn
- Advisor Thought Leader Summit
- Joel Bruckenstein’s T3 Advisor & Enterprise Conference
- Joel Bruckenstein Twitter
- Julie Littlechild and Steve Wershing Becoming Referable Podcast
- Mindset Mastery Podcast by NAPFA
- Snappy Kraken Website
- Snappy Kraken Digital Marketing for Financial Advisers – 2020 Half-Time Report
- Twenty Over Ten Lead Pilot
- Becoming Referable Podcast with Steve Wershing and Julie Littlechild
