IPads are popping up everywhere you see a financial advisor these days. There’s nothing quite like replacing piles of paper for  a sleek electronic presentation when showing “what if” scenarios to a client.

The iPad should dramatically curb situations where advisors have to run back to their office to run a set of potential outcomes for clients. Such efforts represent a loss of all-important face time moments with the client.

The iPad makes the documents that somehow “didn’t make the meeting” a thing of the past.

Meanwhile, tasks that often require follow-up after the original meeting now can be accomplished during the meeting. Additionally, if access to prior meeting notes via an advisor’s CRM or a future appointment needs to be made, iPads allow advisors to do so in the moment.

Although some may view early adopters as jumping on a “fad,” there are indications that access to this new technology may change the way client communications and meetings are handled in the future.

The latest data available from Resolve Market Research, Citrix, Yahoo and others on iPad usage reports:

• Broad appeal Early adopters of the iPad tended to be young professionals; between the ages of 22 to 45, with the next group of adopters being much older then might be expected, 45 and older, according to Citrix. The latter segment is crucial for advisors as they make up 56% of iPad users.

• Affluent tilt Yahoo has reported a high usage of Flickr, as well as Finance, News and Sports sites with iPad users. Additionally, 94% of iPad users are more likely to be affluent consumers with solid wealth and strong incomes. This is an audience ripe for investment commentaries via streaming video, blogs and commentary.

• Stimulates more browsing Whereas publications such as GQ.com and Vanityfair.com are viewed from desktops from two to four minutes per month, viewership times increase with an iPad. These same titles’ iPad Apps are seeing up top 60 minutes worth of online browsing.

Ultimately, the iPad is a global phenomenon that is already revolutionizing online reading, browsing and viewing habits. This is good for clients — and advisors.

By D. Bruce Johnston, President and Chief Executive Officer, Advisolocity

There is good news about social media for smaller fund managers and advisors ahead.

Smaller Fund Managers Can Stand Out with Financial Social Media Marketing: Johnston

The new media platform has enough history to prove its cost-efficiency and value over traditional methods.

According to SocialWare’s Guide to Embracing Social Technologies in Regulated Industries, “The Altimeter Group found that companies with the highest levels of social media engagement increased revenues by 18% in the last 12 months, while the least active declined by 6%.”

While this alone doesn’t prove that all social media strategies have delivered, it does remove one of the barriers to trying a social media effort: social media has been proven to increase business.

A number of investment service providers and publications have been tackling the implications of the growing realization that revenue growth likes social media.

On August 3, Huntington Asset Services, formerly known as Unified Fund Services, will sponsor its first webinar on the topic of Using Social Media to Build Investor Awareness.

Interested investment industry professionals are invited to participate in the webinar by registering here.

The business-building implications of social media for liquidity-pinched financial services firms are growing larger. For example, recent data from marketing firm LederMark Communications underscores the growing popularity of these tools among financial services professionals.

According to that survey, up to 40% of all users say that social media strategies are helping them build new business. Research from Spectrem Consulting Group last spring delivered similar findings:

• 63% of Twitter users read tweets that offer financial advice
• 46% of YouTube users and 41% of Facebook users seek information from social networking investment forums

In addition to offering some practical guidance on how to use social media, the August 3 webinar also intends to feature insights on regulatory trends and archiving solutions.

Huntington Asset Services will continue to expand its social media marketing focus during its annual client meeting to be held September 12-13 in Indianapolis.