Ameriprise Taps LinkedIn Connections To Make Advisor Referrals

Six months ago, I wrote a post about companies that are sharing their business data via APIs, and the insights that result when others work with those APIs. In the last few weeks, Ameriprise Financial has unveiled a reverse of that—their financial advisor search engine now uses the LinkedIn API to enable prospective clients to tap their social networks as a means of surfacing an Ameriprise financial advisor.

Ah, here’s where this social data stuff gets interesting.

How do investors typically look for financial advisors? Offline, they ask their family and friends for referrals. Online, they have probably used search engines or advisor-finder services. By introducing a search via LinkedIn, Ameriprise is acknowledging what lots of consumer research is pointing to—the increasing influence of and trust in social networks and recommendations. This may be a next-gen way of vetting an advisor.

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When Data Tells The Story Better

As can be seen in preschools around the country, there are degrees of sharing. The typical child is happy to “share” a toy that he has no interest in. Not a problem—enjoy! But what about the toy he’s playing with at that very moment? Ah, now that’s going to require some negotiation.

We see many forms of sharing online today, including up to and including the line where the sharing ends. For example, there’s the publisher that tweets a headline…with a link to its subscription page demanding payment in order to read more. On the other end of the spectrum are the companies that offer the use of their business data via an API.

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