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Lady Gaga attends the 2015 Vanity Fair Oscar Party hosted by Graydon Carter at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on February 22, 2015 in Beverly Hills, California.
To start with, there are three really simple reasons why I have made social media a part of my practice.
First, I enjoy it. Yes, that is a good reason, and an important one. We do things more often and get better at doing those things when we enjoy it more, right?
Second, it's about brand building. Regardless of whether or not you work for a financial conglomerate or are an independent, you are your own brand. Social media gives you exposure.
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Lastly, you are also part of the wide world of Internet search. Whether you know it or not, people are searching your name on Google and other sites. People want to get to know who they are dealing with. These days, even referrals will search you. Your social media profiles and activities will come up in a search. Why is this important? Because we are in a competitive industry. Prospects migrate to the professionals they know better, and knowing is the first step to building trust and rapport.
If someone were to ask me for a starting point, I would start with LinkedIn. It is very easy to use. The service takes you through completing your profile one question at a time, and it is easy to update. (Note: If you are on LinkedIn but only accept the occasional invitations to link with people and otherwise never look at it, then please understand that you are not really a user of social media. Having a complete profile, reading and commenting on posts that your connections share, and posting/sharing relevant content for your connections are just three examples of using LinkedIn that you could adopt right away.)