Post on 16-Dec-2014
description
CPAs and Social Media
Dawn Westerberg
Dawn Westerberg Consulting LLC
Social Media
• LinkedIn• Google+• Facebook• Twitter• Tools• Resources
Profiles on each give rich link backto your website, increase online Footprint.
Today’s Agenda
• Epic changes of past few years
• What’s the benefit/application of social media for CPAs
• Some tips for each medium
• Q&A
Marketing Reality• Technology wreaking a path of extinction
– Yellow Pages– Bookstores– Newspaper circulation– Blockbuster
• Outbound, interruption-based marketing thwarted– CAN-SPAM– Netflix– TiVo/DVR– Satellite Radio– eMail Filters
• Buyer behavior has changed radically– Where are they hanging out?
Shocking Truth
• 126 million voted• 200+ million on the
‘Do Not Call’ registry• 2000 marketing
messages/day• 90% of email never
opened
Compare
• 129,391,711 voted in last election
• 200,000,000+ Americans on FTC “Do Not Call” registry
• Outright rejection of our outbound marketing
• So what influences their buying?
They prefer to search
They prefer to get advice, references from communities
10% of website traffic
How do they compare?
• 500,000,000 Facebook• 106,000,000 Twitter• 101,000,000 LinkedIn• 90,000,000 Google+
and growing– “More than Twitter, less
than a blog”– Huge Local Play– Immediate indexing– More targeted
How can Social Media help me in my CPA firm?
• Follow Key Contacts– Clients, Prospective clients– Network contacts– IRS, AICPA, Association– Publications
• Visit their websites to see which Social Media platforms they participate in
• Let them know you’re there too
How can Social Media help me in my CPA firm?
• Communicate with key audiences
• Do– Share facts– Deadline alerts– Use Common Sense
• Don’t– Share private information– Vent
How can Social Media help me?
• Help your clients organize and prepare better
• Stay top of mind
• Better search engine rankings
• Maybe even bring in a new client
Build a Following
• Most websites include buttons for following on Social Networks
• Each Social Network has a search capability
• Include Social Media buttons on your website, brochures
Plan weekly updates
• Share facts, deadlines, Federal Holidays– IRS never contacts you via email (scam)
• Share online articles that you find informative
• Share tips to be better organized
• Share links to forms– W-9
Behavior on Social Media same as at a Networking event
• Interact –but understand the etiquette of the platform.– OK to be quiet at first – See how people use the platform
• e.g. Facebook for family, friends, fun• e.g. LinkedIn means business
• Realize the restrictions of the media
• Realize the power of the media
Fears about Social Media
• Controversy• Incompetence• Criticism• Confidentiality
What Social Media Is
• Where people are choosing to get their information
• A new way for you to reach new prospective customers
• Like a phone, like email, like a networking event– Benign unless you light the match
Strategy before Tactics
• What to say• How it fits in overall
firm strategy• Monitor• Social Media to
amplify and accelerate other communications
Online House – The Hub
Connections & Connections of Your Connections
Social Media as a means to Amplify and Accelerate
Case Study
•Huckstep & Associates•Springfield, MO•Uses Twitter to amplify traditional marketing•Hub blog/website•Typical deployment of firm with no marketing team on staff
Tools - Hootsuite
Use columns to:-Follow lists-Add your LinkedIn and Facebook feeds-Monitor mentions
Tools - HootSuite
*Use AutoSchedule to send out your Tweets and updates so that you can spend time online responding and interacting.
So how would you get started?
• Focus on audiences important to you– Clients– Prospects– Editors
• OK to “be quiet” on social media while learning the lay of the land
What should you say?
• What types of information are you comfortable sharing?
• What type of information would be of value to your prospective client?
LinkedIn Create a Company Page
• Opportunity to gain online presence
• Showcase services• Think about your key
words, differentiation, specialties
Use the Update Section
• Links to useful IRS forms
• Announce new hires, promotions
• Highlight community involvement
• Deadline reminders
Research Prospective Clients
Google+
• Updates• Photo share• Video share• Differentiator
– Real time interaction• Hang outs• Chat
– Future Integration with Google Apps
Google+
• Can’t ignore the power of Google Search
• Powerful profile• Circles
Google+ Profile provides nifty list of all social media accounts
Google+ Circles
Facebook – 3 Quick Tips
• Profile so important– Personal page– Company page
• Update• Interact
Twitter – 3 Quick Tips
• Profile• Updates – More
frequent updates acceptable on Twitter
• Hashtags– #Audit– #Taxes– #SmallBiz
Google+ - 3 Quick Tips
• More than Twitter, less than a blog
• Profile• Instant indexing on
search engine
Resources• FREE eBook “7 Essential Stages of a
Total Online Presence” by John Jantsch: http://dawnwesterberg.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/topebook-westerberg.pdf
• Social Media Strategies for Professionals and Their Firms, Michelle Golden, Wiley Publications
• What the Plus! Google+ for the Rest of Us, Guy Kawasaki
• Google+ for Business, Chris Brogan
Q&A
• Your questions• Please ask• Dawn Westerberg• dawn@dawnwesterberg.com• www.dawnwesterberg.com