How to be Social on Social Media: CPA Edition

In a society where Tweets and Facebook posts can easily generate more interest than an article in your newsletter, the days of traditional networking and marketing are gone. I was recently reminded of the power of social media while at an industry specific user conference. You see, the conference organizers had developed a mobile app and held a competition focused around social media engagement, and I – of course – made it my mission to win this competition. I did win the competition, but what really stood out to me about the experience was how being engaged on social media not only helped establish me as a thought leader at this conference, but also led to many opportunities including me and my firm being recognized in an article in Accounting Today.  Through social media alone, I was able to network, establish myself as a thought leader, and gain valuable recognition in a well-respected industry publication, and all of this was accomplished within a few days.  Social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have become an essential part of marketing strategies in many companies – including CPA firms.  Social media alone won’t sky-rocket your CPA firm into the CPA Hall of Fame – unless of course you become a viral sensation, but that’s a topic for another time— if used properly, however, social media can and will enhance your marketing platform. There are certainly some tricks to the trade that I’ve highlighted below that need to be kept in mind, all of which primarily stem from the fundamental concept that social media is well – in fact — about being social.

Stay Social

Social media of course implies being social, but the term “social” has evolved to mean so much more than it did in the pre-Facebook and pre-Twitter era. Being social doesn’t simply start or stop with posting content regularly. Social media is just as much about posting content as it is about reciprocity, and this is something many people and companies tend to forget. To truly be social you need to be engaged. This means not only sharing your own posts, but also sharing other’s posts that are relevant to your audience, commenting, and building active relationships through reciprocity. Through a balance of original posts and reciprocity, you will not only build your company’s social media network, but also, and perhaps even more importantly, increase the level of engagement you receive within your network. Higher engagement will in turn help organically grow brand awareness, and further establish your firm and the people in it as thought leaders.

Know your audience

Content that is completely irrelevant to your firm and the industries it services will not add any value to your social media audience, and sooner or later your audience will likely disengage. This is why it is essential to understand your social media audience and have a clear understanding of the audience you want to attract to your social media accounts.  Posting irrelevant content in a professional capacity is almost like showing up to a professional real estate networking event and solely speaking about fashion trends with the industry professionals you meet.  Sure fashion trends may be an interesting topic, but chances are the real estate professionals won’t care terribly much about it, and will walk (or run) away from your conversation without having gained a respect for you in a professional capacity.  As you post content on social media, you must always keep in mind your current audience and targeted audience. The more industry knowledge and expertise you are able to relay to them that is valuable, the more likely it is that you will establish yourself as not just another CPA firm, but also as a relevant resource.

Know your platform

Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and any other social media platform has its own unique culture. There are unspoken social norms for each platform that need to be understood to properly leverage your social media presence. For example, Twitter is more or less rapid fire; it is expected by your followers that you tweet at a relatively frequent pace throughout the day. Facebook, however, is not about posting short updates every 30 minutes. Posting too frequently on Facebook can be seen as obnoxious by a social media audience which can result in a loss of followers. Before you dive head first into the social media arena, make sure you understand the social culture associated with each social media platform you intend to utilize.

Staying social and engaged, understanding your audience, and understanding each social media platform will help you establish a strong foundation upon which you can build your firm’s social media empire. As the user conference reminded me, social media, when used properly, can create magic for any CPA firm. 

Larry Sheftel is President of the AAA Atlanta Chapter and is the Chief Administrative Officer at AGH, LLC.