Blogging and social networking truly remind your clients and colleagues of why, when and how to recommend or refer you. Here are some tips on how to put social media status updates and other low-maintenance missives to work for you:
Don’t sell … do share.
Selling
accounting services on your blog or in status updates is the No. 1
faux pas. Rather, educate and share related links. By highlighting
your breadth of expertise, readers will ask you questions that will
lead to more billable hours. Likewise, comment on others’ blog
articles, status updates and group discussions. Invite them to
e-mail or phone you, to avoid privacy or ethics violations.
Focus on what you know and what you’re doing.
Blog
posts and status updates are reminders of what you’re doing or what
your clients should be doing (for example, preparing for tax
deadlines). Mentions of upcoming seminars and media are subtle
commercial plugs. You can also explain accounting jargon,
credentials and other specialized acronyms. Likewise, discuss
upcoming or recently passed tax laws and other regulations.
Be a resource for new clients.
Your
blog is a handy resource for referrals to learn about you, and how
to prepare before meeting with you. They don’t know what they don’t
know: Teach them what to ask a CPA before choosing one. Dispel
misconceptions about your practice. Share the unique accounting
nuances of your target market (such as specialized accounting for
contractors or nonprofits). Tell readers what documents to bring and
to store. Keep track of frequently asked questions (FAQs) from
clients; answer them on your blog so others can benefit. Mention
these resources in status updates.
Appreciate others through your blog and updates.
Your
blog provides a public platform for you to thank your staff and
partners for their work. Clients will learn about your firm this
way. You can also thank clients and colleagues for their referrals.
Moreover, you can congratulate others for their charitable
leadership. Just be sure to get the appropriate permissions before
posting names.
Share your continuing education and personal development.
What
are you reading … right now? What CPE courses are you attending …
right now? Share your experience and thoughts through your blog.
This helps clients, prospective clients and other referral sources
learn how you continually sharpen your expertise. You can also share
nonaccounting reading and personal development information. Again,
this educates your readers and showcases you as a well-rounded CPA.
K.I.S.S. with multimedia.
Keep
It Short and Simple: Blog posts can be PowerPoint slides (embedded
using SlideShare), YouTube videos, or diagrams, graphs, cartoons and
other images. Likewise, your blog posts and status updates can link
to longer articles.
Integrate your blog and social media updates into your practice.
You
don’t have to blog/update every day, but you should do so more than
once a month. Many CPAs post a new blog article twice a month and
send out a digest as an e-newsletter (with a “read more” link back
to their website). Link back via LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.
It’s handy to mention your LinkedIn or other social networking
profiles in your e-mail signature. (For more on LinkedIn in this
issue, see “LinkedIn
Tips for CPAs,” page 44 and “Are You
Linked In?” page 48.) Remind clients (and other referral
sources) that your website has a resource section, that is, your blog.
—By Vikram Rajan (vik@phoneblogger.net), the founder of phoneBlogger.net and author of the PracticeMarketingBLOG.com.
Editor’s note: A version of this story originally appeared in the AICPA CPA Insider newsletter.
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