Are you looking for a better way to expand your accounting firm’s reach, build a loyal client base, and establish yourself as a thought leader? Then it’s time for you to start embracing social media. Social media might seem overwhelming, especially if you’ve never done it before, but it’s not so bad! In fact, it can be almost fun. It’s a chance for you to show your creative side and to engage with other people in the profession.
If you’re not sure how to get started, or if you’re wondering how to properly organize the social media accounts you currently use, here are 5 basic tips to help steer you in the right direction.
1. Select Social Media Accounts
First things first: Picking which platforms will be most effective. Not every social media platform is going to be the right fit for your firm. Don’t put pressure on yourself to try to keep up with everything; pick two or three platforms that you will actually keep up with. There’s no point in wasting time setting up an Instagram account for your firm if it’s just going to sit and collect dust after a month. Instead, focus your energy on platforms you enjoy and ones that work.
2. Set up the accounts fully
This is an important step – don’t skip it! It takes longer than just shoving a blank profile out the door, but it’s worth investing time in making your accounts look as professional as possible. Use high quality photos for your profile and banner pictures, and make sure you fill out all the “about” fields completely. This is especially important for LinkedIn. With Linked In, potential clients and new hires will be able to learn more about your firm in a professional, accessible way. It is important for every platform, but LinkedIn is a professional network where mistakes and sloppiness could hurt the reputation of your company.
3. Take the time to figure out your “brand voice”
This is your chance to differentiate yourself from the pack. There are thousands of firms out there, and social media is an easy and free way to connect with your audience on a more personal level. Let your personality shine in each of your posts! Take the time to figure out what you want that to feel like, and it will give your online presence a much more cohesive and sleek look. It might be tempting to “wing it” and post to your accounts without much thought, but people respond positively to feeling they are more personally connected to a brand. This is a really easy way to make people excited about working with/for you.
4. Create and curate good content
This is going to be the meat of your online presence. It’s one thing to fill your personal social media feed with your morning coffee selfies, but it’s not something that you should spend a lot of time on in your professional accounts. Build your firm as a thought leader in the industry by creating compelling content (blog posts, video tutorials, etc.) and by sharing relevant and interesting information from reputable sources. If your audience feels like the information they get from you is valuable, they will not only stick around, but engage with you as well. This is the most time-consuming part of social media, but it is also one of the most important – so take it seriously.
5. Schedule, schedule, schedule
What do you do with the content when you have it? I would recommend using a third-party management app like Hootsuite or Buffer to schedule your social media posts to share automatically at a future date. This way, you won’t have to post each article or piece of content as you find or finish them. This will give you more time to craft an interesting or thought-provoking way to present the information and to plan your marketing campaign.
If you’re still not sure how to get started, look at other firms using social media and draw some inspiration from those (You can follow the Think Leader twitter here). There is no one right way to go about social media marketing – a lot of it is trial and error. Don’t be discouraged if your presence isn’t large or very engaging in the beginning. Social media takes a lot of consistency and time to grow an invested audience. But, with the proper planning, it can be an easy and fun way to increase profits and credibility in your industry.