The  Intersec+on  of  Business  Development  &  Social  Media  Integrated  Marke+ng  for  CPAs  

By  Michelle  Golden  

#GroPro  

Today.    

•  WHAT  …  the  heck  is  social  media  for,  anyway?  

•  WHY  …  do  this  stuff,  does  it  even  maLer?  

•  HOW  …  do  we,  as  CPAs,  integrate  it  in  our  marke+ng?  

WHAT  ARE            SOCIAL  MEDIA?  

A  con(nually  changing  set  of  tools    and  their  users(!)  that  facilitate  informa(on  sharing  and  rela(onships.  Online.  

Image:  ironrodart  (flickr)  

Image:  thomaschung  (flickr)  

Effec+ve  online  presence  means:  

•  You’re  findable  •  Illustrates  your  uniqueness  &  character  •  Supports  your  claims  of  exper+se  

•  Demonstrates  you’re  a  thinker  &  up-­‐to-­‐date  

•  Conveys  you’re  accessible  •  Paints  a  consistent  picture  site-­‐to-­‐site  •  From  stodgy  back  to  “grassroots”  marke+ng  

Social  Media    

1.  Engagement  2.  Self-­‐publishing  

•  Can  successfully  do    eng  w/o  self-­‐pub  

•  Self-­‐pub  is  marke+ng  holy  grail  for  PSFs  

•  w/out  eng,  SM  is    merely  passive  marke+ng  

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Pick  Your  Purpose  

1.  Customer  service/reputa+on  enhancement  •  Create  proac+ve  fan  base  •  Monitor  •  Make  problems  right  

2.  Business  development  •  Build/strengthen  business  rela+onships  •  Interact,  share  •  Credibility  •  Build  team,  recrui+ng  

3.  Just  to  learn  (passive,  but  OK  place  to  start)  

WHAT’S  CHANGED?  

Personal  >  Corporate  >  Personal  

1977   1999  

Purpose?  

Purpose?  

WHAT  HASN’T  CHANGED?  

Visibility  +  Credibility  =  KEY  

NOT  A  NEW  FORMULA,        THIS  IS  CLASSIC  MARKETING  

Current  Clients  

COIs  

New  Biz  

Credibility  

Skill/Svc  Dev  

Expecta(on  Management  Conversa(ons/Listening  Debriefs  (BARs/AARs)  Delega(on  Face  Time  Industry/Org  Par(cipa(on  Succession/Transi(on  Service  Grid  

Conversa(ons/Listening  Clarify  Messages  (educate)  Face  Time/Follow-­‐up  Reciprocity/Reward  (track)  Target  

Innova(on  (new  solu+ons/  products,  dev  processes,  improve  effec+veness)  

Con(nuing  Ed  (new,  advanced)  

Apply  Industry  Knowledge  (id  KPIs/sector,  studies,  surveys)  

Worthiness  of  Trust    (behavior,  impression,  respectable  ext/int)  

Competence    (write,  speak,  lead)  

Capability  Evidence    (case  studies,  tes+monials,  representa+ve  clients,)  

Involvement    (visible  in  core  markets)   ID/Study/Refine  

Conversa(ons/Listening  Face  Time/Follow-­‐up  Demonstrate  Relevance,  Credibility,  Trustworthiness  

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Personal  Marke+ng  Plans  

Current  Clients  

COIs  

New  Biz  

Credibility  

Skill/Svc  Dev  

Expecta(on  Management  Conversa(ons/Listening  Debriefs  (BARs/AARs)  Delega(on  Face  Time  Industry/Org  Par(cipa(on  Succession/Transi(on  Service  Grid  

Conversa(ons/Listening  Clarify  Messages  (educate)  Face  Time/Follow-­‐up  Reciprocity/Reward  (track)  Target  

Innova(on  (new  solu+ons/  products,  dev  processes,  improve  effec+veness)  

Con(nuing  Ed  (new,  advanced)  

Apply  Industry  Knowledge  (id  KPIs/sector,  studies,  surveys)  

Worthiness  of  Trust    (behavior,  impression,  respectable  ext/int)  

Competence    (write,  speak,  lead)  

Capability  Evidence    (case  studies,  tes+monials,  representa+ve  clients,)  

Involvement    (visible  in  core  markets)   ID/Study/Refine  

Conversa(ons/Listening  Face  Time/Follow-­‐up  Demonstrate  Relevance,  Credibility,  Trustworthiness  

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Personal  Marke+ng  Plans  

LEADS  

INVOLVEMENT  

Levels  of  Marke+ng  

Passive  

Present  

Engaged    

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WHY  DEAL  WITH                    SOCIAL  MEDIA?  

 WHY  DOES  IT  MATTER?    

Image:  fuzzyscalyman  (flickr)  

Integrated  marke+ng.  

Overlay.    New  Sales    Per  Month  

                             2003                  2004              2005                2006                2007                2008              2009    

Begin  SEO  

Teach  team  about  SM  

Launch  new  website  

Integrate  website  into    all  marke+ng  

Begin  Twee+ng  

Launch  Facebook  Page  

HOW  DO  YOU  IMPLEMENT?  

image:  niclindh  (flickr)  

Or  Alltop.  

Get  Found.  

•  LinkedIn  profile  (solid)  •  Google  profile  (claim)  

•  Bio  on  your  website?  •  TwiLer?    •  Facebook?  

When  they  find  you,  what  do  people  see?  

©  2010  Golden  Prac+ces  Inc  

Image:  lydiaboote  (flickr)  

Presen+ng  yourself.  

•  People  are  ALWAYS  beLer  than  logos  •  E.g.  TwiLer:  other  than  for  marke+ng  or  cust  svc  rep,  all  CPAs  s/tweet  under  their  own  name  

•  Humanize  yourselves  because  it’s  “grassroots”  

photo  

cpa  

Friends  &  followers.  

•  Peers,  colleagues  •  Industry  experts,  associa+on  reps  •  Local  and  na+onal  media  

•  Thought  leaders  •  Customers  

•  Strangers  who  ask  

Dos  and  Don’ts.  

•  Be  conversa+onal  &  friendly  •  Be  authen+c  &  truthful—even  fallible!  (creates  trust)  

•  Add  value,  don’t  just  make  noise  

•  Promote  (men+on,  praise)  others,  don’t  talk  much  about  you  or  your  firm  (spam)  

•  Remember  your  purpose—connec+on  and  impression  

29  ©  2010  Golden  Prac+ces  Inc   29

Who  is  Cut  Out    for  Blogging?  

©  2010  Golden  Prac+ces  Inc   30  

Good  stuff.  

•  Stuff  they  take  for  granted    (judgments  applied  in  day-­‐to-­‐day  work)  

•  Address  “common  ques+ons”    (if  not  already  out  there  in  abundance)  

•  Clear  up  misconcep+ons  

•  Share  as  you  learn  

Store  it  in  your  house  or  their  house?  

Policy  components  

•  Liability disclaimers*

•  General communications/behavior*

•  Internet & email policies*

•  Specific social media tool policies

More  Info:  

michelle@goldenprac+ces.com  goldenprac+cesinc.com  goldenprac+ces.com  (blog)  @michellegolden  (twiLer)