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THE ULTIMATESOCIAL MEDIA GUIDE
ACCOUNTANTSFOR
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social media now
FOREWORD
CHAPTER 1:Why Social Media for Accountants
CHAPTER 2:Challenges on Social for Accountants
CHAPTER 3:Mastering Time, Frequency &Engagement on Social Media Fronts
CHAPTER 4:Utilizing DifferentSocial Media Platforms
CHAPTER 5:Advertising
taking action
contents
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As one of Entrepreneur’s Top 10 Up and Coming Leaders, Dave Kerpen has been featured on: CBS The Early Show, CNBC, BBC, ABC World News, and featured in the New York Times as well as countless blogs. His 1st book, Likeable Social Media: How to Delight Your Customers, was on the NY Times bestseller list (now in its 2nd edition) and we have only begun to see what this mover and shaker will bring to the business world.
Dave will be keynoting the 13th annual Accountex USA conference and expo in Las Vegas, Nevada and I am thrilled to be introducing him with his session “The Likeable Accountant”. This eBook is a small teaser of what Dave will teach accountants about how to utilize social media in a way that attracts clients versus just trying to sell clients online. Social media is a platform that is meant to engage, and Dave knows just how to do that.
In this eBook, The Ultimate Social Media Guide for Accountants, Dave discusses how as technology evolves there are more and more social sites popping up and sometimes you just need to know where to start. Creating a social strategy is vital, and in this eBook you will find the secret to social media is in the social aspect more than in the all too focused on, media facet.
You have heard the old adage that you have two ears and one mouth so you can listen more than you speak… well that’s because listening is a powerful tool! The more you listen, the more you know what people’s needs are, and you can in turn engage based on demand. The social media journey does not stop there. Dave will show you the types of content that generate conversations versus clients unfriending or un-liking your page due to non-relevant content. With his exciting, fun, and innovative ways of reaching and connecting with your target market audience he takes the guesswork out of social marketing.
FOREWORD
RD WhitneyExecutive Director, Accountex USA
A note from Likeable Local CEO Dave Kerpen:
Social media has grown immensely and will continue to grow faster than ever. For many accountants, the temptation is to use social media to promote themselves and broadcast their messages. But if you stop thinking like an accountant and start thinking like your clients, you’ll understand that the secret to social media is in the “social” more than in the “media”. It’s in being human, being the sort of person at a cocktail party who listens attentively, tells great stories, shows interest in others, and is authentic and honest. The secret is to simply be likeable. Start with one social network and listen, really listen to what current and prospective clients are saying.
Don’t just ask them to “like” or follow you; tell them why they should. Then, share
content that will make them smile and learn something new. Make sure you join in the conversation, it will tie all your efforts on social media together! Ask questions, offer your advice and converse with
current clients after they leave your location! Now, how do you do all of these things mentioned above while still running your business? That’s what this eBook is for.
Dive in!
Over 1.23 billion people in the world are on Facebook including over 150 million Americans. Recently, Twitter surpassed 400 million accounts and 380 million on LinkedIn.
social media now
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chapter 1Why Social Media for Accountants?
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For accountants, it may not seem like it, but there are plenty of things to share, and social media can help you share your business and your passion.
(That’s 2.7 hours that you can connect with each of your clients and prospects everyday. That’s more time than people spend on email, newspaper, etc.)
Post images & videos!
Create & foster personal connections with clientprospects, colleagues & competitors!
There’s always lots to see. Why not share your the fruits of your labor? The more people who see your work the better, and social media is the best place to share today!
Social creates personal connections
Social lets you share visually consumed content
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American social media usersspend on average
2.7 hours per day on social media.“ “
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Why Post Photos?“Photos are also the most engaging type of content onFacebook, with a whopping 87% interaction rate from fans!”
Likeable Tip for Creating Visual Content:Snapping a quick photo of your business when you’re out and it will bring it to life for prospects! Don’t be afraid to think outside the box. Take photos of office birthdays, a messy desk, or even just a selfie with some work buddies.
http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/photos-generate-engagement-research/
Likeable Tips for Creating Lasting Relationships:– Don’t be shy about sending a quick tweet @mentioning
an old client or colleague, just be sure it’s ok with them beforehand.
– Praise a recent article about accounting trends– Reply to a colleague or client’s tweet with a personal mention– Share an interesting article (make sure it’s accessible to
your clients though, no industry journals!)
You can not only create, but maintain them using social, too!Use social to keep up both recent & past connections!
Social creates lasting relationships3.
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Social media = Word of Mouth on steroids!!
Social provides a platform for your clients to review and refer you. This is an easy way to attract new clients who read their friends’ reviews of you!
The next time your client’s friend needs an accountant, they will turn to their friends’ public reviews and reccommendations.
Social drives referrals & WOM based business4.Tap into your fellow accountants!
You can network with complimentary service professionals and use social to endorse each other through different social media platforms.
Likeable Tips for Driving Referrals and WOM Business:– Align yourself with other professionals on social
media to listen and learn– Don’t be afraid to ask your clients for referrals via
social, as you would in person– Create a social media campaign to incentivize
referrals or create an email linking to a place to give referrals
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chapter 2Challenges on Social for Accountants
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Although social media can be incredibly useful, accountants seem to run into some issues. Don’t worry, this eBook disscusses solutions, too!
Keep in mind that the timing of your posts is crucial. Although your hours might be long and unpredictable, keep the consumer in mind. Of course, you don’t need to actively post every time you should post. Confused? There are tools out there that will help you schedule posts for the future. This way, you can set aside a block of time for social media and be efficient with your schedule!
1.Likeable Tips for Time Optimization:– What time your clients & prospects are searching the web?– Schedule posts when your audience will notice them for maximum results. Test out different times and see when
people are most responsive.
2. Although you may want to snap a quick picture of everything you do and promote your services on social, you need to be conscientious of your previous and future posts. Posting about all of these things is great… but only if they are posted deliberately.
For example, Twitter can be posted to more frequently than Facebook or LinkedIn. We recommend at least 2-3x per day!
Different frequencies are better for different social networks.
http://topagentinternetmarketing.com/services/social-media-for-real-estate-agents/
Time
Frequency
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Likeable Tips for Time Optimization:
If you are posting too frequently, you run the risk of making your account stale and, even worse, annoying to your clients, prospects, and colleagues. When your account begins to have negative connotations associated with it, the important posts that you feel must be viewed may simply be glanced over.
– Moderation is key, but don’t take this as an opportunity to abandon your social media accounts. Find the
balance between visibility and overdoing it.
Engagement
3. Even if you have the timing and frequency mastered, if your posts aren’t compelling, they won’t be successful. Your posts must be engaging!
Try It Yourself!Take a look at the posts below & notice the things that make them successful. We’ll discuss these more in the next chapter.
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chapter 3Mastering Time, Frequency & Engagement on Social Media
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1.
Use a scheduling tool to help you plan out your social media posts.
Of course, we recommend Likeable Hub because you can schedule unlimited posts to Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn at one time. Likeable Hub is an easy and effective way to manage your posting schedule.
How to Manage Your Posts
https://placester.com/real-estate-marketing-academy/real-estate-social-media-tips-mistakes/
How to Time Your Posts
It is incredibly important to plan and schedule the timing of your posts, especially if you have other employees representing you on social media.
Dedicate one uninterrupted hour, once a week, to brainstormingand creating meaningful content. This way, you do not have to spendtime during your busy week thinking about what to post on social.
Do spend time creating meaningful content. By taking the time to create compelling, relatable content, you can create several highly engaging posts vs. a bunch of low engagement ones. Compelling content will also increase engagement and visibility.
Quality over quantity
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2. Map out a social media schedule to help analyze the frequency of your posts.
Boost your posts on Facebook
Organic reach can be difficult in today’s pay-to-play era. “Boosted posts” is social media code for putting ad money behind posts, so that people actually see them.
– Today on Facebook, only 1-2% of fans see a posts organically.
– Using a social media tool that automatically boosts posts, such as Likeable Hub, can help you scale your post reach, thus ensuring that they will be seen by your target audience.
– Experiement with Facebook Ads and Audiences. (More on this later!)
Analyze the frequency on different social networks that renders the best result. HINT: It will probably be different for each!
How to Manage Frequency of Posts
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If your content is engaging, it will show; people will like, comment, and share your content on their own pages! Engaging content sparks an emotion in the viewer, making them laugh or teaching them something they didn’t already know.
Balance the various types of content you post
– Mix up between images, articles, quotes, serious and lighthearted, etc!
Make sure that your posts aren’t too text heavy
– Try posting a picture, video, quiz, or article.
Make your posts interactive
– Encouraging people to participate builds a stronger connection!
Educate and entertain
– Engaging content sparks an emotion in the viewer, making them laugh or teaching them something they didn’t already know. This in turn will cause your viewer to want to come back for more!
Make Posts Immediately Catchy
– It is also important to think about how catchy your post is. Catchy posts are ones that cause an immediate emotion for the reader - smiling, laughing, etc! Posts with pictures will be more visible to consumers than text posts. On this note, also feel free to post compelling articles, quotes, and quizzes that your clientele would relate to.
Curate content
– By posting content from reliable third parties, your audience will think of you as a destination for information.
– Studies show that social media posts linking to third party sites generate 33% more clicks than posts linking to your own website.
(http://www.convinceandconvert.com/social-media-measurement/new-research-finds-the-curation-vs-creation-sweet-spot/)
3. How to Engage Your Social Fans
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Remember K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple, Stupid!)
Have a conversation
Ask yourself: Is it shareable?
Keep the 411 rule in mind
Keep it timely
Use visuals
Tell a story
– This one is easy -- Long posts on social media don’t tend to get a lot of engagement. In fact, Facebook posts with just 40 characters see a whopping 86% more engagement than longer posts.
– It’s important to keep content real. In other words, don’t think headlines, think conversation. The easiest way to do this is to simply ask the audience a question.
– Remember, each post you create should add some sort of value to the conversation, either by informing, entertaining, or promoting your brand, and not just contribute to the “noise.”
– The rule states for every 6 posts you create, 4 should be curated from third party sites, 1 should be a piece of content that you’ve created yourself (and unique to your business), and 1 should be a high-value piece of content used to generate leads (and can be more self-promoting).
– When producing content, it’s crucial to keep topics fresh and current.
– Historically speaking, the most successful social media posts are ones that include photos or video. In fact, multimedia posts on Facebook increase engagement by at least 40%.
– One of the most powerful tools you have as a business owner on social media is the ability to use storytelling in your content. Celebrate your business’ 10th anniversary on social! Tell your followers about how your company began. Use the power of nostalgia to create a strong message that will really resonate with your audience.
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chapter 4Utilizing Different Social Media Platforms
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As an accountant, it is important to understand and utilize the best social media platforms that are available for you. Think about all of the different people you can reach using different platforms! For example, are you looking for a more business oriented audience? Try LinkedIn, but also consider that potential clients might not be on LinkedIn. Of course, for a basic and broad starting point, it’s all about Facebook.
Facebook (Business Pages)
Although you may have a personal Facebook page, don’t just use this account for your accounting firm - make a business page! Without a company page, you also miss out on a lot of business features included on Facebook business pages. It’s also the only way you can boost posts on a paid basis. You can’t do that from a profile.
It’s very simple to set up a page. Simply go to Facebook’s businesspage overview and start reaping the rewards!
Use your business page to post your listings– Tell the facts, but maintain your voice!– Engage by asking questions– Find out what people are thinking about your work, your trademark style, and you as a professional.
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Take advantage of advertising on Facebook
Facebook lets you target your advertisements very specificallyso you can reach the most relevant audience.
A fast paced platform for an accountant on the move. Twitter lets you easily send quick messages while you’re on the move. 140 characters can go a long way when communicating with your clients. Brevity is your friend!
Likeable Tips on Tweeting:
– Smart, insider accounting tips– Links to relevant articles– Local news stories– You can also ask questions on Twitter, as it is a great listening tool!
Try these Tweet ideas:
Find out who is looking for an accountant in your area by searching strategic keywords.
Use hashtags – Hashtags will allow your posts to be viewed by more than just your followers. Keep these hastags specific. You can also use @mentions to keep in contact with clients or colleagues.
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LinkedIn is more than just an online resume. Rather, it is anincredible resource for business professionals to connect and engage. Connecting with clients can help generate referrals at scale. For B2B professionals especially, LinkedIn is a fantastic platform.
Complete your personal profile to showcase your strengths, experience, skills and reviews!
Likeable Tips on Optimizing your LinkedIn Page & Profile:
– Use your LinkedIn pages to not only connect with people, but to also post a variety of relevant content
– Post links to blog posts, news articles, and more! Post more than just your listings. Posting a variety of content is crucial to creating and growing leads.
This is a way for people to find out not only about you, but about your company, its values and its success!
Set up a LinkedIn business page, too!
Set up a business page that includes: – Your company information – A catchy header image – Any general contractor statistics about you and your company
What is Pinterest? It is a social network where you can “pin” ideas, pictures and, videos on a “board” and then share them with your followers. Pinterest is the perfect place to showcase and promote your passions through these “pins”.
Every pin you make has a description of the content and a link that leads to the corresponding website. Followers can “like” and“repin” them, too!
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Likeable Tips on What to Pin:– Team photos– Tax tips– Financial advice– Humorous posts
Why use Pinterest?
Odds are, you became an accountant because you have a passion for numbers. Pinterest allows you to showcase to your clients and prospects so they can relate to you on a more personal level.
Although Instagram can be considered by some a more personal social platform, social media for your business doesn’t have to be strictly professional! Business social media posts CAN be personal, as long as they are appropriate and relevant.
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Review Platforms
Sites such as Yelp, Google listings, and Angie’s List are great platforms for your customers to write reviews, testimonials, and rate your service.– Be okay with the fact that a comment could be negative– Keep Likeable’s Do-Not-Delete rule in mind (If a customer negatively comments about your services,
do not delete, respond quickly and publicly and resolve with the client privately.)
Videos/Virtual Walkthroughs
“If a picture says a thousand words, how manywords does a video say?” A lot!
– Utilize YouTube and other video sharing sites to post videos of your work.
– With videos, you are able to do full virtual walkthroughs and showings of your spaces, helping your prospects get a better sense of your work process.
chapter 5Advertising
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Your social media presence can vastily improve by using advertising, specifically Facebook Ads. Before creating your ads, it is important to take your audience into consideration. Who do you want to see the ad? Who do you want to target the ad to?
– Potential Reach: Approximate number of unique users that could see your ad based on your audience criteria
– Reach: The exact number of unique users that have seen your ad– Frequency: The number of times that a unique user viewed your ad– Impressions: The number of times that your ad has been viewed
To create the maximum amount of impressions, you must set up your ad correctly!
There are 3 main kinds of Facebook audiences you can create for your ad: custom, lookalike, and saved target group audiences.
Between these three options, you can not only target bythings like age ranges, gender, location and income (to name a few), but you can also target people similar to a listof your current customers and prospects!
1. Custom Audience: Ad targeting strategy that allows you to import contacts (email adresses, phone numbers, etc.) that Facebook matches with users to specifically target2. Lookalike Audience: Available only through Power Editor (a Facebook add-on tool) where Facebook can generate a similar audience (1% to 5%) based on the custom audience you provided3. Saved Target Group: Targeting options based on audience’s, demographics, interests, and behaviors
Ad Terminology 101:
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Now that you know who is going to see your ads, you can focus onthe creative aspects of your advertisement.
Not only will your Facebook ads display attractive designs andpromotions, they will also endorse you! AND those endorsementswill come from your friends.
– This is where you will get the opportunity to showcase your own personality and uniqueness to your audience.
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So what’s next? Looking for some social media guidance? Check out Likeable Hub, our awesome tool that makes social media automated. With everything from content ideas, to scheduling across channels, to social listening, to integrated Facebook Ads & post amplification Likeable Hub is bound to make succeeding with social easy.
Learn about our Expert, Pro & Concierge plans at LikeableDemo.com OR try out a free trial of our
VIP plan at LikeableHUB.com.
Plus, you’re eligible for $200 off our Expert, Pro & Concierge plans for the next 30 days. We can’t wait to help you access
YOUR social media success.
Get in [email protected]
LikeableDemo.com
Whether you work for a large accounting firm, or are a self starter, you can build a successful personal brand on social media that’ll help you drive new business. Having an established social media presence gives you a competitive advantage. Don’t let the misconception that only multi-national agencies can be successful deceive you! Social media is all about personal touch & no matter how large your accounting firm is, YOU can be successful. Using the tools in this eBook, we hope you’ll go forth & reach the people who matter most to your business on social and open the doors to new and exciting business opportunities!
taking action
