Using Social Media

Using Social Media
Presented by

Jina Etienne, CPA
Director, Taxation

November 7, 2011

Jina Etienne, CPA
Director - Taxation
Joined AICPA January 31, 2011
In private practice over 17 years
• Managing Member of CPA firm in Silver
Spring, MD
• Firm specialized in tax services for
small businesses & individuals
Started career in 1988 in tax
department of Touche Ross
Served two years on PCPS EC
Professional speaker, 16 years

American Institute of CPAs

What am I going to talk about?

Should you tweet?
How much work is a blog?
Should you/your firm/your business be on
Facebook?
Isn’t a website good enough?

Often the focus on using social media is to find clients
but that is just the tip of the iceberg. While attracting
and retaining clients are important
considerations, there are other reasons to get in the
game.


What am I going to talk about?

We will explore these questions and dive deeper into
the why, how and where:
Why should firms include social media in their business
plans?
How do you get started?
Where do you go for more information?


First…a question:
How many of you are
already using Social Media
in your firm or practice?


How many of you have…
A business card?
A firm brochure?
A website?
A cell phone?
…and actually give the number out to clients?
A tablet?


Who is already on…
Facebook?
LinkedIn?
Twitter?
Other sites?

If you haven‟t started,
what is holding you back?

What did I do when I was in practice…

Maintained 2 websites
• Main site for firm
• Payroll processing website
Maintained several profiles
• QuickBooks Pro Advisor
• LinkedIn Profile
• Facebook
- personal profile
- company page
Two monthly newsletters (via Constant Contact)
• General articles
• QuickBooks tips & tricks


What did I do when I was in practice…

Forums
• Twitter
• Blog (called “Etienne Chatter”)
Public Speaking
• Local organizations
• Chamber “regular”
• Professional Speaker for other
CPAs/professionals
Local listings
• Goggle Places
• Yelp
Networking Organizations


Why?
…use social media

Watch
this…

My favorite quote:


True or false?

You do business with people you know
and trust!


It isn’t necessarily about YOU

Why?
Listen to other people’s conversations
Stay engaged in the space around you
You need to keep up with technology

Who?
Clients
Colleagues
Referral sources (bankers, attorneys, Chamber, etc.)
Potential employees


Many different conversations

Be part of the conversation
between…
Clients and staff
Competitors and prospects
Colleagues and referral sources
Experts and advisors
Stay on top of …
Industry news
Client service trends
Technical developments (i.e., tax law changes)


Relationships require connection

Personal: Business:
Friends Friends
Family Family
Community Community
Churches Churches
Schools Schools

The internet has increased transparency in how
we work and what we do.

Is this a good thing or a bad thing?


Reasons to Start

It is about more than just finding & retaining clients.
Branding
Search engine optimization
Reach and accessibility
Recruiting staff


Re-think Business vs. Personal

Can you effectively
separate your
“business identity”
from your “personal
identity”?
Should you even try?
Is it about work/life
balance?

Integration

Why I chose to get started

Connection
• I wanted to know more about my clients
• I wanted my clients to feel more connected to me
Stay top of mind
• Stay relevant
• Keep up with what they were interested in
Drive traffic to my website
Demonstrate thought leadership
• Original articles on newsletter and website
• Posts that link taxes to everyday events or activities


What are your objectives?

Examples of common goals:
ƒ ƒ Develop and strengthen
relationships with key
audiences, such as clients
Showcase thought
leadership on relevant
topics
ƒ ƒ Provide pertinent news
Increase traffic to your
website


Pick a place to get started

Facebook LinkedIn Twitter Blogs


Which social network is best?

It depends!
Not a one-stop shop
“Right” is different for every person

Consider:
What is your motivation to get started?
What do you want to get out of it?
How much time do you want to spend on it?
Will anyone else be involved?
Don’t start without a plan!


Facebook is a social networking website intended to connect
friends, family, and business associates..
--Source: wiseGeek.com

The Value of Facebook


Facebook

Pros Cons
Could replace the Users aren’t there to
traditional website buy anything
Free Once a friend, always a
Great place to provide friend
information Can be addictive for
Some efficiency in some (must be
doing personal & managed)
professional networking Facebook functionality
in the same place constantly changes
More users than any Visitors expect regularly
other tool updated content

LinkedIn is a business-related social networking site. Founded in
December 2002 and launched in May 2003, it is mainly used for
professional networking.
--Source: Wikipedia

LinkedIn

Pros Cons
Many applications to A barren, inactive
supplement profile profile won’t get you far
Groups to join No real reporting
Easy to reach out via features
messaging No “community”
Recommendations functionality
1-on-1 connection Cannot “see” the
Can be a strong internal organization of
reputation builder a connection


Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service
that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to
140 characters, informally known as "tweets".
-Source: Wikipedia

Twitter

Pros Cons
Easy to navigate & Limited functionality
update 140 characters mean
One post hits all limited messaging
Can connect it to Lots of spam and
LinkedIn & Facebook scammers
Great tool for outbound
messaging


Blog…
"Blog" (an abbreviated version of "weblog“) is a term used to
describe web sites that maintain an ongoing chronicle of
information.
--Source: WordPress.org

What exactly is a blog?

Blogs are distinctly structured websites that contain
short, conversational-style articles called “posts.”
Each post is housed on a separate URL that is date
and time stamped and can be commented on by
readers.


Blogging

Pros Cons
More casual Best if on your site but
communication not required
Allows you to be seen May not like the
as an “expert” comments
Can drive traffic to your Boring blogs are
website ignored
Content can be more in- Requires more effort to
depth maintain
Flexible schedule


What did I do?
…The social media plan for my firm

How did I get started?

Started with LinkedIn
• Joined in response to an invitation
• Opened account 9/15/2008


My
LinkedIn
profile



Next, I joined Facebook
• Opened personal account
• Started a business page


I had a Business Page on Facebook

A Facebook page allows you to brand the company
Only the “official representative” can create a page
for a business entity
• Can designate others as page administrators


Managing Business vs. Personal Posts

Posts from business page show up on your
personal page
Just “hide” posts you don’t want to see (including
your own)



I started blogging in February, 2010
• Used it to tell “stories” that didn‟t fit anywhere else
• Sometimes it served as a space for my personal “commentary”


I Used www.blogspot.com …

Now part of
Google
Free
Must have
Google account



I started blogging in February, 2010
• Used it to tell “stories” that didn‟t fit anywhere else
• Sometimes it served as a space for my personal “commentary”
I started tweeting last year


My Social Media Plan

Accounts were “integrated”
• Tweets went to LinkedIn
• LinkedIn went to Facebook
• Used Apps to track activity
Included links in email footer
Mixed business & personal subjects
My Schedule
• Comment on client Facebook posts
• Participate in LinkedIn Group Discussions
• Make an unsolicited recommendation on LinkedIn once a week
• Tweet in AM & PM


I used an aggregator

You can:
View all accounts from
one place
See all activity
Schedule posts in
advance
Review your plans
• Change your mind
• Reschedule messages


Other Social Media Dashboards

Threadsy
Tweetdeck
Spredfast
MediaFunnel
Seesmic
Brizzly


Everything in One Place Makes it Easier


Did most of my posting in advance…


All scheduled posts in one place

Can edit anytime
Can delete if you change your mind
You can see which networks are scheduled


Do it anywhere and everywhere

Set up your mobile apps
Monitor profiles using smart phone
Can access same profile from different devices
While away from the office or on the road
• Take notes on app if you prefer to post from computer
• Consider dictation or voice recorder app so you can to verbal
notes when on the road


Finding inspiration for posting

What are your clients asking you about?
Keep a “brain dump” document to store random
ideas for follow-up later
Read the news
• Books
• Trade publications
• Twitter
Subscribe to other blogs
Subscribe to RSS feeds and scan the headlines
Monitor discussions on list serves or professional
groups and forums


Keys to Success

Have a plan
Check Privacy Settings
Have a plan
Follow proper etiquette
• Different for each site
Have a plan
Involve the entire firm
Have a plan
Connect with others on
different profiles


A Word About Privacy Settings

Review settings on all accounts
Check LinkedIn settings for using your information
in their advertising


Facebook Privacy Settings

Check settings when you create
account
Facebook privacy policy is
constantly changing, so check
back periodically
Remember, social media should
• let people “in” enough to learn more
about who you really are
• forge deeper relationships

If you lock everything down,
this won’t happen.


A Word About Privacy Settings


Speaking of Facebook... AICPA

Other Pages:
Beta Alpha Psi
Young CPA Network
Start Here, Go Places


Maximize the Value of LinkedIn

Add connections
• Clients, competitors and referral sources
• Follow-up after networking events
Participate in groups
• Ask questions and provide answers
• Share tips, tools and techniques
Make recommendations
• Don‟t wait until someone asks
• Don‟t be afraid to ask
Conduct research
• Who is connected to who?
• Gather intelligence on prospective hires and clients


Complete your profile

Profile Is NOT your resume -
go deeper
Use present tense
Add CPA designation
Write a summary
Avoid acronyms
Please use a photo that is
current
Check for typos


Add Connections

Search one by one (time consuming)
Mine your contacts
Enter email addresses
Search by positions, past & present


Groups
Join groups you are
likely to participate in
Consider groups that
include
• Client prospects
• Referral sources
• Specialty areas where you
have expertise
Demonstrate thought
leadership
• Share articles & news
• Participate in discussions
• Post tips & tricks


AICPA Groups to Consider

AICPA Tax Section
The American
Institute of CPAs
CPA & Business
Professional
AICPA Women in the
Profession
Young CPA Network

Search Groups for “AICPA”:


Recommendations

Very powerful!
Carry more weight
that testimonials
Give
recommendations
(builds good will)
Don’t be afraid to
ask but discuss
before you use the
“Ask for…” feature


Introductions

Review your connections
Are there new contacts you’d like to make?
Pick up the phone and ask for an introduction
(online feature without context is impersonal)
• After a call, it is Ok to follow-up using LinkedIn tool
If someone asks for an introduction, call them back
for more information
• Introductions are like referrals (reflect on you, too)
• Find out the „why‟ behind the ask before you follow-through
• Another opportunity to deepen a relationship


Other Etiquette & Annoyance Issues

Be respectful & professional, never aggressive
High frequency updaters will be especially
noticeable with fewer friends
OK to hide posts on your newsfeed


Managing Friends on Facebook

Easiest to categorize friends from the beginning

Use whatever list names make sense to you


Friending, Unfriending, Likes, etc.

Facebook will prompt you to import contacts from
Outlook
Don’t take it personally if someone doesn’t accept
invite (they may only want to interact with friends
and family)
OK to ignore a friend suggestion
Don’t unfriend lightly
• If they are annoying, consider “hiding” them instead
Facebook will continually suggest friends
Pages you will show up in your news feed
• OK to hide activity you don‟t want to see


Social Media is a Team Sport

Everyone in the firm was involved
• LinkedIn – we were each other‟s connections
• Facebook – we were friends (staff and their family, too)
• Twitter – everyone followed the firm
Do more than just post, engage in the conversation
Use it to prepare for
• Client meetings
• Networking events
• Prospective clients
• Recruiting


How important is online “chatter”?


Why Consider Tweeting?

Consumer behaviors on Twitter are promising*
• If they follow you, they are more likely to buy from you
• It is the preferred platform for learning about product updates

Implications for sharing tax law updates?

Twitter can be a great source for news
• Follow the AICPA on Twitter

*Source:

Why Consider Blogging?

Blogs can:
Be a great source
for news
• For you / your firm
• For your clients
Enhance search
engine rankings

More than 1/2 of
internet users read a
blog once a month Check out Insights, the new AICPA blog


AICPA Resources
…for more information

Got to Career on www.AICPA.org


Next, click on Marketing Toolkit


Click on Social Media Marketing

NOTE: This is a member-only resource.
You will be prompted for your userid and password.


Social Media User Guides

See Comparison
Chart on Page 8


Compares Usefulness and Concerns


Facebook, LinkedIn


Twitter, Blogging


Live Q&A at this conference

Learn the basics & share
ideas in one of our short,
interactive training
sessions
Answer Center is located in
the exhibition hall
Stacie Saunders Look for the AICPA’s Stacie
AICPA Social Saunders during breaks in
Media Strategist the exhibit hall


Curious About
Social Media?
Learn the basics & share ideas in one of our short, interactive training sessions:

Twitter 101
Leveraging LinkedIn
Facebook for Business
Going Mobile

Look for the AICPA’s Stacie Saunders during breaks in the exhibit hall.

Session Schedule

Answer Center is located in the exhibition hall
Monday
7:00a – 8:00a Social Media: Q&A
9:10a – 9:50a Twitter 101
2:15p – 2:45p Leveraging LinkedIn
6:10p – 7:30p Social Media: Q&A
Tuesday
7:00a – 8:00a Social Media: Q&A
10:10a – 10:40a Facebook for Business
1:30 – 2:00p Social Media: QR Codes


Thank
Jina Etienne, CPA
Director - Taxation
you!
1455 Pennsylvania Ave, NW, 10th Floor
Washington, DC 20004
Direct: 202.434.9227
Fax: 202.638.4512
jetienne@aicpa.org

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