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Firm Management

Getting “Social” to Maximize Client Relationships

More than 4.48 billion people are active on social media. That’s more than half of the world’s population. Your clients and competitors are already using social media, but are you?

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More than 4.48 billion people are active on social media. That’s more than half of the world’s population. Your clients and competitors are already using social media, but are you?

Why Should You Be Active on Social Media?

There are many advantages to being active on social media as an accountant. When you join the conversation, share your expertise and make new connections, you achieve three goals:

  • Build Brand Awareness: Being active on social media helps build brand awareness by increasing visibility. When you share links back to your own website, you can also boost your search engine rankings.
  • Improve Client Loyalty: Social listening can help you find new ways to connect with your clients and surprise and delight them.
  • Establish Yourself as a Thought Leader: Social media gives you a unique opportunity to share your expertise with a large audience. Participate in discussions and share content to establish yourself as a thought leader in the industry.

Building brand awareness, improving client loyalty, and establishing yourself as an expert will help your firm grow and thrive. If that’s not reason enough to start being active on social media, then here are some eye-opening stats:

  • Nearly all financial advisors (98%) in the U.S. are using social media.
  • Baby boomers are spending nearly two hours a day on Instagram and Facebook.
  • 30% of institutional investors say social media has influenced investment recommendations or decisions.

If you’re not active on social media, you’re missing valuable opportunities to connect with clients and colleagues, build brand awareness, and establish yourself as an industry expert. Jumping on the social media bandwagon is the first step. To excel, you need to find the right platforms.

Finding the Right Platform

There are several social media platforms out there, and you don’t have to be active on all of them. It’s best to focus your efforts on the social networks that are most popular with your clients. Three popular social platforms for accountants are:

LinkedIn

LinkedIn markets itself as the social network for professionals. The platform has more than 810 million users in over 200 countries. Along with finding new clients, LinkedIn is an excellent platform for making new professional connections and staying on top of career changes among your colleagues. With the ability to share content on LinkedIn, you can also offer your insight and expertise to establish yourself as an industry expert.

Facebook

With billions of users, Facebook is a social platform that’s hard to ignore. There’s a good chance that your clients are using Facebook, and the network offers some great tools to connect with your followers.

  • Potential clients can contact you through Messenger to ask questions.
  • You can create a business page where you share content, thoughts, videos, and images.

Because so many of your clients are already on Facebook, this is an excellent platform for connecting with them outside of the office.

Twitter

Twitter is a great platform for sharing insights, opinions, and current news. For accountants, Twitter is an opportunity to establish yourself as a thought leader and expert in your field. Consider sharing stories about new developments or answer commonly asked questions. There are so many ways to grow your brand on Twitter.

LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter will likely be the best platforms for you to focus on, but only you know your client base. If your clients are on other social networks, make an effort to create an account and start making new connections.

Best Practices for Social Media

Of course, being active on social media means more than just creating an account and posting once in a while. It’s essential to follow the best practices for social media to make the most out of these platforms. Here are some tips:

Make it a Priority

Dedicate time to actively engaging with your followers, sharing content, and adding to discussions. Don’t just create an account and let it collect dust on the shelf. All it takes is just 10-15 minutes per day to build and grow your presence on social media. If you’re pressed for time, engage in social listening or comment on other content.

Build Relationships

Once you start building a following, focus on nurturing those relationships. Share content and valuable information. Don’t just use your social accounts as promotional tools.

Socialize

Social networks are for socializing. Join conversations. Share other people’s content. Engage with your followers, comment on posts and have conversations in Messenger.

Create Engaging Content

Great content gets shared. More shares mean more visibility. Focus on creating engaging content.

  • Incorporate photos or videos to enhance your content.
  • Share bits and pieces of your personal life to show your followers that you’re human.

Remember that your followers want to engage with a person and not a company. Don’t be afraid to show your personality when creating content for your social accounts.

Final Thoughts

Social media should be a part of your marketing plan. Building a following and creating accounts on the right platforms will help you engage with your clients, build new professional connections, grow your brand and establish yourself as an authority.

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Joseph Graziano, CFP® is the Vice President and Wealth Management Partner at FFP Wealth Management. Through FFP management, Joe and his team help manage over 2.4 billion in assets. FFP Wealth Management has served the unique needs of the accounting community for over 28 years and was formed out of a dire need for accountants and financial planners to join forces in providing premium services to their clients. If you have questions about expanding your accounting firm’s services, you can contact Joe here.