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24 Aug 2011
HAVING spent a great deal of time and effort on new social media methods of marketing it was a happy day when we recently acquired a client originating from Twitter.
We have had lots of initial enquiries, loads of conversations, even a few meetings but to finally sign up an actual client was a real joy.
A couple of us within the firm have been so desperate to prove that the new social media marketing methods actually work when it comes to acquiring business, that we have probably spent a disproportionate amount of time on it just to prove the point.
In the cold light of day it probably hasn't been worth it so far and I'm sure at the next partners' meeting the issue will probably be raised.
A huge amount of time has been spent learning and putting into practice the new methods - and on a cost-per-hour basis the return at the moment just isn't there.
I am still convinced that Twitter and Facebook are great ways to market the practice but I will probably have to admit that now is the time to delegate the task of tweeting and posting to staff who have lower charge out rates, or maybe even administrative staff.
For example, why can't the typist tweet between answering the phone and filing? As long as certain guidelines are laid out from the outset, I can see the right administrative person being ideal to carry on the corporate tweets on behalf of the firm.
Maybe the partners who want to carry on tweeting can contribute as 'special guests' or write short pieces on the new company blog. One thing the social media revolution has taught me is that things can change very fast, so being able to react quickly is important.
The other partners have been willing to "go with the flow" when it comes to social media and they have allowed me the time to implement it and test it.
Now might be a good time though to let go of the reins and delegate the tweets downwards.
The Practitioner's uncensored thoughts come from the coalface of a regional firm in the heart of England.
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Visitor comments Add your comment
who says it's all about sales and marketing?
It's hard to know where to start in terms of responding to this but please, please, please, stop thinking of social media in such narrow terms! If you went to a business event and all you did was sell and market when you talked to people, how popular would you be? It's no different on-line. Aim to be sociable: entertaining, helpful, informative. You might then discover all sorts of interesting things happen. Social media is a not about a quick return on investment nor indeed a panacea for flagging sales.
Posted by: andy m turner, 24 Aug 2011 | 11:50
Wrong conclusion
The idea that delegating social media activity (eg tweeting) to junior members of staff is an odd one. If adverts were not working would you delegate crafting them to junior staff?
It's called social MEDIA not social MARKETING. You have to engage with people to get any real value from social media. You also need clarity as to your target audience and that they are themselves engaged on the same social media platforms.
I've commented more fully on this article and on the use of social media on my blog for ambitious accountants.
Posted by: Mark Lee, 25 Aug 2011 | 21:04
What's your Goal?
It sounds as if you need to set yourself some goals and then that way you can plan your path to success using Social Media. As Andy points out it isn't a quick fix. It's about building relationships.
First figure out who is your target market? Connect with them. What confuses them about accounting? Share some useful information with them. You need to build trust with them.
If you're going to encourage your entire organisation to use social media to market your business, it should be a more strategic approach with guidelines and policies in place so that everyone knows what's expected of them and that they're projecting the right image for your business.
I hope you have continue using social media and have more success with it.
NickyElectric (Twitter)
Posted by: Nicky Fraser, 30 Aug 2011 | 02:54