The elephant in the Grove
Social media sounds good in theory but if there is no plan its just another gimmick
I RECENTLY ATTENDED the CCH annual conference where I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of work that had gone into the event.
But…
There was a burning issue I felt was missed off the agenda.
Social media.
Everyone talks about how great it is, and at the event speakers were claiming young entrepreneurs are more comfortable picking up a mouse than a phone – so accountants should utilise it.
But no-one explained how.
Should an accountant tweet? If so what about and how often? Should accountants or a firm have a facebook page? If so, marketing what? How much should a firm invest in social media? Should the firm start LinkedIn debates? How do you utilise social media effectively?
Someone out there must be able to show accountants the nuts and bolts. At the moment it feels like accountants are throwing darts at a dartboard wearing a blindfold. Some will hit the target but it’s pot luck if they do!
The majority of firms are sticking to traditional methods of finding and attracting clients. About 80% of clients and accountants seek each other out through face-to-face meetings and networking, according to a CCH and YouGov poll.
Someone needs to describe exactly how to use social media effectively while also keeping traditional routes of finding clients alive.