Get Moving on Social Media

Source: CPA Success

The following includes excerpts, reproduced with permission, from a blog entry by Tom Hood.

Just back from the AICPA Forensic Valuation Conference in Orlando, where I presented an "unconference" session on Social Media. Here is what the group at was thinking:

What are your biggest challenges with social media?

• Not enough time
• Overwhelming
• Don't want to do something embarrassing
• Don't know where to begin
• Getting others in the firm to see its power and participate

What do you need to get started?

• Education and time
• Knowledge and best practices
• Examples and case studies

The biggest uses the participants thought had the most value were in three major areas:

• Becoming thought leaders
• Expanding their practice and reputation
• Staying on top of their practice areas

The most compelling reason to get moving on social media the group gave at the end was the "three year" thing. The Deloitte/MIT study "Social Business: What Companies are Really Doing" states that organizations have just three years to get "social."

By "social," they mean much more than having a Facebook account. They mean transforming their organizations into social businesses that connect and collaborate with their customers and team members.

The next part of the conversation went to risk. What if "they" misuse it? What if I say something embarrassing? The three best ways to manage risk are:

• Develop a solid social media policy (ours is tied to the CPA Code of Conduct and to our association vision, mission, and strategy)
• Communicate the policy to your entire team and even to clients
• Train, train, train

Hood also provides links to his full presentation and to several resources for getting started in social media.

For the complete blog entry, read "Social Media & CPAs -- Getting an ROI from Your ROA!"

From CPA Success, the blog of the Maryland Association of CPAs, November 13, 2012, http://www.cpasuccess.com.