Still Not Convinced? How CPAs Can Use Social Media

Source: AICPA CPA Insider

The following includes excerpts, reproduced with permission, from an article by Mitchell Freedman.

I have been involved with social media (SM) for about three years and some would say that if this dinosaur can do it any CPA can. I primarily use LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook for my SM activities. I tend to use more personal context with Facebook, although I do use it for business contacts as well. LinkedIn and Twitter are used almost exclusively for business. I try to engage my followers, friends and contacts with useful information, including web links that my followers will hopefully find of value. Call it marketing, branding, whatever. All I know is that I have gained clients, prospects, contacts and friends from my social media participation.

With LinkedIn you can build a database of professionals who can be resources for you and they can also be prospects and referral sources. One of the most valuable aspects of LinkedIn is its groups function. With it you can find groups with whom you have common aspects and with others you can find prospects in your areas of specialization or concentration.

With Twitter you can actually hone your writing skills by “micro-blogging” up to 140 characters. You'd be surprised how much you can say with so few characters.

There are a number of applications that permit you to make one post that simultaneously makes entries on all of your SM sites. I have found TweetDeck to be useful for this, although there are a number of web apps that provide similar service.

A great resource for learning the ropes is Social Media Strategies for Professionals and Their Firms, by Michelle Golden.

For the complete article, read “Can Social Media and the CPA Profession Mix?”

From AICPA CPA Insider, February 28, 2011, http://www.CPA2biz.com.