Today's Technology for Tomorrow's Firm.
Issue link: https://cpapracticeadvisor.epubxp.com/i/200952
MARKETING IN PRACTICE By Kristy Short, Ed.D Capturing Clients on LinkedIn? Yes…You…Can! LinkedIn expert offers proven strategy on how to effectively market using top social media channel T he ongoing confusion within the profession about how social media effectively supports marketing and sales efforts is valid. While there is ample high-level educational content on the topic of social media, there are few strategies that are proven and tested. And even for those programs that do exist, it's likely that practitioners are not aware of them. So, with the dedicated mission of educating the profession on all things marketing, the following interview with LinkedIn expert, Josh Turner, provides insight into a sound strategy for effective marketing using Kristy Short, Ed.D, is president of rwc360, LLC (rwc360.com)—a frm dedicated to providing marketing and public relations services to the accounting profession. She is also a professor of English and marketing. Reach her at kristy.short@cpapracticeadvisor. com or kristy@rwc360.com. 16 LinkedIn. You won't want to miss a single question and answer. Starting at the Beginning To truly understand the potential marketing power using LinkedIn, it's important to have a clear understanding of WHY LinkedIn is the social media channel of choice. KRISTY: Why is LinkedIn considered the #1 social media channel? And why should accounting professionals be part of this channel? JOSH: Every business has to assess where their prospects can be reached. Tat's what maters. For B2B companies, such as accounting firms, LinkedIn has proven to be one of the key places where prospects hang out. A study in late 2012 by Ipsos, a global market research company, found the following: • LinkedIn reaches more business elite and c-suite monthly than any other international news and business website measured. • LinkedIn atracts the highest number of business elite purchase decision November 2013 • www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com makers with high net worth and big purchasing budgets. For accounting frms that want to generate leads through new online channels, LinkedIn is a must. Sculpting Your LinkedIn Profle Don't expect to get much atention on LinkedIn if you just throw together a basic profile. There are common rules to creating a profile that will make you more visible and atract the right folks. KRISTY: What are the basics of seting up a profle on LinkedIn? JOSH: We don't put too much emphasis on the profle as a selling tool, but it is a key part of the foundation for any successful LinkedIn lead generation campaign. What should be understood is that when reaching out to hundreds of new prospects on LinkedIn, many of these prospects will size you up by looking at your profle. It is at this point that you must put your best foot forward. Doing so requires these critical components: • A professional photo. • A headline that speaks to your expertise and the value you ofer to clients. • A summary section that efectively demonstrates your competencies. • Effective use of "call to actions" throughout the profle to get prospects to take a next step with your business. Of course there is more, but these are the most important elements. Getting to the Heart of the Strategy Once you are set up properly on LinkedIn, that's when the real strategy for capturing leads begins. Josh Turner has worked long and hard to develop a program that gets results. KRISTY: What is the best way to reach small-business decision makers through LinkedIn—CEOs, presidents, owners etc.? JOSH: First, you need to be where they're at. If you're trying to reach a top decision maker, you need to be where they are on LinkedIn, not where your competitors are hanging out. Tis might seem like a given, but I ofen see people involved in only profession-specifc groups. A CPA, for example, will be in accountingrelated and fnance groups, where all their peers and competitors are. Te CEOs and SMB owners [those they really want to connect with] are not going to be in the accounting-based groups. Practitioners have got to join groups where their prospects and clients are, not their competitors. KRISTY: So then, a big part of the strategy is to join the right groups. Can you ofer more insight on what groups practitioners should join? JOSH: A lot of CPAs are working on a local or a regional level. So, say a CPA from St. Louis wants to fnd local business owners they can target; there are all sorts of St. Louis-focused groups. Tis is a great place to start because there's going to be a lot of business owners in those groups. Te