Download Social Media 101

Social Media 101
NAEA Members
SOCIAL MEDIA 101:
AN INTRODUCTION FOR
NAEA MEMBERS
1
What is Social Media?
• Social media is the use of web-based technologies to turn
communication into interactive dialogue between network
groups, consumers and businesses in a public forum
• Similar to a web board, social media allows Internet users
to comment and participate with other users publicly on
the Web to start a conversation on related topics
Why Use Social Media?
• Stay up-to-date on industry and association news
• Boost your marketing efforts without breaking your budget
• Brand your practice in your local area
• Increase client communication and referrals in a public
forum for others to see
• An opportunity to introduce yourself to new clients
• An opportunity to establish yourself as an industry expert
amongst your clients and colleagues
• Provide proactive customer service
Is Social Media Just a Fad?
 Social media is no longer marketing’s new thing – it’s
simply part of the way marketing is done today
 Think you can sit the social networking craze out? Consider
the following statistics…
Social Media Statistics
 98% of online 18-to-24 year-olds already use social media
each month according to a Experian Simmons report -- an
important statistic if EAs are hoping to reach a younger
audience
 The greatest growth sector is among older Americans.
Today, nearly 3-in-4 online seniors use social media in a
typical month as do 82% of those ages 55-to-64
 As of 2011, Facebook has more than 500 million active users
and 30% of the entire Facebook user base is aged 35+
(Facebook)
Social Media Strategy: Determining
Your Objectives
• Who are you trying to reach?
• What are your goals/objectives for each social
networking platform?
• What are some goals/objectives you would like to
achieve with your social media program?
Social Media Strategy
Plan
Manage
Listen
Network
Join
Engage
Picking Your Platform: Where You Should
Be
Facebook: What is It?
•
Facebook is a social network where users can create
profiles with photos, lists of personal interests and
contact information
•
Users can communicate with friends and other users
through private or public messages and a chat feature
•
They can also create and join interest groups and
“business pages" (formerly called "fan pages”), which
are maintained by organizations and businesses as a
means of promotion
Personal Facebook Profile
Personal Facebook Profile

Allows individuals to create a personal profile, add
other users as friends, and exchange messages, pictures
and other information including automatic notifications
when they update their profile

Before creating an official page for your business, a
personal account needs to be created
Getting Started on Facebook
www.facebook.com
Getting Started on Facebook
 To create a personal Facebook profile, go to
www.facebook.com/help/signup and review the sign up
process
 Once an account is created:
 Set up your profile, add photos, and “like” pages that interest
you
Getting Started on Facebook
 Once your profile is set up:
 Understand Facebook privacy and set up Facebook
privacy settings (read more on Facebook privacy
settings here: www.facebook.com/help/privacy)
 Facebook’s privacy default allows the public to see your posts, likes,
pictures, etc.
 Understand that it is important to maintain a professional image on
Facebook and be aware of who might be looking at your profile
 Find and “add” friends
 Post status updates, comment and participate in the
online conversations taking place
Facebook Terminology
• Profile:Your personal page. It contains your photos and videos, a
list of your friends, your recent activities, and anything else you
choose to include on it.
• Wall: A featured section inside every Facebook profile and
business page that allows people to post public messages to you.
• News Feed: A continuous stream of updates about your friends’
activities on Facebook. It appears on your Home Page.
Facebook Terminology
• Status: A feature that allows users to inform their friends of their
current whereabouts, actions, or thoughts.
• Like: A feature that appears as a link next to something you see
on Facebook that allows users to let others know they appreciate
that something, whether it be a video, a comment or something
else.
Facebook Business Page
Facebook Business Page

Allows business owners and organizations to create a
similar profile page for their business that allows
networking with customers/clients while giving more
privacy and an opportunity to brand their company
separately from their personal Facebook profile
Facebook’s Help Page on how to use Facebook Business
Pages
 Link to create your Business Page

Facebook Business Page
 Become familiar with Facebook Business Pages by
“liking” NAEA’s official Facebook Page
 www.facebook.com/nationalassociationofenrolledagents
Click the “like” button
to follow NAEA’s
Facebook updates
Facebook Business Pages
 Once familiar with what a Business Page is, members can
create a page to promote their own practice
 Facebook’s Help Page on how to use Facebook Business Pages
 Sign into your personal Facebook account, and go to
www.facebook/com/pages/create.php
Creating a Facebook Business Page
www.facebook.com/pages/create.php
Creating a Facebook Business Page
www.facebook.com/pages/create.php
Creating a Facebook Business Page
 Once a page is created, set up your business page as you
would your personal profile, but substitute your business
information instead
 Add your company logo as your “profile picture,” location,
hours, business information, background, company photos
 Begin to add content and share your page with clients and
others you want to connect with
Facebook Business Page
Profile Picture
Post a
Status Update
Wall
Facebook Business Page Wall
“Like” a
comment to
show
recognition or
appreciation
Share links
and information
relevant to your
audience
Facebook Business Info Page
Facebook Business Photos Page
Why Use a Facebook Business Page?
• Allows you to create a flexible business outpost on
Facebook
• Connect and be in touch with your clients and potential
clients on a more personal level
• Allows those connected to you to suggest your page to
their friends – a great networking tool
• Allows visitors to see what others are saying about your
company and services
Things You Need to Create Your
Facebook Business Page
• A personal Facebook account (profile)
• A Facebook objective/goal –who is your audience and
what do you want to achieve?
• Content
• A schedule, time and consistency
2
7
Twitter
• Twitter is an online service that allows anyone to say anything
to anybody in 140 characters or less
• These messages, or Tweets, are public and available to anyone
interested in them
• Twitter users subscribe to your messages by following your
account. Followers receive every one of your messages in
their timeline, a feed of all the accounts they have subscribed
to
• It is a great network for what is called “real-time internet,”
the conversation that is going on at this very moment
Why Use Twitter: Possible Objectives
• As a business, you can use Twitter to quickly share
information, gather market intelligence and insights, and
build relationships with people who care about your
practice. Some possible objectives:
o Stay connected with up to the second updates and network with
others in the tax industry
o Keep your clients and potential clients up to date with the most
current information that’s relevant to them
o Instant access to what’s being said, this minute, about your company
and services
o Extend the reach of your thought leadership; blog posts and other
content
Creating Your Twitter Account
www.twitter.com
How to Use Twitter
• Once you create an account, you’ll be given a home
page, profile page, and Twitter handle (username)
• i.e. NAEA’s handle is @tax_experts or
www.twitter.com/tax_experts
• From these pages you can find other Twitter streams to
follow, post your own messages, and watch the public
stream of comments flow by
3
1
Twitter Terminology
• Tweet: When you post or write your 140 characters on Twitter
and hit send, it’s called a tweet or tweeting
• Handle: Your Twitter name and part of your Twitter URL. i.e.
@tax_experts
• Follow: The act of adding someone to your list of people you are
following – this makes their tweets show up on your homepage
3
2
Twitter Terminology
• Replies: This is what it is called when someone writes a tweet
directly at your handle, i.e., @tax_experts Thank you for posting
the updated PTIN information!
• Retweet: This is a tactic of republishing someone else’s tweet –
the original tweet along with the author stays intact, but you are
basically showing someone’s tweet to your followers- many people
find this a great way to add content and acknowledge good stuff
from folks they follow
3
3
Twitter Terminology
• DM (Direct Message): This is a message that is sent directly to
another user. They must be following you for you to DM them,
but this is a very useful tool for private messages
• Hashtag: This is a way people categorize tweets so that others
might use the same tag and effectively create a way for people to
view related tweets – it will look something like “#tax” in many of
your cases
3
4
How to Use Twitter
• Use search.twitter.com/advanced as a lead generation
tool. Find people in your area who are tweeting about
“tax” and reach out to them
• As with all of your other social media platforms, make
sure to identify at least one objective from the “Why Use
Twitter” slide, identify your audience, and focus your
efforts on learning how to use the tool to that end
3
5
Who Should You Follow?
• To make Twitter useful, you need to follow others and
begin to have others follow you
• While you can upload your current contacts (a good
place to start) and search for people you know on
Twitter, there are sites to help locate people with
common interests:
• Twellow is like a Twitter phone directory that sorts people by
industry
• Tweepsearch focuses on searching Twitter bios and profiles to help
you locate Tweeters who are interesting to follow
3
6
What Should You Say on Twitter?
• Whatever your answer, it needs to be 140 characters or
less – make sure whatever you say, you’re targeting your
audience and reaching your objective that you establish
in your social media marketing strategy
• If you’re trying to reach new clients or keep your
current clients informed, keep them updated with
information that is helpful and relevant to them
@Tax_Experts: An Example
Handle or
Username
Tweet
@Tax_Experts: An Example
Hashtag
Retweet
Building Your Twitter
• business.twitter.com
• What is Twitter?
• Twitter Glossary
• Best Practices
• Case Studies
• Resources
LinkedIn
• LinkedIn is the largest online network specifically
created for business professionals, used by many as a
digital resume
• It has much more of business participation and is great
place to network with other business professionals
LinkedIn
• As is the case with any social network, it’s important to
take time and get to know the culture and accepted
norms – lurk a little bit!
• Use the time to build your profile and your network of
current friends so you can see firsthand examples of
how people connect and reach out on your chosen
network
• From there you can begin to contribute and seek out
connections
Why Use LinkedIn?
• Find clients, help, and deals. For the tax industry, LinkedIn is
a great place to locate prospects and network with partners
• Build up buzz. Once you’ve established a following within
LinkedIn you can begin to promote specific happenings around
your tax practice
• Visualize connections. Your profile lets visitors know exactly
how they’re connected to you, which builds a degree of trust
between the visitor and yourself
Why Use LinkedIn?
• Give feedback and research. Use LinkedIn as a resource for
research and feedback. Simply putting questions out to your group
is a great way to get a feel for areas where you want input.
• Receive and give recommendations. LinkedIn allows you to
request, receive (and give) recommendations from your colleagues
and clients – your connections will be able to see first hand what
your business contacts have to say about you and your services!
LinkedIn Resources
• learn.linkedin.com
• LinkedIn Learning Center
• learn.linkedin.com/new-users
• New User Starter Guide
• Step-by-step guide to building your LinkedIn Profile
• smb.linkedincreatives.com
• LinkedIn for Small Businesses Starter Guide
4
5
Social Searching
• A social search engine is one that lists small businesses
and allows people to rate and review them
• An online directory with answers, recommendations
and user experiences
• Social search sites ask members and visitors to rate their
experience, good or bad, with a business and post for
others to view
Social Searching
• No cost involved and benefits outweigh the little bit of
work you may put in to start building your online
reputation
• Smart small businesses are starting to encourage online
reviews – merely point out to your happy clients that
they might want to share their positive experience!
Social Searching
• Other businesses are printing and using their online
reviews offline or in other marketing material
• Coupons and offers are a great way to get noticed, too!
Social Search Engines
• www.teaspiller.com (A social search engine specifically
created for accounting and tax professionals)
• Craig’s List
• Judy’s Book
• Insider Pages
• Smalltown.com
• Yelp.com
Tips for Content Creation
• On Facebook, list your services and include a link to
•
•
•
•
5
0
your website
On Facebook or LinkedIn, encourage your clients to
post their testimonials or recommendations
Post articles from local publications you contribute to
Ask and answer questions
Hold contests and offer discounts to your fans to
encourage engagement
Tips for Content Creation
• Post articles that detail the benefits of using an EA or
other industry related articles
• Post links and information that benefit your clients,
i.e., tax tips, deductions they may not know about, etc.
• Sync your social networks – link to your Facebook
and Twitter on your blog, and link to your blog posts
on Facebook and Twitter
Tips for Content Creation
• Repost and retweet other people’s great content to your
followers and subscribers as it builds your overall
reputation for good content sharing
• Talk about who you are, what you’re working on or
educational sessions you’ll be attending – shows your
professionalism and how you’re working on improving
yourself and services
5
2
Tips for Content Creation
• Subscribe to IRS email updates
• Subscriber Preferences Page
• e-News for Tax Professionals
• IRS Tax Tips
• IRS Newswire and more
• Set up Google Alerts with important key words
• Follow blogs and Twitter feeds of industry information
leaders
Managing Your Social Media Platforms
• Following an automated routine or schedule provides
insight into how you can best integrate your social
media strategy into your overall marketing plan
• For each social media platform, develop a plan/schedule
for certain tactics that you will perform on a daily and
weekly basis and stick to it
• Maintain a list of content ideas for posting
Create an Editorial Calendar
Week 1
Mon
Blog
Blog post on
EITC
Facebook
Share new
blog post
Twitter
Share new
blog post
LinkedIn
Start topic in
NAEA Linked
Group
Tues
Wed
Thurs
Share photos from
NAEA National
Conference
Link to IRS
news
Fri
Tips to Promote Your Social Media
Platforms
• Include links to your platforms in your email signature
• Include links to your platforms on your website and in
your client newsletters
• Add social networking “badges” or logos on your
business cards, brochures and other marketing materials
Tips to Promote Your Social Media
Platforms
• Place Facebook ads using Facebook’s own social ad
feature
• www.facebook.com/advertising
• Verbally tell your clients about your social media
platforms and ask them to follow you!
• Be present, post great content and people will find YOU
Social Media Wrap-Up
• Value can be created and benefits reaped when
technology is used to facilitate social interaction
• As long as you follow your plan carefully and you use
the tools that are available, client relationships can be
strengthened through social media