Social Media and Positioning for CPAs is a presentation given to the Illinois CPA Society. This presentation discusses the use and need for CPAs, whether in public practice or in industry, to use social media effectively in order to position themselves in the market.

1. Social Media
and Positioning
for CPAs
Illinois CPA Society
Accounting Principles
Committee Meeting
May 27, 2015

2. Outline
 Social Media 101
 Social Media and Positioning
 What Social Media Does and Doesn’t Do
 Effectively Using Social Media
 Case Example

3. Social Media 101
 Social Media is providing content via
social networks and is an extension of
networking.
 Social Media allows you or your company
to build awareness and leverage loyalty
 Effective use of social media allows you to
broadcast your positioning.
 Your “Why”
 “Only we…”

4. Social Media 101
 There are a lot of social media channels
out there, but not all are equal.
 Quality Trumps Quantity.
 Where is your Tribe?

5. Pick Your Poison!

6. Positioning
 Start With Why (also great Simon Sinek
book)
 What is your unique value proposition?
 Category of One
 Narrow Focus
 For Who we What by How because Why.
 What Problem Are You Solving?

7. Positioning and Social Media
 In order to have an effective social media
strategy, you need to have an effective
positioning strategy.
 Positioning Strategy dictates what social
media outlets to concentrate on.
 Professional Services is better served on
LinkedIn instead of Facebook

8. What Social Media Does
 Social Media communicates positioning
and brand strategy
 Social Media starts a conversation to
interact with current and potential
customers.
 Social Media builds awareness and
removes barriers to entry.
 Social Media establishes credentials and
communicates expertise (or lack thereof).

9. What Social Media Doesn’t
 Social Media will not sell your goods or
services.
 Social Media is not about being popular.
 Social Media will not cure your lack of
strategy

10. Effectively Using Social Media
 Social Media is a form of marketing.
 Identify who you are marketing to and
understand what channels they use.
 Create content to broadcast on those
channels.
 Interact with those who interacted with
your content.
 Build Trust.

11. How I Have Used Social Media
 For my industry the most important social
networks for me:
 LinkedIn
 Twitter
 BuiltIn
 Use those networks to connect with my tribe
and publish content (either directly or from
my website)
 Use Social Media to drive traffic to my website
where I further establish my credentials and
positioning strategy.

12. Power of Social Media
 Southwest Airlines example

13. Questions?