Whether you’re sending a message to your friends or marketing a product or service to customers, social media is an everyday tool to communicate, network and market to an audience.
However for accountants who may not have the skills to use social media; it can be a setback when communicating knowledge and expertise to clients.
It is important to identify barriers preventing your business from reaching to the right people. In this post we look at ways to overcome them to benefit your business.
What is social media?
Before identifying the barriers we must first understand what social media is. There are 2 parts:
- social – interacting and sharing information with people
- media – tool or instrument of communication e.g. website or newsletter
Combining these 2 points, SM is an online based tool that enables people to interact and share information among others.
Barriers
Although there are pros to using social media for accountants, such as networking and securing valuable information, the challenges faced often outweigh the benefits.
Some of these barriers include:
- lack of knowledge
- timing
- unsure what to write about
- compliance concerns
- lack of control over what happens
Age could be considered a barrier as SM appeals to a younger audience. According to Wolters Kluwer’s 2015 Social Media Survey, SM usage was high among under 30s (100%) and under 40s (99%).
Overcoming challenges
With more firms looking to engage with their clients through SM there are ways to overcome the barriers.
Accountants are too busy with day-to- day work and learning a new skill often takes time. However there are reasons for your practice to make time for it.
Here are some suggestions to help you make use of social media:
- time allocation – making time in your working schedule, it could be for an hour a day
- team support – utilising your team members to control the task at hand
- outsourcing – hiring consultants and experts can help you understand how SM works for your business