Accountants aren’t exactly known for being the social type.
We’re generally tucked away in the back office to do our “bean-counting” (so to speak) while keeping human contact to a minimum. It’s not that we don’t like people (well, we can’t speak for all accountants) – this is just where we’re most comfortable, thank you very much.
So, it’s not surprising that the idea of using social media could make any accountant cringe. And then promptly go back into hiding in that back office.
That’s because social media is just so…you know…social.
This is how we felt when we first embarked on social media for FusePhase (and we admit we’re still warming up to it). But we can now see that it’s already playing a vital role in building relationships with our audience.
Here’s why we think every business can benefit from a social media presence, even if you’re working in an industry with a reputation for being a bit on the stuffy serious side – like finance.
It’s all about relationships
As you may already know, FusePhase was launched late last year (2013). We spent decades helping to build businesses for other people – it was time to apply our knowledge and experiences to building dreams of our own.
As a way to network and build some momentum around the new business, we opted to establish a social media presence right out of the gate – even before our full-fledged website was up and running.
Our expectations were relatively low – mostly because we didn’t really know what to expect. But the past few months have been eye-opening, to say the least.
What we’ve learned so far from our Google Analytics is that our involvement with social media (specifically Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn) has helped to not only drive significantly more traffic to our website overall but – more importantly – bring us visitors who seem to be more engaged with us and our site, which is what it’s all about.
Speaking from our own experience
Here are some of our observations about our site’s visitors from social media, as compared to visitors from other channels:
- They are typically return visitors.
- They spend far more time on each page (i.e. longer Average Visit Duration).
- They view more pages per visit.
- They are more likely to interact with the page (i.e. this group has a consistently low Bounce Rate).
Our visitors from our social media outlets are by far the most engaged visitors on our website, and their behavior indicates they have a high level of interest in our content. We may not have thousands, or even hundreds of social followers (yet), and we may not be rolling in cash due to all the sales we’re making through social media. But that’s not even the point.
The point of marketing through social media is to establish a connection with your customers, develop the voice of your brand – and hell, have a little fun! It’s working for us so far!
Here’s why every business needs social media
Whether you work in finance, fashion, or food – if you don’t already have active social media accounts for your business (emphasis on the word “active”), here’s why we suggest you get on it, pronto.
- It’s a direct link to your customers, strategic partners, industry leaders, etc. Ask them questions. Answer their questions. Engage.
- You can get immediate customer feedback (no focus groups or surveys needed).
- You can create a community that encourages conversation around your business or your industry.
- It’s an additional platform for building your brand and your voice.
Will social media drive your sales through the roof? Not likely. Will it strengthen your relationship with your customers, and help you to better engage with them? From what we can tell so far, all signs point to YES.
Do you use social media for your business? Has it helped you? We’d love to hear about it!
