www.symphony3.com/social-media 1

Social Media and the Business Adviser

10 Tips for independent advisers and business advisory firms on how they can use social media

Introduction

• Fergal Coleman, 15 years experience in internet, IT industry

• Master of Business and IT, Melbourne Uni

• Mindshop Member for Four Years

• Assisting organisations across a range of industries with social media, including manufacturing, professional services, distribution, local government

• Developed a social media framework and methodology

Social Media is a Change Initiative

• Is social media for you?

• Have you embraced Web 1.0?

• Change is difficult – changing your own behaviours is often more difficult than changing clients’ behaviours

• Are you prepared to change your ways of thinking? Are you prepared to lose control of your brand?

• It’s about leadership, if you're not prepared to change why should your team?

1. Start using the tools internally

• How can you communicate more effectively within your organisation?

• On projects and client engagements?

• How can you use to the tools to innovate and streamline processes and service delivery?

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Sharing Ideas and communication with Yammer and Central desktop

2. Policy: What are the rules?

• How are employees expected to behave in a social media context?

• What are they allowed to reveal or not reveal?

• How are they expected to respond in different situations?

• Provide parameters not strict rules

• What are people saying?

• About you and your products?

• About your customers?

• About your competitors?

• What information can give you an edge?

• The 5 Forces and PEST tools can help

3.Start Listening

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Monitor Competitors and Industry Leaders

Where is your name appearing?

How do customers think your product or services compares?

4.Identify your target market?

• Is there a market for your service?

• Who are they?

• How niche ?

• Who would have thought there was a market for a bagpipe tuner? www.bagpipetuner.com

• Remember the Long Tail

• Can you deliver your service nationally or Globally?

5. Start Responding

• You know where people in your industry are.

• Start responding in discussions

• Start retweeting

Commenting on discussions

Retweets and mentions by you, and by others

6. Create Your Own Initiatives

• Implement your own strategic initiatives.

• Create valuable content for your clients in a social media environment

• Invite them to contribute and comment

• Listen to their concerns

• Develop new content to deal with those concerns

• Remember: It takes time and effort

7. Measure

• Social Media is Measureable

• Set clear KPIs

• Relate them back to the business – leads, prospects sales

8. Fail Fast

• Do your research and make sure you have an aim and a goal, but

• Don’t procrastinate, create a prototype and test it out

• The Tools are cheap

• Use your metrics and if its not working move on

9. Syndicate

10. Train and Educate

• Train your staff

• Educate your customers

• Raise Awareness

• Remember the tools are easy changing behaviours is much more difficult

Get Involved!

• Change is happening very quickly

• Get involved early

• But think long term

Questions??

www.symphony3.com/social-media