Todd Sampson on Social Media For Business

“If you do not have a digital footprint as a business or individual, I instantly don’t trust you. 

I instantly think you’re hiding something,” 

 - Todd Sampson“

From the #digitalsummit in Melbourne 31 October 2013

"Brands that don't embrace mobile "will be totally irrelevant," says Todd Sampson and a panel of digital experts in Sydney

Sixty-six million years ago, a meteorite hit the Earth and it killed nearly all of the dinosaurs,” said Todd Sampson, well-known CEO of Leo Burnett Australia and the host of ABC programme Redesign Your Brain during a panel session at the event on 31 October.

“Technically, the dinosaurs were dead when the meteorite had hit, but they didn’t know and they lived on for a period of time before they eventually died. You could argue that digital meteorite has already hit the majority of businesses in our country and around the world, and most of them are actually dead - they just don't know it yet."

The new generation is obsessed with mobile, Sampson continued. “If you as a business are not in that space, you will be totally irrelevant. You will not even be remotely considered for anything.”

See the full article here 

Are you ready to get your business prepared for the digital age? 

Let's chat.

New Technologies That Have Changed Business

What time is it for your business to adopt new ways? Now. 

Small business is feeling the stress from a market place that is not responding the way it once did. But putting a finger on what's different is not so easy.  In a recent blog on the subject David Markus gives us six examples of innovations that have been part of this change. These are innovations that have changed the way that business is conducted and we are never going to see the old ways back again. 

The six technologies are:

1. Social media
2. Cloud solutions that put corporate tools into our hands
3. Mobile devices that let us work from anywhere
4. Virtualisation of server infrastructure
5. Online shopping
6. Availability of broadband

While we can list these as items, in truth each of these has a lot involved and the application of each innovation can help business to sell more to make you money, streamline processes, make your business more efficient and save you money. 

Are you taking advantage of these innovations in your business? 

If you're not sure or not sure how you could add this kind of innovation to you local business, pick up the phone and let's chat. 

Lindy Asimus

0403 365 855

Read more:

Six technologies that have revolutionised SME business in the past two years

Businesses increase local sales with internet presence 
Better sales with an online presence
What Newcastle or Hunter business has a great story to tell with social media?
Managing your online reputation

Your Reputation Online. Watch It

You Want A Bright Shiny Reputation Online (and Offline)
Whether you're using social media, want to use social media in your business, or believe you can ignore social media in your business.  Social media questions are becoming more and more the topic that emerges in my discussions with clients and business owners. The amount of bad information out there, on TV on radio in the newspapers and still many business owners who are either oblivious or misinformed about online matters and how to make good decisions about what to do online.

It still remains that many small business owners think that they don't need to be online, or that their lack of interest in computers in some way is significant to their customers!  Nope. Whether you use a computer for anything more than checking the weather, other people (people with money who are and who could be customers for your business) are using their computers for many, many things. Notably, for researching future purchase options, for one example.

Yes you need to be online.
No it doesn't need to cost a fortune.

Just because someone offers you a "deal" - if you don't understand what you are getting for your money and how to determine if this is value - or a rort - then find out before you start.


A Cost of Doing Business
Yes it will cost something.
Getting a website is the beginning - not the end.
Guess what - online people are offline too! Bring them together.
Get to know people who understand social media, the internet and business.

Professional Resume - Linkedin
 Now  don't tell me - someone has invited you to Linkedin but you're not sure if you have a profile on Linkedin or if you do, you don't know what it says or how to connect with anyone. Or even what to do with that invitation.

Is it important to complete your Linkedin profile? Yes it is. This is where you can establish your credentials online and people who are looking you up on Google can see if you have roots to the community (not a fly-by-night type). And yes people look you up on Google to check you out. You should Google yourself. No information is no better than bad information.

Reputation Management. 
Go through and clean up any items that you would rather not show online and set about getting good quality information on the record about you and your business.

Learn how to monitor and manage your online reputation this is crucial  whether you are young and looking for a first job, experienced in the workforce, or manage or own your own business.


Related
Honest reviews online important for business

Accounting Firms and Social Media

"Accounting firms have no business being on social media" 

So ran the advice in this article in the Financial Review  No doubt this was meant to be provocative though it is possible that this is just another article by someone happy to offer an opinion without any knowledge of the subject.

The article does go on to say

"LinkedIn is emerging as another exception. It lets people harness the power of connections." 

In fact Linkedin has been doing this for years. It isn't emerging, it has been doing this for a long time, the only emergence, is that more people are coming out of the dark and  beginning to twig that the invitation to connect on Linkedin that they accepted and then never bothered to complete their profile or learn to use, is now pretty important.

Better late than never, perhaps.

 Another opinion in the article "You need something interesting and relevant to say, and there are only so many tweets on international financial reporting standards you can make interesting." shows clearly that the writer has fallen into the trap of thinking of Twitter and social media generally as being "all about me" and broadcasting a narrow range of self promotional pieces. The test for relevance is not about what is your core product it is about what the community that you are building online will find of interest.

Now it could be that the writer equates "Accountant" with big corporate firms. Yet most businesses will be using a suburban accountant who is a part of the local community and engaged in different ways with the people in their locale. This is where accountants have scope to do more for clients than just pass the work to junior staff and gouge clients with extortionate fees for a so-so service.

So how can an accounting firm or a single accountant use social media in a way that is effective?


Like any business it begins with understanding what purpose you want the social media to perform. Let me suggest that at the outset, by far the biggest advantage of this is to assist the accountant to be more visible, more credible and more aware of the world in which their clients operate too.

We are in a time of incredible change. Reports are on the news daily of more businesses closing and there has never been more need for business owners to be able to be flexible and adapt to compete in the new marketplace. Those who can are doing well, even now. Those who can't will fail. The evidence that there are skills they need to learn to adapt and change are often observed  by the accountant in the first instance.  That is, the accountant is in the prime position to see that, but they need to be paying attention and have the client's interests in mind. Business owners, rightly or wrongly, look to the accountant as the person who will give them a sign if there is something they need to know.  To remain in the dark about the changes that are happening across the marketplace that relate to social media and extend into changes in consumer spending habits, purchasing decisions, operational and customer service issues and more , is no service to your clients.


No Time

Now it may be true to say that many (probably most) accountants, just like their customers, are time poor and not tuned in to the new technology, and like many things that don't get done, if you don't know how to do it, it can be easier to just pretend that it isn't important. Marketing is something else that is often treated this way. Doing nothing is not going to make things go back the way they were. The marketplace has changed and this is the environment that now exists. Getting in touch with that and understanding it is crucial.
What strategy you adopt to deal with it, is another matter and one that needs to be considered after being fully informed and gaining some real understanding of the issues, the opportunities and the traps.

Get Active

How do you tell if your client is deep in need of help in this area? They are sending out newsletters by .pdf ... that's one simple but great indicator!

So let me say this another way. Accountants have no business being on social media without knowing what they are doing.

And you can learn. More easily than you might have thought.




 Lindy Asimus
0403 365 855


See also 
Part One: Your Business Blog
 
Part Three: Blogging For Business: Ideas
Part Two: How Do I Start Blogging For Business?

Integrated Marketing Blends Web With Main Street

I keep seeing businesses with a Facebook Page but no sign anywhere in their ads, in their shop, on their cars to show customers how to find them online.

Your social media presence is part of your marketing and can help you bring people to your business and to your website. Not necessarily in that order.  So make sure that they can find you. In the street, or on Facebook, or anywhere online when they go looking for someone who does what you do.

Make that a goal every week, to encourage even just another 10 customers to your Facebook page.  They add up!

Lindy Asimus
0403 365 855

Renovating Apps Bring Building Online

Any business can be using social media and smartphone Apps to help buyers and add real value for customers.

This SMH article showcases some apps for renovating. I have been using Houzz for some time now and it excellent for helping renovators picture the look they are after and the details they like, sort through what they don't like and slowly get their thoughts clear on how to define their project down to the last detail.
 Take a look 

If you are in the building industry you really need to jump in and learn about this stuff.

Your customers are.


Need help?

Call Lindy Asimus on 0403 365 855