Free webcast Nov 13: Brand Your Firm on the Web.

Your brand on the internet is more important and more visible than ever in this new social and mobile-driven economy. Take charge of your brand and build your social influence with this FREE webinar series. Get practical tips to build your brand on the net from your website to social media to local/mobile search. #CPA More info and Register here: http://ow.ly/E0rP1

Why social media makes sense for your professional practice or business

The big four social media tools for business are LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Google+. Blogging can probably be added to this list and it is also a good way to connect with clients and prospects that sign up via your website. And blogging content can be re-purposed into valuable social media posts.  Typically your clients will have a social media preference or two, but the big four will cover most everyone.

Why get your firm involved?

• You can build brand awareness fairly inexpensively - everyone you connect to extends to everyone they know and everyone they know and so on. The more people that see your posts, the more likely you will be on their mind when they eventually need your services. 
• You build trust and loyalty with clients and prospects by educating them on key issues. 
• Social media posts helps drive website traffic and blog traffic. 
• Search engines rank social media posts very high (fresh content). 
• Keep in mind there is a good chance your client's businesses are socially connected and as business advisors to your clients you need to be in the game. You need to walk the walk before you can talk the talk.  Do your clients come to you for technology or social media advice? Why not!

The good news is that other than optional paid ads, these social media tools are free and work for you 24-7. Well not exactly. You need to be active on a regular basis to reap any rewards with social networking.  That means connecting with new people and posting (sharing) relevant info on a regular basis (daily). Social media is about education and building relationships - do that right and the sales will follow.

Once up to speed, active social media participation only takes a few minutes a day - the time to sip a cup of coffee. But yes, it can be addicting! As you know, all of these social media companies went public recently and their business valuations are through the roof.  You are at the ground floor and big things are yet to come - if you get engaged!

To me, the first 2 must have social media tools for your practice are LinkedIn and Google+.

LinkedIn is by far the largest social media outlet for business.  LinkedIn doesn't have the celebritiy-ism of Twitter but it is the most useful for businesses. LinkedIn member profiles rank high in web searches. If you search your firm or your name in Google, usually LinkedIn is on page one. Prospects will most likely research your firm via your website and/or LinkedIn before contacting you. And if they do not like what they see the referral can be useless.

LinkedIn tip: invite everyone you know to connect with you (clients, vendors, prospects, friends, family). And again, you will be connected to everyone they know as well. Post valuable information that will be of interest to your followers. LinkedIn posts can be up to 688 characters.

In the next blog I will discuss tips for a great profile in LinkedIn. If you haven't done so, connect with me on LinkedIn.

Google+ is a close second for all business owners and is greatly ignored. Google+ was originally designed to be a Facebook competitor. But Google made a smart strategic shift and is using Google+ to replace Google Places (business listings).  When you do a Google search and the map with pin cushions opens (Google Maps) pointing to local search results, you are now directed to the Google+ page for that business.

Two important Google+ tips: first you must take ownership (free) of the business listing by verifying your business usually by post card.  Secondly, you must post regularly to Google+.  Do neither and your Google search ranking plummets. Yes it can be the same post sent to LinkedIn. Regular posting is the key. You can build circles (groups of followers) similar to Friends on Facebook. And visitors to your Google+ page can add reviews about your firm (let your clients tout your success). If interested, you can preview or follow me on Google+.

Twitter is the 800 pound gorilla in this game. Celebrities get all the Twitter hype but it's good for every business. Similar to LinkedIn and Google+, the key is to post relevant content on a regular basis.  The real good news is that you can connect with hundreds of Twitter users in your area to develop relationships. You can then share your expertise or re-tweet about tax, accounting, or business news found on Twitter by following thought leaders or industry magazines.

Twitter Tip: when tweeting, balance fresh content from you, retweets from others, and personal interest stories (attending community events or milestones). Using #hastags and geosearches (local searches), you can find tweeps in your area talking about #tax or #IRS or business issues - connect with them and in turn they will most likely connect with you.  Twitter posts are limited to 140 characters.  You can follow me on Twitter here.

When I talk about Facebook, I am not referring to your personal Facebook page but a business Facebook page. Keep them separate for sure!! To get started, you create a new page from your personal Facebook account. Then you can add basic info about your practice, map for directions, owner and staff bios, services and again - fresh posts from you (tax, accounting, or business). It is snapshot of your website with more regular updates. Invite everyone you know to Like your page so they get your posts. Facebook posts are limited to 2000 characters. Preview and Like my Facebook page here.

Referrals are great way to build your practice but your network is very limited. Even with direct referrals today, prospects will most likely "Google" you first and check out your website and their favorite social media outlets before they contact you. If they are not impressed - the referral can be useless. All of these social media tools are accessible from tablets and mobile devices so it only takes seconds to get the skinny about your practice.

You will need a social media policy to advise any staff members engaged with social media as to what can or should not be posted on your corporate accounts. Posts can be scheduled and reviewed before going live.

If you have not gotten started with social media this may be a lot to take in. Get help and don't reinvent the wheel.  There are tools to help you manage multiple social media accounts with ease. I also recommend that you add your social medial links to your website (great backlinks for SEO). You can even add your posts via widgets to your website too (for fresh content).

Lastly, tax season is the time to you meet with all of your business and personal clients. Invite them to connect with you on their favorite social media product. Once you are in the game you will realize the value and the popularity of social media.

If you are not moving forward with social media - you are losing ground. It is probably the best network marketing medium to hit businesses - EVER! If you need help getting started give me a call to fast track your success.

Best wishes for your greatest year ever.  Bob

Fast track your practice in 2014 - technology tips from Bob Torella MBA

The end of another year is approaching rapidly and tax season is in the near horizon.  Here is my short list of technology resources you should consider to get 2014 off to a great start. Reading the list does little good - please find an item or two and move forward.

1. Update your website. Prospects, clients, and search engines like fresh content. Your website has 3 main purposes: 1) brand your firm, 2) attract new clients, and 3) service your existing clients better.  If your website is not working for you - take action. You can get a great new website online before tax season. Call me for a special offer.
2. Use Google Analytics to track who is visiting your website and how they found you. And Use Google Alerts to track what others are saying about you and your firm on the net. Two free must use tools.
3. Enhance your brand on the net.  Visit my website for a free web business listing scan. Caution - you may not like the results!
4. Claim your business listings on Google+ and post updates regularly to keep it active. You may not care - but Google does!
5. Take a step toward the cloud. Host your QuickBooks Desktop clients in the cloud. That means you and your clients will continue to use the full featured QB Desktop application while getting the benefits of the cloud: real-time collaboration, no file transfers, no versions or updates to manage. Easy conversion.
6. Activate a client portal. Can we please make this the year you share documents with your clients online 24*7, just like every financial institution out there! I call it Documents Ondemand.
7. Get more engaged with social media. The big 3, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook are all now public companies with huge business valuations. Their capabilities are only getting started. You have to be where your clients are to win.
8. Blog. This allows you to share your expertise with prospects and clients.  Social sharing is big.  Blogs are ranked high in search engines. Keep your clients educated about events that can affect their personal lives or business.
9. Move toward business advisory services.  Compliance services are a commodity and will become less profitable. Business advisory services are highly needed to help small business grow, desired by small business owners, high revenue engagements and highly profitable. Plus it is more aligned with the reason you became an accountant in the first place. You will need to be cloud and social media friendly to provide real time advisory services - read the first 10 items again!
10. Automate your AR and AP processes to slash your time processing payables and get paid faster. Take a look at www.Bill.com. Good for you and great for your clients too.

Keep this list handy, add it to your calendar, move as fast as you can or pick one item a month. If you are not moving forward you are losing ground. Of course, if you need help in any of these areas I am here to fast track you forward.

Best wishes for your greatest year ever.

Bob Torella MBA

BAT Consulting Group Inc.
If you haven’t done so already, connect with me on LinkedIn or Twitter to stay on top of emerging technologies that can advance your practice.

A great solution to easily transition your accounting engagements to the cloud.

I have been touting the benefits of the cloud many times over. Briefly, the cloud delivers:

• Access the applications anytime anywhere for real time collaboration,
• Eliminates dealing with multiple versions of the software,
• Eliminates transmitting those large pesky QB files,
• Minimizes most of the travel to the customer site improving productivity,
• Allows you to expand your services without worrying about internal infrastructure,
• You can keep better tabs on your client.
• Plus you are keeping your practice current and building your practice valuation.

All of the aforementioned benefits allow you to provide more efficient and more profitable services to your client. Feel free to visit my website for more information on the benefits of the cloud.

You may be asking, “But Bob, I have tried QB Online (QBO) and it doesn’t have the same feature set of QB Desktop (QBD). And Bob, I do not want to learn a whole other application, nor does my staff or my clients!”  Well, what if I can deliver ALL the benefits of QB Desktop AND the ALL the benefits of cloud solutions with no learning curve?  Have I piqued your interest? I hope YES! It is termed hosted cloud solutions.

The way to accomplish this is to host the QB Desktop solution, the same application you love, in the cloud! That means QBD is installed on a server in the cloud and not on your local machine (nor your client’s PC). Now you, your staff, and your client access the application from a common portal via the internet. All data updates are real time. You use the same QBD application that you know very well and you eliminate the core hassles of desktop solutions while getting all the other benefits of cloud services I mentioned previously.

This transition will also help softly step your practice into cloud services while building your practice valuation. With that said, keep in mind the QB Desktop application will not be available forever, but you can buy a few years staying in your comfort zone while easing into the cloud.  Hopefully in a few years, the QBO solution (or other cloud-based accounting applications) will have a richer feature set - and then moving to a pure cloud solution will make more sense.

How do you get started? Contact BAT Consulting and we’ll help set you up with a service that hosts QB 2013 (free upgrade) in a secure server right here in Long Island. The service also includes Microsoft Office 365 so you get Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Publisher, and Lync (a Skype-esque conferencing tool) for you to access anywhere. You get both core products you love for just $99/month per client (no additional staff fees). Considering that you are eliminating travel, eliminating file transfers, eliminating worries about back ups, and working real time with your client from anywhere AND you do NOT have to spend any time learning a new program that doesn’t even have all the features you want - it makes great sense.  Plus your practice is uplifting their technology capabilities which is great for your business valuation and staff moral. It is the classic win-win situation.

The transition and implementation is easy and painless. Simply give me a call and we can take your practice to the next level. I am confident that you, your staff, and your clients, will appreciate this enriched service. We can get you started before tax season.

For further reading and insights, I recommend an article from CPA Practice Advisor titled, “How Cloud Services Can Differentiate Your Firm”.

Best wishes for your greatest year ever.

Bob Torella MBA