Though service professionals may not be the first people to come to mind when you think of Instagram, Facebook, or LinkedIn, they are primed to succeed in today\u2019s social media landscape. Professions like accountants, lawyers, and doctors have so much of value to contribute to the world of social media, but they do have special considerations. If being a professional service provider is your job, and you\u2019re thinking about developing a social media strategy, keep reading to discover five good reasons to get started and three hurdles you\u2019ll need to overcome along the way.<\/p>\n
Reason #1: Your Topic is relevant to many<\/strong><\/p>\n Being able to provide real value in your social media feed is the secret to success, and almost everyone can benefit in some way from reading about your subject! Your challenge is finding the most compelling topics. What valuable information do you have to offer? What is your particular niche? Do you work mostly with small businesses or people? Do you help a lot of freelancers or concentrate on oil and gas or real estate? Do you serve adults or children? Social media is \u201cthe\u201d place to become a thought leader in regard to your specific business focus!<\/p>\n Reason #2: \u00a0Professionals have lots to talk about<\/strong><\/p>\n Compared to some professions where there can be a shortage of consistent, valuable content, professional services is information-heavy, and people are always searching for the knowledge you have. With a little thought and planning, you can provide value-added posts for the rest of time.<\/p>\n Examples:<\/p>\n You can also spice up your feed by showing a more personal (yet still professional) side of your business. Your audience will gain an appreciation for what you do by seeing your employees, charities, office events, and more. Give them a peak behind the curtain to build brand loyalty.<\/p>\n Reason #3: Professionals are looking to expand their client base<\/strong><\/p>\n Who doesn\u2019t want to grow their business? Social media is a perfect place to raise awareness, meet new people, and nurture relationships all without leaving your desk or paying for advertisements. Building an arsenal of frequently asked questions means positioning yourself as an expert when potential new clients are looking for the information they need on social media.<\/p>\n Reason #4: Professionals need to build trust<\/strong><\/p>\n Social media is one of the best places to build trust with existing clients while expanding your network. The combination of high-level expertise with personal touches like seeing how your office functions on the day-to-day will solidify the relationships you have while offering ongoing \u00a0opportunities for growth.<\/p>\n Reason #5: Professionals are accustomed to continuous learning<\/strong><\/p>\n Others may balk at the initial learning curve for social media, but you\u2019re accustomed to learning new things. You must meet your profession\u2019s requirements for training every few years, and similarly, social media practices are always evolving, developing ever more changes to master. Good thing you\u2019ve got an edge on the competition there!<\/p>\n Now that we\u2019ve seen how impactful \u00a0social media can be for your business, let\u2019s take a look at a few hurdles you may encounter along the way:\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Hurdle #1: Professionals have a heightened need to be accurate and follow best practices for social media<\/strong><\/p>\n With regard to accuracy, I don\u2019t have to tell you how important it is. Just like with preparing taxes or filing a motion, your social media content needs to maintain the highest standards of accuracy and integrity while remaining easy for your audience to follow.<\/p>\n As your posts act as a visible representation of the quality of your professional work, you need to not only follow best practices for your field, but also best practices for social media. Download our Foolproof Posting<\/strong> Checklist<\/strong><\/a> to make sure each post you submit is up to par.<\/p>\n Hurdle #2: Professionals need to work harder than some to make posts interesting and appropriate for their audience<\/strong><\/p>\n Your subject matter is complex, and not everyone has a foundation for understanding it. You will need to know your audience\u2019s level of knowledge and shape your posts accordingly. Are you reaching out to small business owners, CEOs, or individuals? Considering your audience and tailoring your posts is particularly important when posting content for non-professionals. You\u2019ll have to work a little harder to keep you audience engaged and let them know why they should care.<\/p>\n Hurdle #3: Professionals need to find time to post<\/strong><\/p>\n Social media takes time. And we all know that you stay busy. But the good news is that moving from novice to business proficient can considerably cut down on the time it takes to post. As you develop your social media skills, there are myriad online resources from schedulers to automation and lead generation tools that can help you increase efficiency and streamline your social media process.<\/p>\n So what does all of this mean for today\u2019s professionals?<\/strong><\/p>\n Opportunity is knocking when it comes to social media!<\/p>\n You can:<\/p>\n Yes, it also means you\u2019ll need to learn the art of posting. You will need some training at the start to understand how to produce consistent, high-quality posts, and you\u2019ll need to keep up to date with social media changes that pop up from time to time.<\/p>\n\n
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