The Social Media You Use

One of the most effective social mediums for our software Tax Planner Pro is blogging, we see evidence that our users like it and we like to do it. 

As a CPA, I know several businesses that have seen success with blogging as well, but I have seen many more not have any luck with it at all. The ratio is probably 7 out of 10 that consider it a waste of time.

My belief is that blogging is not always the right solution for connecting content with customers. I want to give you an example of what I mean, a thought I had about a vendor I use in my personal life.

In the winter I live in FL (I live in MN in the summers, my wife is from MN) and my home has a swimming pool in the back. Many FL residents maintain their own pools, doing the chemicals and cleaning, etc. But for those of us that are too lazy (and gone half the year) we hire pool companies that come once a week.

I was thinking today about what kind of blog my pool company would run, and what kind of topics I would like to see them discuss. But frankly I found myself not interested in one facet of what they do. No offense to the pool guy, I need him badly, but I am just not interested in what goes into cleaning the pool or maintaining it.

So I started to think about what I am interested in and what he could do to create my interest in his service and set him apart from others doing this kind of work. Most would say pool cleaning is a commodity, and usually people choose their vendor based on price, so standing out is important.

What I really want to know is about is: MY POOL. I want to know when he was there, what he did, anything that was unusual, any problems I may be facing, and how it looked when it was done. 

 When I am gone in the summer, this is really important as I cannot inspect the work and have no idea whether the pool is empty from the heat or overflowing from rains.

This would not involve blogging at all, at least not in my opinion. I do want the pool company to be social with me, just not a blog. Instead I would love a weekly or monthly report, along with pictures, advice, tips, and who was there (in case my pool guy changes from time to time), etc.

They could use software to automate that process, even give me ways to share on Facebook or something (hey everyone, checkout my clean pool!- or something cool). I also think showcasing this kind of communication with rewards like “post our pic of your pool and get entered for a free month of service drawing”. The idea is to get the word out that you do a lot more than just clean and chemical.

The social aspect of the program would give the same kind of effects that sharing blogs do, and while blogs are helpful for other things like SEO, I think referrals are the biggest generator of business for most of these companies.

So often I want the vendors I use to reach out like that. I want the A/C guy to remind me when it is time to come do an inspection. I want the handyman to have a calendar on his website so I can just schedule time rather than call, leave message, call back, etc. Social is HOW you run your business, not just a marketing tool.

My point is, thinking outside the box about what the customer or client really wants is critical. Blogging endlessly about stuff no one will read or care about just wastes your time. 

If you have some other “non-blog ideas” please share them below, we would love to hear them!