Professional Services, It’s Time to Join the Age of Conversation
Posted by debrahelwig on May 19, 2010
Let’s talk social media for a second, folks. By that, I mean the “it’s more than just technology” part of social media.
Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, blogs – they’re all exciting tools (or toys) on their own, sure. But it’s the stuff behind the technology where the magic happens. All that “people” stuff we were supposed to be good at as professional services providers before? Social media just makes it, well, MORE. Bigger. Like a guitarist who figures out how to crank his amp six notches past “10″ and rock the night away.
When you take on social media and become “part of the conversation”, you open a door to tremendous possibilities: the potential to build and maintain solid relationships over distance. To share ideas. To make connections. To help people do their business better.
Pretty spiffy stuff.
And now, no matter where you are on your social media journey, there’s a book that will give you a lot more insight about how to get social media working its magic for you and your firm. It’s called The Age of Conversation 3: It’s Time to Get Busy – and I am pleased and proud to say that I am a contributing author.
171 folks contributed to this book, providing lessons, insights, and examples of how to stop talking about social media and actually get the job done. As editor Drew McLellan says on his blog, “There are excellent case studies, some very candid ‘this bombed’ examples and a much more pragmatic, ‘from the trenches’ view of social media.”
I personally found a tremendous number of takeaways – and I believe the honest insights in this book would be of help to any professional services firm seriously interested in taking their firm to the next level with social media. Plus, 100% of the proceeds from sales of the book go to the Make a Wish Foundation, so you help kids while you’re helping your firm. What could be better?
You can find the book here: Hardback, Paperback, or Kindle.
Thanks to editors Gavin Heaton and Drew McLellan for giving me the chance to participate in this project. It’s been a blast! If you’d like to read the blogs of some of my fellow authors, click in the table at the bottom of this post. You’ll be blown away by the insight and value you’ll get from them.
Then check out The Age of Conversation 3. Because the world has changed. Our business has changed. And there’s no going back.
Thank goodness.
|
|
Tom Hood said
Deb,
Great post! It is time for CPAs to ‘join the conversation’ by getting started or stepping up their social media efforts. Professional services firms are all about relationships and social media helps you increase. And strengthen relationships. You also make the point that it is not about the technology, it is about the underlying idea underneath these tools (their purpose if you will). Looking forward to seeing you at the IGF Women’ Leadership Conference tomorrow!
debrahelwig said
Thanks, Tom – it will be great to see you there!
Tom Hood said
PS: just ordered your book on my kindle and I suggest others get reading up on this over the summer – buy The Age of Conversation and a few more recommended reads: Crush It! By Gary Vaynerchuk – great book on passion and how to get started in social media. The Corporate Blogging Book by Debbie Weil is the bible of blogging with the benefits of blogging for CEOs and leaders by one of the top women in technology (and our blogging coach who got us started).