Changing the Way You Do Business? 5 Great Tips From SXSW!

Tuesday, March 20th, 2012

After five days of non-stop sessions at South by Southwest (SXSW), the world’s largest interactive, online, social media, and tech conference in the world, I am eager to share this year’s themes and key takeaways. In the short time since last year’s SXSW Interactive conference, it is incredibly apparent how quickly technology and the online world changes, adapts, and improves our lives and businesses.

Here are 5 key takeaways I learned at SXSW that could change the way you do business.

1. Content, content, content!  Have you ever heard the expression, “content is king?” Well this is true now more than ever. Content strategy, creation, and curation were covered in multitude. Creating good content is not an easy task, but thought leaders shared some helpful tips:
   1. Create a content strategy that includes workflow, substance, structure, and governance revolving around your core strategy.
   2. Experiment with different types of content: text, photos, graphics, videos – and be sure that all content is flexible and tailored to your audience and platform with a specific goal to achieve.
   3. Write with a journalist mindset. Content is all about real-time marketing, storytelling, and an editorial point-of-view.
   4. Do more with less. Increase the quality of your content, not quantity. And it’s smart to re-use and re-purpose good content.
   5. Don’t forget to use a little humor.
   6. Is your content compelling to readers? Visible to search engines? Linkable to partners? Shareable through social media? And transferable to mobile devices? Make sure it is!
2. Social media is here to stay. It’s evolving and becoming even more personalized. Integrate social media efforts into the entire marketing plan, and turn your employees into your online activists. And how do you prove ROI? That’s still a burning question among all the experts… My favorite tips include creating your own value system, benchmarking, and paying attention to the final outcome of your efforts.
3. Data is no longer boring. Data is now fun, interactive, and visual! All companies have mounds of data that can be interpreted visually to create stunning infographics, interactive charts, and useful, eye-appealing content.
4. Search engines aren’t what they used to be. How do you improve your company’s Google or Bing ranking? There are many solutions such as creating great content, focusing on the user experience, including meta descriptions, leveraging social media, and much more.
5. Future technology is really cool and a little creepy. Creating an online, automatic, and personalized alter ego from online data is already possible. Google Plus Your World is changing and personalizing our search results based on our profiles, searches, and friends’ online activity. Augmented reality is soon going to become reality. Instead of revolving around your mobile phone, your phone will revolve around you. And location-based technology will be even more interactive and automatic.

I hope you find value from these takeaways, or at least start thinking about this evolution of business! If you’d like to learn more, I invite you to attend two opportunities on March 27th:

• PRSA – Miami Chapter’s panel, “ The Continued Evolution of Social Media: Hear Key Takeaways from the SXSW Interactive Conference,” where Christine de la Huerta of rbb Public Relations, Stephanie Camargo of The Axis Agency, and I will be speaking.
• Catalyst Miami’s “Social Media for Non-Profits” presentation which I will be hosting.

Finally, thank you to everyone who participated in #ILoveAccountants during SXSW! It was a fun ice breaker, and it was interesting hearing everybody’s responses.

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Aubrey Swanson is the social media coordinator at Kaufman, Rossin’s Miami office. Kaufman, Rossin & Co.is one of the top CPA firms in the country. She can be reached at aswanson@kaufmanrossin.com. Connect with Aubrey on Linkedin. Follow Aubrey on Twitter.

#ILoveAccountants

Tuesday, March 6th, 2012

Why Do You Love Accountants?

There are endless possibilities as to why you may love accountants. They save you money, they help you avoid an audit, they help you make sense of that shoe box full of receipts… Whatever the reason may be, we want to know (in 140 characters or less)!

In just two days, I will be traveling to Austin, Texas for my second annual South by Southwest (SXSW) Interactive conference – the largest social media, tech, web, and start-up event in the world. Besides engaging in six speaker sessions from 9:30am till 6:00pm for five days straight, meeting hundreds of new people, and attending countless events, I’ll be encouraging complete strangers to tweet why they love accountants with the #ILoveAccountants hashtag!

Why?

1. SXSW is a social media hub. So why not conduct a fun Twitter campaign?

2. Although SXSW attracts the most social media-friendly people in the world, it’s still a rarity to see professional services, especially accountants, in the mix of it all. We want to make a CPA presence in Austin!

3. I’ll be wearing a different, brightly-colored shirt each day with the caption, “ASK ME WHY,” on the front and “#ILoveAccountants” on the back – it’s bound to be a conversation starter!

4. We really want to know your answer.

So why do you love accountants? Tweet us at @KaufmanRossin with #ILoveAccountants!

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Aubrey Swanson is the social media coordinator at Kaufman, Rossin’s Miami office. Kaufman, Rossin & Co.is one of the top CPA firms in the country. She can be reached at aswanson@kaufmanrossin.com. Connect with Aubrey on Linkedin. Follow Aubrey on Twitter.

Why Should You Attend SXSW?

Friday, March 2nd, 2012

It’s that time of the year again… Time for 30,000 web, tech, and marketing enthusiasts to gather together for five days of non-stop panels, events, networking, and learning.  I’m talking about South by Southwest (SXSW) Interactive Conference – the “it” conference among social media, tech, start-up, and innovative companies around the world!  The opportunities at SXSW are endless, which is why it’s incredibly valuable for Kaufman, Rossin & Co. and me to attend.

SXSW is the world’s technology hub.  All the latest and greatest in tech, innovation, and social media are there offering an invaluable, one-of-a-kind experience.  My world of social media evolves and changes every single day, and SXSW exposes me to the forefront of social media and technology – preparing me for what’s to come. The sessions held at SXSW help confirm my current strategies and ideas, teach and prepare me for what the future holds, and inspire me with creative new ideas to implement once I return to Miami.

As for the SXSW crowd – imagine thousands of the most brilliant, creative, inspiring minds in one city.  Authors, professional speakers, CEOs, representatives from Fortune 500 companies to the innovative start-ups – you can’t beat it! Not to mention the networking opportunities at SXSW are priceless.  Interactive attendees come together for the love of technology. You never know who you’ll meet, what you’ll learn from them, and what you could offer them.

Still not convinced?  Hear first-hand from last year’s SXSW speakers, attendees, and exhibitors.

If you’re planning on attending SXSW this year, be sure to read Christine de la Huerta‘s, VP of rbb Public Relations‘ Digital Park, article in The Miami Herald for tips on making the most of your SXSW experience.

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Aubrey Swanson is the social media coordinator at Kaufman, Rossin’s Miami office.  Kaufman, Rossin & Co.is one of the top CPA firms in the country.  She can be reached at aswanson@kaufmanrossin.com.  Connect with Aubrey on Linkedin.  Follow Aubrey on Twitter.

#SeaTweetup – Networking on the High Seas

Wednesday, November 23rd, 2011

This past weekend, 40 social media enthusiasts from around the globe took the term, “tweetup,” to an entirely new level. While sailing away to the Bahamas aboard Norwegian Cruise Line’s Sky, twitter users (and non-users) came together for the first ever #SeaTweetup.

#SeaTweetup was a 3-day cruise to Nassau which included special activities just for #SeaTweetup passengers. We organized a Social Media Scavenger Hunt and a MillerCoors beer and food pairing before even departing the Port of Miami. Once at sea, we hosted multiple tweetups sponsored by Norwegian Cruise Line and CruiseDeals. Señor Frogs even hosted one of our tweetups once we arrived in Nassau. One of the most valuable and exciting events on-board was the Social Media Roundtable Presentations where a handful of social media gurus gave seven five-minute presentations covering an array of social media topics such as listening, brand identity, measuring analytics, Klout, supporting local businesses using social media, video integration, and Twitter tips. Another perk of #SeaTweetup – each attendee was given complimentary WiFi minutes from MTN to tweet, post on Facebook, blog, and upload pictures!

All the unique activities made #SeaTweetup a fun, social media-friendly cruise. However, it was the networking and newly created friendships that really made the experience unforgettable. As one of the #SeaTweetup committee members, I knew we had organized a really unique experience for those in the social media sphere, but it blew away my expectations! People literally flew from around the world to attend, with all different backgrounds, and founded new relationships out of nothing but a common interest in social media (at first). Most networking events are two hour events consisting of “what do you do?” #SeaTweetup changed the game because we had three days to get past the “what do you do” question and dig deeper to find out who they really are.

I will never forget the first #SeaTweetup and all the new relationships I made. If everything goes as planned, we’ll soon welcome you aboard the second annual #SeaTweetup, so don’t miss the boat!

Check out the full #SeaTweetup itinerary and view the cruise pictures on Flickr and Facebook!

#SeaTweetup sponsors and organizers include:

Kaufman, Rossin & Co. | @KaufmanRossin @Aubrey_Swanson

Norwegian Cruise Line | @CruiseNorwegian

CruiseDeals | @CruiseDeals

Soul of Miami | @SoulofMiami @thepumagirl

Social Esquire | @SocialEsquire @roriffic

SocialBuzzTV | @SocialBuzzTV

iamJeffCohen | @iamJeffCohen

MillerCoors | @ScottNovak14

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Aubrey Swanson is the social media coordinator at Kaufman, Rossin’s Miami office.  Kaufman, Rossin & Co. is one of the top CPA firms in the country.  She can be reached at aswanson@kaufmanrossin.com. Connect with Aubrey on Linkedin. Follow Aubrey on Twitter.

Professional..or entrepreneur?

Wednesday, August 31st, 2011

Attorneys, accountants, and physicians study for years to offer wise counsel and quality service to clients and patients.  But adding a course in entrepreneurship might have prepared us better for 2011!   The ongoing economic downturn, increase in competition, and ever-shifting technology landscape are just a few of the factors that professionals must contend with, particularly when managing small practices.

3 key competencies

You can’t afford to ignore these three areas.

1. Financial Controls.
   Do you work hard for your revenue?  Then make sure it’s protected.  According to the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, the typical organization loses 5% of annual revenue to fraud, and small organizations are disproportionately affected.  People you’ve trusted for years who are facing harsh economic realities may find themselves tempted. If you aren’t sure you understand how your accounting system works, or whether your electronic transactions are secure, invest in an expert review of your procedures and controls.
2. Strategic marketing.
   Would you benefit from more business?  Don’t just wait for it to walk through the door.  Don’t think that what worked 20 years ago will work for you today.  And absolutely don’t think that using online media is unprofessional! More and more business decisions are made based on non-traditional marketing, including social media.  According to a new report from the Pew Research Center, 50% of adults use social networking sites. People trust personal recommendations (including from their Facebook Friends) and increasingly distrust paid advertising.  If you haven’t figured out how social media fits into your marketing strategy – or you don’t even have a strategy, seek professional help.
3. Intelligent Technology
   You don’t neglect your ongoing professional training, and you don’t let yourself fall behind as your field advances. But most professionals only think about their computer systems when they need tech support.  It’s like the furniture in the waiting room - if there are no holes in the upholstery, all is well.  If that’s your attitude, you may be exposing yourself to risk:  information security risk, compliance risk, and the ever-so-real risk of missed opportunities.  Choosing the right systems, implementing them properly, and training your staff is one investment you won’t regret.

These are just a few of the many entrepreneurial skills that today’s professionals can’t ignore.  What new skills are you learning?

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Janet Kyle Altman is a principal with the entrepreneurial accounting firm Kaufman, Rossin & Co.  She provides marketing consulting, facilitates planning meetings, and offers training and coaching in leadership.  She can be reached at jaltman@kaufmanrossin.com.

#SeaTweetup – Not Your Average Tweetup

Friday, August 12th, 2011

Here at Kaufman, Rossin, we stress the importance of networking. Networking for professional development, creating new relationships, promoting your individual brand and connecting with the community. Networking typically ranges from happy hours to receptions to fundraising activities to tweetups.

Tweetups?

A tweetup may be an unfamiliar concept if you’re not particularly active on Twitter or other social media networks. Playing off the term “meetup,” a  “tweetup” is just like any other networking event where community and business members come together to establish and strengthen relationships. A tweetup, however, is a unique opportunity for those Twitter users who communicate online via tweets to come together and meet each other face-to-face. It turns that online relationship to an offline, in-person relationship. In many instances, I have tweeted with individuals and brands online and then met them at a tweetup, allowing me to connect a twitter handle (username) and avatar (picture) with a real person. Many of my closest friends have actually been Twitter acquaintances prior to meeting them in-person!

On November 18^th, members from the South Florida social media community including Soul of Miami, SocialBuzzTV, Social Esquire , Jeff Cohen and myself, along with Cruise Deals and Norwegian Cruise Line are taking the term “tweetup” to a whole new level and hosting the first ever #SeaTweetup! While cruising aboard the Norwegian Sky for three nights around the Bahamas, social media enthusiasts are being given the ultimate extended networking experience. Attendees will not only enjoy the regularly included entertainment, meals and fun that come along with a Norwegian Sky cruise, but the organizers of the #SeaTweetup will be providing special events such as a Meet & Tweet, Social Media Scavenger Hunt, Sail Away Tweetup & BBQ, a roundtable presentation – “How Can We Improve Twitter – 15 presenters in 45 minutes,” and a Show & Tell Tweetup. 

If you’d like to join the networking fun, be sure to reserve your spot by visiting the SeaTweetup Facebook Fan Page! Have questions or want to join the discussion? Follow @SeaTweetup, check the hash tag  #SeaTweetup, or contact members of the planning committee: @Aubrey_Swanson, @KaufmanRossin,  @RichTucker, @CruiseDeals, @NCLFreestyle, @SoulOfMiami, @SocialBuzzTV, @SocialEsquire, @iamJeffCohen.

Aubrey Swanson is the social media coordinator at Kaufman, Rossin’s Miami office.  Kaufman, Rossin & Co. is one of the top CPA firms in the country.  She can be reached at aswanson@kaufmanrossin.com. Connect with Aubrey on Linkedin. Follow Aubrey on Twitter.

I Tweet, You Tweet, We All Tweet for Ice Cream!

Friday, June 3rd, 2011

You’ve done it – you’ve embraced social media at your company and are actively engaging with your online audience through Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Blog, Flickr, etc. If you’re spending time implementing these social networks, and your social media strategy is supporting your overall marketing efforts, then you’re probably already seeing the benefits.

What exactly are these benefits? Kaufman, Rossin’s marketing principal, Janet Altman, wrote an intriguing blog post that answered, “Why is your CPA firm engaging in social media?” She lists three main benefits for Kaufman, Rossin, and entrepreneurial businesses alike: build relationships, differentiate from competitors and build brand awareness.

And another benefit – free Ben & Jerry’s ice cream for your entire company…

A few weeks ago, that’s exactly what our Miami office received! How did we manage to get free Ben & Jerry’s ice cream for over 200 employees?

Twitter!

Ben & Jerry’s began their Miami ice cream campaign on May 2, 2011. Their ice cream truck visits offices, community events, nonprofits and other locations by request. A few of our employees who are active on Twitter started following and tweeting @BenJerrysTruck asking them to bring #OMGFreeBenJerrys to our office.

Sure enough, the Ben & Jerry’s Truck brought enough Cherry Garcia, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough and AmeriCone Dream ice cream to satisfy the sweet tooths of all our employees.

Although this may seem like a minor social media success, it definitely adds to our “Best Place to Work” Firm culture. It was great surprising our employees with a fun Friday afternoon treat!

It really is amazing what a little team collaboration and social media can do!

Do you and your company have any fun social media success stories? We would love to hear them!

Aubrey Swanson is the social media coordinator at Kaufman, Rossin’s Miami office.  Kaufman, Rossin & Co. is one of the top CPA firms in the country.  She can be reached at aswanson@kaufmanrossin.com. Connect with Aubrey on Linkedin. Follow Aubrey on Twitter.

7 Key Takeaways from the SXSW Experts

Thursday, March 24th, 2011

South by Southwest Interactive (SXSW) is one of the leading social media and technology conferences in the world. This 5-day conference hosts some of the most influential and innovative speakers on social media and business. Here are 7 key takeaways that I learned from these SXSW experts:

1. Be enchanting. Guy Kawasaki, author, speaker and co-founder of Alltop.com, encourages everyone to be enchanting in his new book, The Art of Enchantment. Being an enchanting person will help make others embrace your product/service, and ultimately, make the world a better place. He offers 10 tips to help you become enchanting: 1. Achieve likeability 2. Achieve trustworthiness 3. Get ready 4. Launch 5. Overcome resistance 6. Make enchantment endure 7. Present well 8. Use technology 9. Enchant up 10. Enchant down.
2. Consider your target. Helen Klein Ross, brand fictionalist, emphasizes the importance of  thinking about your target market when engaging through social media. Your voice must be representative of your brand and who you’re talking to.
3. Leverage your small business size/mentality to build personal connections. Becky McCray, founder of Small Biz Survival, motivates small business owners to take advantage of your small size to build personal connections and relationships with your customers online and offline.
4. Keep your product/service consistent but surprise and delight your audience. Justin Cox of Razorfish advises businesses to be creative in your digital advertising while still maintaining your brand’s image and message. Brand consistency is important but you have to do something to keep people excited.
5. Customer service through social media has become the new marketing. Barry Moltz, speaker, consultant and author, says companies are growing today because they’re utilizing social media to provide great customer service. Social media has given anybody and everybody a way to voice their positive AND negative opinions about your brand. Do you know what your customers are saying online about your brand?
6. Giving is a great business strategy. Beyond being a selfless act, Blake Mycoskie, founder and chief shoe giver at TOMS Shoes, stresses the importance of how giving can also be used as a great business strategy to retain employees, build a community of customers, attract the right investors and make the world a better place.
7. Letting your employees be part of something bigger is the greatest competitive advantage. Blake Mycoskie lets every one of his employees participate in a shoe drop where they’re able to experience first-hand what it feels like to put a new pair of shoes on a child’s feet. This enables his employees to understand the real motivation behind their work. And here at Kaufman, Rossin, we too understand that happy employees translates into happy clients.

So what are you doing to help grow your business? We’d love to know!

Aubrey Swanson is the social media coordinator at Kaufman, Rossin’s Miami office.  Kaufman, Rossin & Co. is one of the top CPA firms in the country.  She can be reached at aswanson@kaufmanrossin.com. Connect with Aubrey on Linkedin. Follow Aubrey on Twitter.

Why in the world is an accounting firm attending SXSW?

Thursday, March 10th, 2011

As you’re reading this, I’m hopping on a plane to Austin, Texas. Why? I’m attending the biggest, most innovative, tech-savvy, social media and interactive conference in the nation – South by Southwest (SXSW)!

You may have heard of SXSW, as it refers to one of the most popular music festivals in the country. I will be participating in the 5-day interactive and film portion. Each day of the interactive and film section is filled with media-rich content relating to technology, social media, metrics, mobile apps, web development, forecasting and much, much more! This information is presented via panelists, speakers, workshops, book readings, organized meet-ups and social gatherings. It’s actually an incredibly overwhelming process just to prepare for this social highlight of the year! Each day  has programs that run from 8am to well past midnight including the film premieres. Sessions for each day are organized by topics, time and location (Austin Convention Center and participating downtown hotels). But within each allotted time frame, attendees must choose from one of the 30 – 40 different presentations to attend – all very useful and interesting! See for yourself by clicking here to visit the SXSW schedule. The conference ends with the Interactive Awards which has been phrased as the “Grammy’s” of social media. After all, Twitter and Foursquare were launched at SXSW!

So you may be wondering… why in the world is an accounting firm attending SXSW? Shouldn’t Kaufman, Rossin & Co., one of the top CPA firms in the country, be participating in conferences relating to accounting, tax, audit, International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), etc?  While these conferences reap tremendous value for our accountants at Kaufman, Rossin, we also want to see beyond the numbers.  Our firm is dedicated to innovation and providing valuable resources for our clients, prospects and community.

One major way Kaufman, Rossin has embraced innovation is by hiring a full-time social media coordinator – me! The Firm recognizes the importance and value that an online reputation brings to our brand and its ability to strengthen relationships. Therefore, SXSW is the perfect opportunity to learn how to think outside the box and be fueled by the latest tech and social media trends.

I will be absorbing heaps of information within the next week, and I look forward to sharing it with all of you. Be sure to check back for a recap of my experience and some creative ways I’ll be documenting my trip!

Aubrey Swanson is the social media coordinator at Kaufman, Rossin’s Miami office.  Kaufman, Rossin & Co. is one of the top CPA firms in the country.  She can be reached at aswanson@kaufmanrossin.com. Connect with Aubrey on Linkedin. Follow Aubrey on Twitter.

Social Networks – A friend or foe of the workplace?

Friday, January 21st, 2011

Most companies have jumped onboard, or at least recognized the need to include social media in their marketing efforts. The ability to build and cultivate relationships without face-to-face interaction is just too attractive to ignore; and if you do, you can bet your competitors aren’t.

Now, the big debate in the workforce is whether employees should have access to social networking sites like LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter during company hours.

Some argue that if these networking sites are made available, much of the time spent would not be on professional development. And how could you argue against that? Yes, I can log on Facebook to update my status that my firm is looking to hire, but how can I ignore that my father sent me pictures from his recent ski trip? So they’re right, blocking out all personal use might just be impossible.

Others argue that banning it doesn’t do any good since most of us can go online via our mobile phones – and then employers would not be able to monitor our usage. In the same example, I’d probably be less likely to make that same status update if I had to do it through my phone or if I had to wait till I got home. And what’s to stop me from looking at my dad’s pictures via my phone?

I believe it’s safe to say that we all see the pros and cons of each side and that this is not a black or white topic, but a nice mesh of grays.

The Miami Herald posted a good article this week that develops this idea further: Social networks test companies’ boundaries. I have to agree that social networks are a “powerful trend,” and that strategic companies will adapt and evolve. The key is to develop company goals and a roadmap to get there. And equally important, companies must educate employees and teach them what is acceptable usage and how they can help!

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Wolfgang H. Pinther is the marketing supervisor at Kaufman, Rossin’s Miami office.  Kaufman, Rossin & Co. is one of the top CPA firms in the country. Wolf can be reached at wpinther@kaufmanrossin.com.  Connect to Wolf on LinkedIn and follow him on Twitter.