CONTENTS
- Do you back up your website?
- Raising your profile - online networking
- Gaining free publicity and PR
- A wonderful testimonial
- Kempton Park Networking event
- TaxAdviceNetwork.co.uk
- Fun time
- Second-hand car sought - can you help please?
- This month's test
Do you back up your website?
If you're anything like me this isn't something that has even been on your radar. Sure I back up my computer hard drive every night. But my website? I learned a lesson the hard way last month.
Since arranging for the creation of my BookMarkLee website in 2006 I have been updating myself using a great piece of software that made it as easy as updating a 'word' document. At the end of last year I went back to the guys who created the website for me and asked them to update the sidebar menu to include a link to the Tax Advice Network and to update the top banner to include an uptodate photo of yours truly. Simple stuff that they did quickly and simply.
A little while later I realised that in updating the site they had effectively 'rolled it back' to the content that had been there when they last changed something around 18 months ago! They assumed I would have backed up the site. I assumed they would have done. Outcome? All the newsletters, free resources, revised content, testimonials and details of my talks will need to be recreated. I'm doing this, but it's a slow process. In the meantime if you can't find something do let me know.
The lesson, that's worth sharing, is to ensure that you know who is backing up your website so that in the event of a problem, you can simply reinstate the content using your back up. It's just as important as backing up your hard drive.
Raising your profile
If you're in business you want to ensure that your target audience, prospective clients and advocates know you and think well of you. In this connection I have been exploring some of the online facilities that are becoming ubiquitous. I've commented previously on the differences between, for example, Facebook, LinkedIn and Ecademy - which are 3 very different online networking facilities.
Facebook has yet to become a useful business networking tool but, when the initial enthusiasm for messing about there dies down, I'm quite sure that the early adopters will secure useful business benefits. The secret is to be focused and to ignore all the fun stuff that might otherwise just steal your time.
NB: I wouldn't encourage any business people to join Facebook but if you're already there then do connect with me and maybe join one of my groups: for ambitious professionals, ambitious tax professionals and/or TaxClub. I have also experimented by creating a Fan page for the Tax Advice Network. If you're on Facebook I'd love it if you would become a 'fan' to help raise the profile of the Network.
Next there is LinkedIn - which is evidently business focused and an easy way to raise your profile amongst a community of business associates - being the people you know and the people they know too. I'm currently connected to over 3.5 million people through the people I know and the people they know. Not bad eh? You're very welcome to connect up with me on LinkedIn - if you do that please let me know that you're on my email list.
Then there's Ecademy, a business networking site that was founded in the UK exactly ten years ago this month. To my mind this is the most valuable way to raise your profile amongst a targeted audience, to become part of a relevant community and to learn and benefit from the experience. The Tax Advice Network would not have happened had it not been for the inspiration and support I received from this group. Additionally I run the 'Find an Accountant' club there. Over 70 accountants around the UK are members and benefit from the forum and connections to the tens of thousands of business people registered on Ecademy.
Gaining free publicity and PR
Regular readers may recall that a couple of months back I mentioned a workshop being run by a friend of mine, PR guru and radio station owner Chantal Cooke, on how to obtain free publicity and PR.
I have since persuaded Chantal to create a unique version of the workshop specifically for accountants and tax advisers. It's being run from 10am - 5pm on 22 May in Wimbledon (South London).
The free gifts alone exceed the relatively nominal investment required to secure one of just ten places. I'll be there too as a guest presenter although this is very much Chantal's event. Further details and booking details here.
First come, first served - there's also an early bird discount of over £50 for the first five accountants and tax advisers to sign up.
A wonderful testimonial
One of the guys I've been mentoring over the last few months has recently sent me the most wonderful testimonial. I was very touched and it's one of the first new things to appear on my reconstituted website (see above!)
I'm not just touched. I'm rather proud and delighted for him that he found my input so valuable. Here's just an extract of what he said:
The sessions have been invaluable in allowing me to have an independent sounding board outside of my own firm, who has been there and done it and is able to give me the benefit of their experience and to ensure that I can understand what is required to develop into a partnership role and am able to achieve that goal.
In conversation with another of my mentoring candidates I realised that not everyone appreciates what it's all about (beforehand). So one of the changes I made on my website (and on my business cards for that matter) is to make clear that my mentoring services are akin to business coaching.
By all means call me direct to have a chat and see if you or your firm could benefit from my input. I currently have just two spare slots for new mentoring candidates. These could be sole practitioners, junior partners, aspiring partners or established partners who would benefit from my external stimulus.
Kempton Park Networking event
If you enjoy networking and can get to Kempton Park late afternoon on Tuesday 4 March I hope to see you at what promises to be an extraordinary event. Further details here.
(No horse racing involved - just networking villages, workshops and seminars). I hope to see you there!
|
