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LinkedIn and the Top 100 UK Accountants

As a great fan of LinkedIn and statistics, I thought I would do a rough and ready analysis of the usage of LinkedIn by employees of the top accountancy firms in the UK.  I concentrated on the top 96 as listed in an article published by Accountancy Age as the figures for the Big 4 were extraordinary with numbers reaching 70,000 members on LinkedIn for Deloittes.

For the remaining 96 I looked at the percentage of employees of each firm who are on LinkedIn.  In broad terms the results are as follows:

• For firms with 5,001-10,000 employees    25% were members of LinkedIn
• For firms with 1,001-5,000                       23%
• For firms with 501-1,000                          18%
• For firms with 201-500                             27%
• For firms with 51-200                               25%
• For firms with 11-50                                 35%

The range for each group was very wide with 8 firms having NO company page on LinkedIn and a tiny proportion has added Products and Services to their company profiles.  There is an extreme variation in the quality and detail of corporate information on LinkedIn and also some members are still avoiding including photos.

In addition, as number of firms had 2 profiles and therefore it was difficult to assess if there was any double counting going on.

If branding is important in the financial services sector then each company will require a Social Media Policy and Strategy which makes it clear what is appropriate for each employee to post on a platform such as LinkedIn.

Face the fear

As we approach December, it is a good time to review how the year has panned out.  Are you on target financially or has the continuing difficult economic situation meant that you did not attain the figures you predcted at the beginning of the year?  All economic sectors are feeling the pinch.  We have to adapt to a lower growth environment.

Analysing your figures will give insight into whch activities have been most profitable and where costs might be better controlled in the future.  Small adjustments to price, costs, adding new products and services, and revisiting old customers will  hopefully make 2011 a more profitable year.

LinkedIn - a new era?

Are we seeing the real commercialisation of the LinkedIn platform?  With the introduction of the Careers and Products/Services tabs on Company pages, LinkedIn now provides the perfect place for companies to showcase their wares.  A step up from being coy about 'selling' - businesses can present detailed information on their products including images and links to specific websites.

Additionally, you will start to notice even more advertising on a wide range of pages.  To the right hand side of connections and at the bottom of most pages.  The companies advertising are no strangers to our screens but the flickering images are a departure from the usually calm LinkedIn screens.

Keeping up to date with social media platforms is a crucial part of our role as business advisers.  Helping businesses make the right decisions balancing risk and return is one of our specialities.  We build strategies and train our clients in the most appropriate use of LinkedIn and other social media sites as part of their overall marketing plan.