In the world of marketing, the role of social media is in a constant state of change. It seems every year there appears a new platform for people to engage with socially. The photo sharing app Ello enables people to promote all things they’re passionate in life about, and Beme, a newly released video sharing app where, in the words of Kevin Spacey ‘you have to use your eyes to take it all in and engage in actual, real life’.

There exist numerous ways for firms to tell a story by video now. YouTube is a stalwart fixture amongst many Accounting firms, where 66% of the current Top 50 hold an account. However, about a third of these firms have an account but do not use it.

It could be suggested that they lack the vision and understanding of what it actually means to create video content. Their first videos are full of ideas and creativity, providing an intrigue to the viewer, and even in one case by Kingston Smith, their participation in the creation of an emotional story ‘Flight of the Stories'.

But then content creation ceases. Is this a reaffirmation to the connotation that accountants hold a particular lack of imagination? Perhaps, yet judging by their initial burst of videos, there is a potential to suggest otherwise.

Looking at Grant Thornton UK, they never seem to stop producing online content. Topics on their main channel broach the local economy and ask personal opinions of businesses, which only helps to improve their image as a firm. Their trainee account portrays life as a graduate through regular vlogs. On each video, a simple story is told, with precisely their audience in mind. In each case, this content is shared across Facebook and Twitter.

Being able to tell a story that focuses on important issues for your audience is crucial, but it’s also about producing something engaging, and shareable. Having Q&A sessions could be a great option, as it shows your thoughts and expertise on the matter, in a much more personal way than a bland page on a website. It’s even shown that people are more likely to engage socially with video content compared with written content.

As well as YouTube, Instagram is a great way to portray the culture within your firm. The Mazars group present this ably with a short video of the behind the scenes goings on during their merger with Roever Broenner Susat.

Video content requires more time to produce, though this shouldn’t deter from any of the positives that it can bring. Working alongside other platforms, it is a great way to attract and engage with an audience, whilst providing quality shareable content. If such content is shared with the right people, who knows what new venture is possible.