You’ve heard the saying, right? “Jack of all trades, master of none.”

Here’s the problem: Most times, I’m looking for a master. I don’t want someone who’s pretty good at a lot of things. I want someone who’s freakin’ awesome at the one thing I need right now.

Case in point: Our daughter’s infected ear.

It was big, and purple, and ugly. Our pediatrician took one look at it and sent us to the ER. I immediately feared at least a series of IV antibiotics and an overnight in the hospital, and our doctor did, too. She insisted that we go to St. Louis Children’s Hospital.

Our daughter has spent the night in a hospital before — four years ago, to be exact, when she was admitted to another St. Louis-area hospital for treatment of a stomach virus. They treated her well there. They made her better and did it with smiles on their faces.

It wasn’t, however, a children’s hospital. It catered to … well, everybody.

Not Children’s. This place isn’t trying to shoe-horn a children’s ward into a hospital. The entire hospital IS a children’s ward. Children is all they do, and they’re pretty damned good at it. Everyone — from the waiting room folks to the ER personnel to the ENTs and the staff on the 10th floor — knew exactly what they were dealing with (namely, a kid with an infection and lots of pain) and how to treat it. Twenty-four hours later, our daughter was on the mend and we were back home.

I swear I have a point, and here it is:

Specialization has always been a differentiator. For outfits like Children’s, that difference is spelled out in their names. The rest of us have to work a little harder at it.  That’s where social media comes in. Social strategies have leveled the corporate playing field — including the one CPAs play on. Smaller firms can now compete with the big groups for clients and talent.

First, though, they have to get noticed.

Doing that is easier than ever. We’re all experts at something, right? And there are undoubtedly lots of people out out there who want to know what we know. Today, we have the tools to share that knowledge and build meaningful, valuable relationships with people who care. When you combine our expertise with today’s social strategies, you have the most powerful personal branding tools the world has ever known.

In today’s hyper-competitive world, here’s how you get ahead: Do something very well, and tell the world about it.

The first part is up to you. The second part is all about social.