Are you an accountant?

You must be delivering your services efficiently, but now it’s not enough for your success; you also need to be good at marketing your services, otherwise you might end up with nothing. Whether you are a self-employed accountant or an accounting firm, you need to build a solid chartered accounting marketing plan to set your business apart from the other competitors. Most of the large accounting firms have dedicated teams for marketing their services, but the small firms and individual accountants do not have much budget to dedicate staff to handling marketing methods to attract new customers and brand revenues.

So if you are a small firm or a startup accountant and don’t have enough budget, don’t get worried; you can still make progress by adopting the right marketing strategies. In this article, we will discuss the ten most effective marketing strategies for chartered accountants to differentiate between low-growth and high-growth accounting firms. So read the guidelines thoroughly and implement them in your business to start getting results and increase brand success.

Post High-Quality Content on Social Media and Whatsapp on a Frequent Basis

The majority of the customers are present on social media, so it’s a great place to track them and gather their attention towards the brand. These customers spend most of their time on social media channels to connect with other people regarding their business and family concerns. LinkedIn is one of the social media channels where you can find clients for your accounting business. So you should create eye-catching content frequently to capture the attention of your target clients and help them connect with your company.

Create informative content and post it on the business profiles on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and WhatsApp. Make a social media group and invite your potential clients to join it. You should also join various accounting groups on social media to be aware of what is going on in the industry and how your potential clients perceive an accounting company. You can learn about the preferences of your clients and create content accordingly. However, you can also get referrals by becoming a member of these groups. WhatsApp groups are also a good marketing tool now because you can connect with your prospects and answer their questions frequently. It will help to build trust and credibility for your accounting firm.

Participate in Local Community and Business Associations

You should not only rely on marketing your efforts alone; increase your worth by connecting with the local community and other business associations. Join hands with a law firm, a banker, a local fundraising society, an insurance agent, and any other business that shares the same target audience. In this way, you can get your business on the road to success. You can get assistance from those who are experts in marketing and can guide some of the businesses to educate them on how to come out and stand at the line of success.

Community events also increase the visibility of your company and show you as a responsible member of society. Local people will build trust in your firm, and you will get more traffic at your accounting office. Moreover, your partners will also refer your firm to their clients for any accounting consultation and suggestions. So it's a cost-effective way to attract more clients and cross-refer each of your partners. As a result, both partners will grow and become prosperous.

Speak at Industry Events and Conferences and Impart Insightful Advice

You should always be ready to participate in industry events and represent your chartered accounting firm. These events open new ways to improve brand visibility and get more informed clients. Register your firm for the events and conferences of the industry and speak at these events. Be sure your words are authentic and are enough to get the attention of the participants in the event. You should convey the message of your company and encourage them to see how your company is adding value in the industry. Share suggestions for the advancement of the industry and ways to increase growth and revenues.

Furthermore, make an indelible impression on event participants and become the focus of attention. It’s a great way to expose your business on a large scale, and you will be able to seek out more clients and make them real conversions.

Set Up Facebook Advertising to Get New Leads

Facebook is the top social media forum, with a large number of active users and businesses. Making a Facebook profile and posting regular updates and blogs is no doubt a great idea to connect with the target audience. But there are some other Facebook tools that can help your accounting business reach only the segment of the audience that has an interest in similar services. It is a Facebook advertisement that can help introduce your business to a wider target market and generate new leads.

Facebook ads can help you reach a defined audience, inform them about the services, and make them part of your company as real clients. You can also create Facebook retargeting ads to get those people back who once visited your website. So invest in Facebook ads and make your marketing efforts more effective.

Set up PPC Advertisements on Google and Bing for Targeted Visitor

Google search ad campaigns can also make a great difference between growing and struggling accounting firms. You should invest in PPC advertisements and run these ads on Google and Bing to improve your business ranking on these search engines. When a potential customer searches for keywords like "accounting services near me," your ad should be available in the top search results, which is possible with PPC campaigns.

It requires choosing the keyword that you want to bid on, and then Google runs an auction where you decide the rates of the clicks on your ad. If your ad wins the auction, it will be available in the top search results before the organic search results. It is cost-effective, as you only need to pay when potential clients click on your ad. Moreover, it will increase your brand's visibility and boost your network traffic.

Send Tax Filing Reminders to Existing Customers

Marketing does not mean to make efforts for acquiring new clients only; it also involves retaining your existing customers. These customers are your real returns on your investments, so you should never underestimate them. You should remain connected with them so they never forget about your company. Sending them email reminders to file tax returns. It will make you important in their eyes, and they will become your loyal customers. When the number of loyal customers increases, it means you are gaining popularity as well as visibility. They can post reviews on your services and ask their friends and family to be a part of your accounting organization, which is extremely valuable and productive for your company.

Employ Modern Cloud-Based Accounting Software That Communicates Well With Customers

You should keep an eye on your competitors and check the ways and the technology that they are using to attract clients. And you should be one step ahead of them if you want to become an expert accounting consultant in your area and worldwide. The technological advancements demand businesses evolve their traditional marketing methods into modern ones. You should use cloud-based software for running your promotional activities. It automates manual processes, so you can get more time to focus on your marketing planning and other sectors.

Cloud-based software and relevant technology are now used by almost all accounting firms, so you cannot make progress without adopting this technology. It will save a lot of the budget that you are spending on traditional marketing methods, provide outclass security, and make you more flexible in your marketing efforts. Furthermore, it will also help you communicate with your customers and keep them engaged and informed. It will make you able to grab the attention of new clients, retain existing clients, and drive traffic to your business.

Obtain Reviews on Websites like Google Business and Clutch

As you know, you run a finance-related business, so clients have great security concerns. They do not book for the services until they are satisfied with the offerings of the company, and they also check the reviews of the existing clients to understand how much they trust your accounting firm. Reviews are a great source for building trust and a strong relationship between an accountant and their clients. So you should gather reviews from your previous and existing happy clients to promote your services and acquire new customers for your business. Ask them to leave reviews on your social media profiles to increase the visibility of your business among prospects.

There are many platforms for gaining online reviews where your prospects can search to find out the reputation and status of the company before becoming actual clients. So you should use websites like GMB and Clutch and make your business profile there. Upload all the essential details about the firm, and then ask the potential clients to leave reviews or share their experience with the services of your firm. More positive reviews will build a stronger brand reputation and help to grow your revenues. So encourage positive reviews as well as your own negative reviews, and ensure that you improve next.

Furthermore, you should also ask your potential customers to make testimonial videos and post these videos on your website and link them to your social media profiles to expose your services and increase brand credibility.

Don't Consider Giving Up Networking!

The accountants can increase their network by meeting the leaders and significant personalities of the industry as well as potential clients. You should never ignore the networking strategy in your marketing ideas because it gives you a way to connect with the right people and get more opportunities for the growth of your accounting firm. Check for the events that are going to happen in the next few days and register your firm as a participant or as a guest speaker. Meet the potential people and influencers, share your ideas with them, and get a chance to grow with the larger firms. It will give you a chance to attract more customers, and you can generate more leads.

Furthermore, you should also make your visiting cards and organize person-to-person meetings, which can also

Provide Free Suggestions and Concepts to Your Social Media Followers

There are multiple CPA groups on social media; some of them are open and some are closed. In the open groups, you can participate in the discussion and answer the questions that your prospects are asking in these groups. You can’t reply in the closed groups; however, you can learn expertise from the higher authorities. However, you should use your social media profiles to connect with your target audience, educate them about the accounting services, and give them reasons why you are a good match for them to get accounting services.

You should allow them to ask any questions related to their financial management issues, and then you should provide them with free suggestions for solving their problems. In this way, you can build a strong relationship with them, and they will consider you when they need accounting services. Furthermore, starting a blog is also a great marketing tool to educate potential clients. You should share your knowledge on your social media profiles and build a strong community around your accounting firm. Most of the people used social media to search about general sales tax and other accounting concepts; if you are visible to them in their search results, it will increase your brand exposure and you can make more conversions.

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Final Words

It is not enough to find a target market for your accounting business; you should also be good at marketing your services. It is because the highly growing accounting firms are still evolving their marketing ideas to make their business visible to a new and wider audience base so they can make more business. So you should not worry about the huge competition; you can make a difference with the right CPA marketing tactics and increase your visibility in the industry. Do proper research on your target clients and understand their requirements so you can drive your marketing campaigns accordingly.

Hopefully this article will be beneficial for marketing your accounting firm, but if you are not good at marketing, then you should hire a marketing consultant to improve the face of your brand in the industry and help to increase revenues for your company.

Digital Marketing Strategies For Chartered Accountant