88.5% of businesses state that social media is a key component of their overall marketing strategy. It is easy to see why- social media platforms can reach a large audience and are relatively simple to use.
Establishing a social media presence can help create opportunities for your business to form relationships with prospective customers and strengthen those with existing clients. You will be able to engage with various people and get more personable with them.
Digital Marketing for Accountants on LinkedIn and Facebook, for example, can be valuable tools for accountants looking to broaden their client pool. By consistently posting quality content, firms can build a reputation as one which provides knowledge and helpful information.
However, before you start creating content, it is important to understand the best and most efficient ways you could use social media for your business.
This guide will help accountants showcase their firm’s strengths and increase engagement on social media platforms.
Read on to find out some of our key tips and tricks for your social media marketing strategy.
The Argument For Social Media Marketing For Accountants
Understanding how influential social media can be in forming your overall marketing strategy is important.
When used correctly, social media can be an effective and powerful tool for building professional networks and growing your firm without even touching your marketing budget.
It is a huge part of our daily lives; with more than two-thirds of people in the UK using social media daily, it is not something an accountancy firm afford to miss out on.
Here are some benefits of using social media for your accountancy business.
- You will be able to build a new community, sustain relationships and engage in conversations with your staff, existing and potential new clients, and others in your field.
- It creates a brand identity, raises brand awareness and promotes a positive brand association.
- You will be able to build trust in your expertise and loyalty with your brand when you share your knowledge through updates on your social media channels and build a reputation as a thought leader in the accounting space.
- Accounting is broad, and some laypeople and businesses will not be sure what type of services they require. Social media will help your firm highlight its niche and keep your audience informed.
- Improving communication with key audiences, such as those working in your field, would help your firm when going through the process of recruitment.
- Increases website traffic organically.
- Creates a better client experience.
Top tip: Regardless of your platform of choice, your social media posts should be helpful and engaging. You could publish useful insights on current events and trends in the accounting space.
Why Strategy Must Come First
Getting your social media strategy right is important and does require time, energy and effort- so it is best to start with a well-defined social media plan, outline what you are doing, why you are doing it and who your target audience is.
Start with research
Carrying out keyword and competitor research will help you come up with ideas for content that have either worked for others or are popular in the accounting space.
A question to ask yourself: What am I looking to achieve through my social media strategy?
Multi-platform presence
This is crucial in creating a successful online presence and identity for your business. You would want to look at LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter as an accounting firm.
Build a strategy
Learn how the different networks operate and put together a strategy that works for your business. Below are some examples of what you could do on the different social media platforms.
- Twitter can be used to promote special offers and news.
- LinkedIn is crucial in building a network of complementary businesses and existing and potential clients.
- Facebook can be used as a more informal space for your business to generate leads.
- Blogs to create thought leadership and a reputation for expertise for your brand.
Top tip: All of your content should have a purpose, whether it is generating traffic or increasing your brand’s awareness.
Five Ways For Accountants To Succeed At Social Media
Consistency Is Key
A good social media page requires regular maintenance and consistency. Having a steady flow of information across all of your platforms is important to build brand awareness and encourage users to engage with your content.
It is likely that a busy accounting firm cannot make time for this. To help you with this, you could set up an automated posting schedule that ensures consistency in your content and when you share it. Consider how much time you could commit to social media and delegating work to others.
Social media management tools to look at: Hootsuite, Buffer and Sprout Social
Agree On A Tone Of Voice and Stick To It
There is no wrong way to establish a voice on social media. However, by understanding your target audience and what they want to see, you can tailor your message to have a greater impact.
Stay professional: It is quite easy to cross the line between being professional and personal on social media. Unfortunately, this can have lasting damage to your firm’s reputation. Think carefully about what you want to post; if you have any doubts, it is best to not post.
Keep your brand consistent: While each platform is different and unique in its own way, your accountancy firm’s core identity- whether it is friendly and fun or sensible and trustworthy- should stay consistent.
Promote your website content: Your social media marketing strategy should complement your content marketing strategy. So, when you update your website with new blog posts or any other form of content for that matter, make sure you share it on your social media platforms as well.
Top tip: An appropriate tone of voice and staying focused on the message will help you create quality content that resonates with your followers.
Create Engaging Content & Engage With Others Every Day
Social media is an excellent way of engaging with clients and showing them your business’s ‘human side’.
Research shows that more than 70% of customers will recommend a business that provides a quick response to their questions and worries on social media. This shows that you are listening to them and value their interests by taking time to support them.
Top tip: Make sure your customer service replies are human and personable. Avoid using automated replies!
Share Your Knowledge & Become A Thought Leader
The Demand Gen Report (2016) has found that about 96% of B2B buyers want to see content from industry thought leaders. Sharing updates and insights on social media allows businesses to let clients and prospects see them at their best.
You should also ensure you create content that supports and uplifts your audience.
Get an Analytics Tool To Track And Report On Your Successes
In order to measure how successful your social media campaign is, you need to track your data. You should use Google Analytics, tracking tags, and specific analytical tools unique to each platform to better understand your performance.
Content Ideas For Accountants On Social Media
- Feature an employee on your feed, along with a photo and a short bio
- Post photos of social events, award banquets and networking events held at your firm
- If you partner with a non-profit organisation, make it known
- Share thought leadership pieces on money management, small business ownership etc.
- Insights on current events or trends in the accounting space
- Deadline reminders such as tax deadlines
- Always include a call-to-action
Why LinkedIn Should Be A Priority In An Accountant’s Social Media Strategy
Of all B2B social media leads, 80% come from LinkedIn. As LinkedIn is a professionally- oriented platform, its users are more likely to be interested in an accountant’s services than, for example, Instagram.
LinkedIn allows professionals to share their experiences, skills and areas of expertise and interests. LinkedIn facilitates and encourages meaningful discussions through the use of LinkedIn Groups.
LinkedIn Strategy For Accountants
LinkedIn can be incredibly powerful in raising brand awareness. This can be achieved through efforts with both the company’s profile page and those of individual employees.
LinkedIn Groups is an excellent feature that accountancy firms can take advantage of. It is the place to engage in professional dialogue with people working within the accounting industry and share content with like-minded individuals.
Your brand page can include thought leadership articles alongside ‘meet the team’ photos. On the other hand, employees should be encouraged to interact with the company’s posts and embrace LinkedIn in their own right. LinkedIn pushes relationships between people rather than brands, making your employees a key factor in your LinkedIn marketing strategy.
YouTube Strategy For Accountancy Firms
While this video-streaming platform is not usually considered a social media platform, it has an incredibly large active user base, with more than 60% of users logging in to their accounts daily, making it a key component in your social media marketing strategy.
People on YouTube search for engaging videos which are relevant to their interests and hobbies. As an accountancy firm, you can create videos that educate your audience and build a reputation for being a thought leader in your field.
Facebook Strategy For Accountants
Facebook, the largest social network of all, is largely used by customers rather than businesses. But you still have a lot to gain from this platform.
You could publish your blogs here share photos, videos and, stories, and links to your website. Your content on here can be about your team or Corporate Social Responsibility activities held at your firm. From a community-building perspective, you would be able to connect with local businesses here and form relationships with them.
Top tip: Make sure to listen to your customers and cater to their specific needs. Supporting a client’s individual query through a private message is easier to handle than a negative review on Google.
Twitter Strategy For Accountants
Twitter, a micro-blogging site, is a prime place for short interactions. Despite having fewer users than the Meta suite, 8 out of 10 B2B small businesses have a Twitter presence.
Using Twitter as a social media marketing tool is all about dialogue and effective communication. With a limit of 280 characters per tweet, it is important to be able to condense your messages into brief, information-packed tweets. This makes it the perfect place to look for current news, industry trends and updates, discuss, and conduct customer service.
While Twitter has an active user base, it has generally been difficult for businesses to leave a lasting impression on the platform. However, delegating a little bit of time every day to retweet, comment and like posts and comments will see steady growth.
You can share blog posts, articles, special promotions, news and brand-building tweets on your account. Be sure to reply to customers there as well!
Instagram Strategy For Accountants
Instagram, as opposed to Facebook and LinkedIn, is heavily focused on visual imagery and, more recently, videos and reels.
People look to Instagram to be influenced. This is something an accountancy firm can take advantage of. Use social posts that feature videos, graphics, and photos to create a visually intriguing and aesthetic feed. Attach relevant hashtags to be able to reach your target audience, and make sure to cross-link content with your other social media platforms.