Social Media Marketing is the New Norm
Your ideal accounting clients are online using social media to share ideas, information, and build relationships.
One major benefit of social media is that marketing teams no longer have to broadcast messages to a generic public audience. We can engage your ideal clients where they already browse, using specific messaging that they want to hear. By going to them, you build trust, meet specific needs, and bring in exactly the right clients.
An Accounting Firm’s Brand and Story Build Trust
Professional, modern, family-oriented, small business experts—these are some of the characteristics that an accounting firm might want to project. A logo and other branding materials are key components of that perception. Another key component is the story, or series of stories, that clients associate with your firm.
Consider a firm that wants to appeal to small business owners with 5-30 employees. What problems or situations do you associate with clients who seek those services? Imagine their needs. A new business wants to ensure financial security as they get off the ground. A small business is struggling to balance their own books, and they need a trusted expert to partner with.
These situations become stories when they are matched with the specific solutions that your accounting firm specializes in. Say, for instance, the new business is able to find stability and increase profits after working with you. Or, you are able to offer clarity and peace of mind to the overwhelmed small business. The story has 3 stages from their perspective: assessing the situation, understanding the problem, and finding the best solution.
When you tell these kinds of stories, you offer a well-tread path for new clients to trust and follow. Take a moment to think about what stories drive your ideal clients to your accounting firm.
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Marketing on the Right Social Media Platforms for Your Accounting Firm
Case studies, blog posts, testimonials, and other content from your website tell in-depth versions of the stories you want your legal clients to hear. (Take a look at our previous post to learn more about blogging to get the right leads.) By sharing these stories on social media, you offer valuable information and drive your ideal clients to your website.
An example: Consider the new business looking to get off the ground. The story you want to tell is about how your accounting firm helped them, or how you will help them. The first is a case study, and the second is a blog post that highlights your specialized services.
A title for the blog post might be, “Start A Profitable Business: 6 Finance Tips for New Businesses.” Then, a social media share might say, “Worried about your new business? Learn how to start a profitable business with our 6 finance tips.”
The post delivers specific, useful information, and the social media share engages with the problems your ideal clients face when they are online looking for solutions.
Let’s take a look at some of the most popular social media platforms for marketing, and how exactly they can help your accounting firm…
As of the second quarter of 2016, Facebook’s user base was at 1.71 billion people. That means you have a huge potential audience, and, if you run targeted ads, you can get very specific about the demographics you want to reach. A post promoting a case study about the new business mentioned above could be marketed specifically to young entrepreneurs.
Facebook is a personal platform. This is where a conversational tone coupled with links to informative, valuable content will work wonders. Photos and emoticons can help craft a more personal voice for an accounting firm’s story, tailored specifically for your ideal clients.
Twitter’s 140-character real-time format emphasizes response-provoking content. Potential clients will see, respond to, and share posts immediately or not at all, so your content must be compelling.
How? The best way, across all platforms, is to create valuable content that your ideal clients will learn from. Posts should answer a question or address a very specific concern.
Twitter is an ongoing, worldwide conversation, so engage other users in discussions. Comment on current events as they relate to your accounting firm’s specialization. Also, try including photos and using links in concert with action-verb phrasing.
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Instagram is a deeply visual social media platform. It makes two things easy for your accounting firm: branding and striking a personal tone. Visual reinforcement of your brand can include pictures of your office, team, or other related content. These images show potential clients that you are real and personable.
On Instagram, don’t forget to use the text area as well. Hashtags (#) and @ mentions will increase the odds of posts being liked or commented on. A short description of the photo is another chance to add a personal touch and link back to your website!
YouTube
YouTube can be very effective for telling a short story that will appeal to potential clients. Videos should cover what makes your team and specializations unique, answer common concerns, and clarify frequently asked questions.
Keep YouTube videos short. Somewhere between 30 seconds and 1.5 minutes is ideal. That means you can come up with plenty of them, and make each specific to one problem and one solution.
Thank you for reading our tips for using social media to bring in your ideal clients. Want to talk about your marketing options? Get in touch. We are excited to grow your business!
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