When people think about their tax and accounting needs, they might not immediately think about social media posts. After all, the accounting industry involves numbers, taxes, and calculations, and there’s no place for that on social media–right?Wrong. In a digital marketplace, even service providers like accounting firms, tax pros, individual accountants, Enrolled Agents, CPAs and other professionals of the like, can use social media accounts to grow and scale their brands. Even more, such social media strategies can be the missing puzzle piece in a cohesive plan to reach a target audience with expertly timed messages.In this post, we’ll pull back the curtain on social media tactics for tax and accounting firms and provide you with seven helpful tips that you can implement to attract new clients.

What is social media marketing?

Social media marketing is the use of popular online social media platforms (such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and others) to advertise information about a brand’s unique product offerings and services.Social media marketing efforts are crucial in multiple industries and help companies scale an existing client base, sell new physical products, or build a thriving online community.

Why do tax and accounting firms need social media marketing?

Professionals in the tax and accounting space need social media marketing as part of their business strategy for a number of different reasons. These include:

• The ability to produce worthwhile content – Accountants, CPAs, EAs, and tax pros can use different platforms to produce educational and informational content that provides value to new followers and breaks complex financial information down into reasonable pieces.
• The chance to connect with prospective clients where they spend time – Let’s face it—social media is one of the most time-consuming online activities for daily users. If tax and accounting firms want to strike a chord with people where they invest time and energy, social marketing is the key.
• The opportunity to stay competitive in a highly crowded field – A digital marketplace makes it easier than ever to find competitors and locate helpful information about other brands and businesses. Firms that fail to recognize this shift and stake their rightful place in the market are bound to fall behind.

Top social media tips and strategies for tax and accounting firms

By now, we’ve made the case for why your firm should be taking advantage of social media marketing strategies. But understanding the importance is different from knowing how to put such strategies to practical use. In the list that follows, we’re introducing seven of the most practical tips for launching a social media presence at your firm. Let’s dive in.

Tip 1: Find the most relevant special media platform

If you want to target the right prospective clients who are actively seeking the services you offer, you must research where they spend time online. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn are popular, but it’s important to understand your firm’s client demographics so that you can peel back the layers.You can accomplish this research by sending out a quick survey to current clients about their social media habits or by taking a look at the analytics of any existing accounts. When you know which platforms yield the most results and engagement, you can spend more time and resources into making those your primary outlets for social media campaigns.

Tip 2: Post frequently and consistently

When it comes to social media, one of the biggest hurdles for accountants and CPAs is consistency. This is largely due to the fact that client relationships require a lot of time, effort, focus, and attention. Who can afford to keep up with social media posting in such a busy environment? Unfortunately, the things you neglect rarely grow or produce results. Create a simple social media calendar that establishes a regular cadence for new posts and content. Not only will this habit ensure that social media algorithms display more of your content, but it also helps your audience know that you’re engaged, active, and relevant.

Tip 3: Personalize your content to your unique audience

What are some of the main reasons why clients seek your services? What are the biggest questions or pain points they have before they convert and sign on as clients? What are your strongest areas of expertise as a service provider?The answers to these questions make highly effective social media content because they provide resolutions where they’re most needed. When you address popular concerns, you can successfully attract the people you’d most like to reach through social platforms.Following this strategy also helps you stay true to your brand mission while allowing you to produce genuine and honest content. When you personalize marketing messages to your specific niche, you’re more likely to achieve greater ROI.

Tip 4: Connect in professional groups

Another strategic way to establish a presence on social media is through groups. You can find these in places like LinkedIn Groups or Facebook Groups. Groups not only allow you to discuss common interests, but they also provide an environment where you can share your expertise, build thought leadership, and communicate about your brand. Using social media groups is particularly effective for tax and accounting firms that function as a solo endeavor (with one accountant, bookkeeper, EA, tax pro, or CPA running their own business). Corporate and large firms may have rules in place about what can and can’t be shared in public group environments, so be sure to check with the right personnel before you begin to advertise your firm’s information in social media groups.  

Tip 5: Develop an ad strategy to expand your reach

Social media ads can be a highly useful tool in a comprehensive social media strategy. The social ad business alone is expected to generate over $200 billion dollars in the next several years, which underscores its value and importance in social platform marketing. Social ads often include a few core components, such as:

• Copy – the written communication of each advertisement
• Creative – the graphics that are displayed along with text
• Call to Action (CTA) – the direction or “next step” the advertiser wants a lead to take
• Destination – where the prospect goes after following the ad

Before you dedicate dollars to a full-fledged ad strategy, make sure you have the right people in place to finetune each of these components. Although they can convert potential clients, ads can get costly. As a result, make sure you know how to create effective ads, how to segment your potential audience, and how to set up campaigns for the maximum reach within each social service.

Tip 6: Highlight client-sourced results and feedback

No matter where or how you post, consider incorporating user generated content into your overall strategy. While you should be sure to request permission and consent, nothing helps future clients visualize their own success quite like hearing from others in their shoes.Client-sourced results can be shared in a number of unique ways:

• Custom graphics or images that display quotes
• User ratings on experiences and service
• Case studies
• Customer testimonials

Use these positive experiences to your brand’s advantage when creating a social media marketing strategy that builds trust and loyalty.

Tip 7: Create helpful content

One of the most important rules when crafting your social media message is to be helpful, informative, and valuable. There’s a lot of clutter on social media, and it’s easy to get lost in messages that simply aren’t worthwhile.As a financial professional, you have plenty of knowledge and instruction to share with your audience. Consider how you can incorporate FAQs, educational posts, informative videos, and other “behind the scenes” tips for your audience to take their confidence in your services to the next level. When you raise the bar on quality, you make sure that both your brand and your future clients get exactly what they need.  

Embrace social media marketing at your tax and accounting firm/practice

At CountingWorks PRO, we understand the value of simplifying your processes. As you grow your practice or firm, you need a reliable platform that offers the best in social, search engine optimization, and content marketing without added stress.Leave it to the pros. CountingWorks PRO is trusted by over 8,000 tax and accounting professionals (just like you) who want to take their marketing efforts to another level this year and beyond. Now is the perfect time to attract new clients, keep your content fresh, and make the most of new strategies like social media. Schedule a free demo!