Marketing strategies for accountants
In a busy office, marketing is often one of the aspects of business that gets overlooked. For accountants, the day-to-day tasks require care and attention, leaving little time for efforts to boost search rankings. But in an increasingly competitive world, marketing shouldn’t be left aside. Ensuring your firm’s website is visible online has a plethora of benefits, from brand awareness and client acquisition to building trust and credibility.
With that in mind, we’ve put together nine strategies to help you improve both your acquisition and retention marketing. The best part is, if you don’t have the time or resources to undertake all our suggestions in house, you can get help from the professionals at our marketing agency for accountants.
- Get technical
Before you engage in any other marketing activity, it’s vital to get your website properly optimised for search. Website development for accountants should include a host of SEO-friendly features, from straightforward navigation and clear calls to action to mobile optimisation and a prompt page loading speed. The technical aspects of your SEO are key to unlocking your full potential in the digital world, so pay particular attention to your Core Web Vitals. This will tell you everything you need to know about page speed, interactivity and the visual stability of your pages.
Checking your Google Search Console, meanwhile, will identify any errors that are preventing your website pages from being indexed. Should any issues be flagged on either platform, your developer or marketing agency should be able to implement fixes. From here, you have a solid foundation on which to build the rest of your online strategy.
- Start blogging
Blogging is one of the simplest ways to boost your marketing activity, but its value often goes unnoticed. Fresh, regularly produced content has SEO benefits, since Google rewards sites that are kept updated. Blogging also positions your business as an authority – a place where people can go to find pertinent answers to the questions they have.
To give your blogging efforts the best chance of success, you’ll need to create a plan. Outline the topics that you want to cover and research relevant keywords for each title. For example, you might decide to write a Self Assessment checklist for small business directors. Type this into the Google keyword planner to view search volumes for it, as well as similar terms. Select the appropriate keyword to use, and write an in-depth blog post, covering as many questions as you can. Then put it on the blog section of your website and share links on your social media pages.
- Seek out podcast opportunities
Guesting on a podcast is a great way to reach a new community and establish your firm’s authority within the industry. First you’ll need to compile a list of podcasts that overlap with your target audience, then contact the hosts and pitch to them about a guest slot. You’ll need to explain clearly what it is you would talk about and why it will be beneficial for their listeners. If the host accepts, ensure you mention your services in the first few minutes of your slot, but be sure to make your content useful. If you simply use the space to sell, you’ll quickly get a poor reputation. Finally, ask the host to link back to your website in the notes.
- Send email newsletters
It’s important to remember that your existing customers provide opportunities to grow your business. Sending them regular email newsletters will help them to stay engaged and remind them of services they may not be taking advantage of.
Make your email communications short and simple, offering bitesize content with a link that readers can click on to learn more. Alternatively, stick to one topic and provide useful information that clients will appreciate. You’ll want to avoid a hard sell, instead aiming to add value by answering questions or giving tips. The beauty of email newsletters is that, with the right service provider, they are easy to compile and need only be sent once a month.
- Go local
Accounting is a competitive industry, so aiming to be a go-to firm throughout the UK is unlikely to be realistic. Instead, you can aim to dominate your region by ensuring that your business appears for search terms that include your town or county. If, for example, you’re based in Ashford, Kent, you can add these locations to copy on your website and even create whole pages dedicated to driving traffic from searches in the town and surrounding locations.
Creating a Google Business Profile is also essential. This will ensure Google perceives your business as trustworthy and lists it for local search terms. By providing the name, address and contact details of your firm, as well as other information such as your opening hours and services, you are confirming to Google – and potential clients – where you are and what you offer.
- Try conversion rate optimisation
Bringing in leads is one thing, but it means very little if you’re unable to convert them into clients. Conversion rate optimisation (CRO) is about increasing the percentage of leads you turn into customers. This can be done with a variety of changes to your website. It may be as simple as changing the colour of your call to action buttons. Or you may need to rethink the copy on your service pages to include less jargon or be more persuasive. Site speed is another critical aspect of CRO – if your pages take too long to load, visitors are unlikely to stay on your website let alone take a desired action such as booking a consultation.
Testimonials and case studies are another way of improving your CRO. These are trust signals that demonstrate to visitors that your skills and methods have proven results. We recommend linking out to a third party review site such as TrustPilot rather than simply adding reviews to your site pages, as they will show the authenticity of the feedback.
- Engage in social media marketing
Social media is here to stay, so if your business isn’t engaging on key social platforms, it’s never too early to start. Aside from a base from which to share blog posts and improve your brand awareness, social media provides opportunities for networking with other professionals and increasing your reach.
LinkedIn is a good platform for accountants to use. Your content can include tips to address your target market’s pain points and sharing your professional opinions about tax changes or the latest Spring Budget. But social media isn’t simply about posting your own content and expecting others to engage with it. You’ll need to spend time engaging with others’ content too, commenting on relevant posts and building your authority within the community. All this takes time, but as you build brand awareness, you will find more opportunities arising.
- Consider paid advertising
Paid advertising can be useful as a supplement to your other online marketing activities, but it’s best to avoid relying too heavily on it. Pay Per Click (PPC) advertising works by charging a fee every time a user clicks on your advert. The fee you pay depends on how competitive the keyword you’re bidding for is. For example, “management accounting services in Kent” will require a much lower bid than “accountancy services”.
PPC works best if you use it to promote your business for more niche search terms, local terms and your brand name. It’s often successful if you target people who have already done some research into what they want and are now looking for something specific. You may also want to use it to advertise offers, whether that’s a free consultation or a discounted service package.
- Offer workshops
You can increase your reach and gain trust within your target market by offering online workshops. With the rise of cloud accounting and the requirements for Making Tax Digital, providing training on accounting software could prove invaluable to potential clients, small business owners or sole traders. This can be done via a platform such as Zoom that has screen sharing options, and gives you a chance to display your expertise while helping others.
Ensure your workshop covers everything your attendees will need to know and leave space for questions, either during the workshop or afterwards. While you will want to introduce yourself at the beginning and touch on your experience, this is not a time for hard selling. You should let your expertise speak for itself by delivering an engaging, helpful session. It’s up to you whether you want to charge for your time, but bear in mind any fees should be easily affordable.
Help with your marketing strategy
If your firm is looking for a reliable marketing agency for accountants that can help you develop and execute an online strategy, the team at Whitefish Marketing can help. With over ten years’ experience in digital marketing for accountancy firms, we offer support for everything from website development and technical SEO to content creation and social media management. Get in touch today to find out how your business can become more competitive online.
