a cornucopia of tech-fueled opportunities for gaining visibility, getting found and attracting business.
by sandi leyva
the complete guide to marketing for tax & accounting firms
modern accountants are on board with both the paperless office concept and cloud accounting: embracing them, implementing them, and benefiting from them.
more small firm growth strategies: are you newsworthy? | make newsletters work for you | how to schedule social media content | the 5 c’s of successful websites | speaking: how, where and getting leads from it | more
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but there is a disconnect in most accounting firms in one area, and that’s marketing.
why are some firms still stuck in the 1970s when it comes to marketing? this drags down the reputation, culture, and perception of the entire firm – and maybe the entire profession.
here, we’ve compiled 71 tactics and strategies for professionalizing and systemizing your business development efforts. there are, of course, more. but you won’t go wrong picking just a couple from this list and getting to work as seriously on your business as you are at working in your businesas.
online marketing
the concept of digital marketing or online marketing or even cloud marketing is easy to grasp when we compare it to cloud accounting; it’s simply the use of online marketing channels to enable lead generation and client acquisition. yet, when most accountants think about marketing today, they revert to the 1970s methods of direct mail and cold calling. and when they implement those methods, they don’t realize that they risk ruining their hard-earned modern reputation, not to mention paying more for low-quality results.
when today’s clients look for a new accountant or bookkeeper, part if not all of their search occurs online. and that’s where accounting firms and bookkeeping businesses need to be too.
approaching prospects
attracting new clients to your business is a lot like making friends or even dating. it doesn’t happen in one connection; it can take a couple of meetings before you both trust each other enough to commit to building a relationship. here are two steps you’ll need to take before you go looking for new clients:
1. figure out and narrow down who you are looking for.
this means creating a description of your ideal client. while you could get away with marketing to everyone ten or fifteen years ago, it doesn’t work today. just like you won’t want to be friends with just anyone, you shouldn’t want to take on just anyone as a client.
today, smart marketers and business owners stop and learn why someone wants or needs what they have to offer. they determine the benefits or solutions the prospect is looking for and use that to create a persona or avatar of a category of clients they are looking for.
2. determine how you will attract the attention of the ideal client you are seeking.
the solution to this is to develop content that catches your prospects’ eyes. the topic of the content should be something that helps the client solve a problem they’re having related to the services you offer. this can be an accounting problem, a quickbooks® problem, a payroll problem, a tax problem, or a financial problem. great content will allow you to get their attention, demonstrate your expertise, and make an initial connection between you and the prospect.
where to look for new clients
here is a fairly comprehensive list of 71 ways you can attract prospects for your accounting firm or bookkeeping business.
1. maintain a killer linkedin profile.
linkedin is the top b2b social media platform. your linkedin profile should be optimized to communicate what you offer and who you want to attract into your network. as you connect with people you can build your network which increases the amount of people you can reach out to.
there are entire courses on how to best utilize linkedin, but here are a couple of the most important things:
- keep your photo current, businesslike, and high-quality.
- your headline and summary are probably the most important parts of your profile. use them wisely to demonstrate expertise as well as to clarify your services.
- post content that demonstrates your expertise and educates your prospects.
- research your prospects on linkedin so you can discover what they’re working on and what their needs are.
while you’re at it, connect with me on linkedin here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandismith/
2. optimize your website to rank in google search results.
the best thing about google search is that when people are using it, many of them are looking for a solution to a problem. some of them are ready to buy. people who search for things like “income tax return preparation services” or “quickbooks consultant” are ready right now to get help. they will act faster than other leads who are not actively looking for solutions.
getting your site to rank in google search is part art and part science. there are a lot of moving parts, and no one truly knows the algorithm google uses to rank sites except a few select google employees. to be successful here, get someone who has expertise in both seo and the accounting industry to optimize your site. (and if we can help you with your seo needs, please reach out.)
3. get certified in quickbooks or xero and optimize your partner profile.
becoming a certified quickbooks online proadvisor or a xero certified advisor enables you to display your profile on the find-an-advisor website. make sure you optimize that profile because that is another place where prospects are likely looking to buy immediately. go here for the quickbooks program: https://quickbooks.intuit.com/accountants/proadvisor/ and here for xero: https://www.xero.com/us/partner-programs/partners/partner-program/
4. claim your google for business listing.
it’s free to claim your business listing on google. if you google your business name or find your business on google maps, you can claim your business or set it up here: https://www.google.com/business/
your google business listing will appear in search, especially if your business name or your name is entered. update your profile as completely as possible, including adding photos, your business hours, a description, and your contact info.
“it’s free to claim your business listing on google for business.”
5. collect email addresses of people who come to your site.
while some prospects are ready to buy right now, others need to be nurtured, and one of the best ways to do that is to collect email addresses so you can stay in touch with them. you’ll probably need to offer some content, such as a complimentary report, white paper, or online newsletter, in exchange for people giving up their personal information.
we recommend constant contact as the best tool for accountants to send newsletters. as constant contact partners, we can help you with your setup. get started here (this is an affiliate link): http://www.constantcontact.com/index.jsp?pn=accountantsaccelerator
6. set up your facebook business page.
facebook, with over 2 billion users, is by far the largest social media platform. with its privacy features, you can easily separate business from personal if that’s a concern. create a business page where you can set up a comprehensive profile, invite clients to like the page, garner reviews, promote events, and much more.
visit our page to see a sample: https://www.facebook.com/sandismithleyva
7. get listed in yelp.
if a large part of your business is preparing 1040s for individuals, yelp is a great place to be listed. the directory appears prominently in google searches for accountants and bookkeepers, so it’s another way gain search exposure. be wary of the aggressive sales team at yelp who will want you to purchase an ad. yelp is free, so you don’t have to ever pay them money, but many accountants seem to give in to their pitches. as of this writing, three accountants in the plano area where i live were running ads on yelp, which allows you to rank higher in their site search.
get started at https://yelp.com
8. create a youtube channel.
if you love teaching, youtube is a great way to display your how-to videos which show your expertise. your videos do not have to be long; two to six minutes is about as long as anyone’s attention spam lasts these days. just keep each learning point in a separate video and it can be done. your smartphone’s camera in video mode or screen capture software in video mode will get you started.
check out and subscribe to our channel here: https://www.youtube.com/sandismithleyva
9. update and distribute your business card.
does your business card include your website url? if so, distributing it is an offline method to encourage people to visit you online.
10. buy google adwords.
a great way to expand the volume of leads from search traffic is to run google ads. they’re easy in that you don’t need graphics like you do with facebook ads. and google’s simple platform, adwords express, is a nice improvement over the bulkier adwords platform. get started here with adwords express or if you prefer for us to set up and manage the process for you, check out our paid search ad packages here..
11. list in bing.
bing (actually microsoft sites) handled 22.8 percent of the search queries in the u.s. in 2017, according to statista.com. (source: https://www.statista.com/statistics/267161/market-share-of-search-engines-in-the-united-states/) that’s too much market share to ignore. get started building your profile at https://www.bingplaces.com/.
12. join thumbtack.
thumbtack matches professionals with customers who are looking for the services you offer. it’s free to join as a business. to be matched with customers, you buy credits that can be used to purchase the privilege to quote a job. you can set your monthly budget which decides how many quotes or prospects you want access to. you only pay to quote; there is no commission or subscription fee. get started with thumbtack here: https://www.thumbtack.com/pro
13. set up a twitter account.
twitter is another social media platform that enables you to gain brand exposure and stay top of mind with clients. its 280-character (up recently from 140) post format is perfect for sharing time-sensitive news such as an accounting software sale price deadline.
it’s also great for exposure for you when you’re attending an event such as an accounting conference. most conferences assign a hashtag (such as #qbconnect for intuit’s annual conference) that you can use in the post to connect with other attendees.
get started here: https://twitter.com . and once you’re setup, follow us here: https://twitter.com/cpaaccelerator/
14. promote your website in your email signature.
every time you send an email, it’s a marketing opportunity that should not be missed. add your website url in your email signature to make it easy for people to click and visit your site.
15. start or manage a facebook group.
building a community can be a big commitment, but it can also yield significant rewards. by starting a facebook group and inviting people to join, you are creating a place where people can ask questions, share successes, and make friends. there are a few options here:
- start a group that all your clients can join. they should all have something in common besides you, such as living in the same local area. your focus here will be local news.
- start a group for your peers to gain professional referrals. invite fellow accounting professionals to join your group, share common client issues, and ask and answer technical accounting and software questions.
- manage an existing group or start a group based around one of your natural networks, such as church, a professional association chapter, a women’s group, or a nonprofit group. becoming the moderator will increase your post rate and visibility which will foster top of mind.
16. check out craigslist.
many small businesses post ads in craigslist when they need a bookkeeper, tax help, or quickbooks support. answering these ads has generated lots of work for many of my clients (and not just the ones starting their businesses).
17. apply for bbb accreditation.
yes, it’s expensive and a little old school, but the better business bureau is still a trusted brand for many consumers. it’s not only a possible source of search traffic but also a way to build trust faster with prospects. start here: https://whybbb.org/apply.php
18. get listed on yahoo.
yahoo has partnered with yext, so getting your site listed on yahoo for free is a little tricky but can be worth it. go here: http://www.yext.com/pl/yahoo-claims/index.html and get set up, but when they present the paid options, look for a link that says “claim your basic listing only on yahoo.” you may get upsell pitches from yext.
19. appear on mapquest.
many people search by maps, and google maps is not the only game in town. find mapquest here: https://www.mapquest.com/
20. start a linkedin group.
linkedin is a great b2b platform to start a group. like a facebook group, it does require time to moderate and build the community. one perk of starting a group is that you can email the entire group. as an example, join our group, accountant’s accelerator, https://www.linkedin.com/groups/5159616 and then start your own.
21. run paid facebook ads.
facebook ads are the hottest paid ad online right now. they are cheaper than google ads, and the goals will be different too. on facebook, people want to have fun and connect, not be sold to, so it requires a different approach. login to facebook and find the arrow on the top right side to expand your menu. click create ads to get started. or go here: https://www.facebook.com/business/products/ads
22. get listed on angie’s list.
if you’re looking for more consumer tax work, angie’s list is a place where some people will be looking. i personally use it to find subcontractors for a house remodel, but i do know of tax preparers who have gotten business this way. according to a google snippet the price for a business listing can vary from $20 to $2,000 per month depending on the reach you want. start here: https://www.angieslist.com/
23. join pinterest.
another social media platform, pinterest’s demographic of mostly women and visual requirements are not for everyone. it does generate traffic though and is a wonderful way to express your firm’s culture and fun side. get employees to contribute and manage the boards and pins. start here: https://www.pinterest.com and follow us here: https://www.pinterest.com/sandileyva/
24. buy a placement on bookkeepinghelp.com.
jim and cheryl berry have done a really nice job optimizing their directory listing site for the search engines, and they have actually gotten more traffic with fewer listings in prior years than intuit’s find-a-proadvisor site, so your odds of getting a lead are better. they charge about $300 per year, so all you need to do is get one piece of business per year for it to pay off. start here: http://www.bookkeepinghelp.com/services.asp and if you’re an accelerator library https://acceleratorlibrary.com/ member, get $100 off in the resources forum.
25. list your slideshows on slideshare.
slideshare is a social media platform where you can share your powerpoint or other slides. you may need to modify your existing decks so that they stand alone without narration. you could potentially use slideshare as a download portal or handout portal for when you are holding classes.
slideshare is a linkedin property, which is owned by microsoft. get started here or within linkedin: https://www.slideshare.net/ and follow us here: https://www.slideshare.net/sandismith
26. get listed on taskrabbit.
taskrabbit is another matching service where consumers can look for help with accounting and other chores. taskrabbit charges the accountant or tasker 30 percent of the invoice that is paid by the consumer. you can choose the jobs you want. start here by setting up a free profile: https://www.taskrabbit.com/
27. create a linkedin company page.
a page, different from a group, is a profile of your business. in linkedin, you can set up a page for your business and connect job ads, employees, and other content to it. start by logging into your linkedin profile and under the work menu, look for business services and create a company page. check out ours here: https://www.linkedin.com/company/accountant’s-accelerator/
28. set up push notifications.
push notifications won’t bring you brand new traffic, but it is a subtle way to stay in touch with people who have visited your website at least once. you may have seen sites that have a small popup window at top left that asks for your location or for permission to send you notifications. the choice is “allow” or “block,” and the user does not have to give up any personal information. the user’s site is cookied, and you, the web owner, can send short notices to that visitor if they choose allow. the notifications appear on the bottom left. you’ve probably seen them from facebook, your anti-virus software, and others.
we use onesignal (https://onesignal.com/ ) and a free account and setup is included in our platinum website packages. https://acceleratorwebsites.com/pricing/website-packages/
29. set up an account on instagram.
instagram is one of the hottest social platforms there is in 2018. i have a hard time believing this statistic by sproutsocial and repeated by smartinsights (source: https://www.smartinsights.com/social-media-marketing/instagram-marketing/instagram-statistics/) but they say 70.7 percent of u.s. businesses are on instagram. nearly 60 percent of instagram users are under 30, but with 800 million on the platform now, you will get traffic.
instagram, owned by facebook, is best used when you have visual content, which can mean text graphics for cpas. use at least one and up to ten hashtags and go local for best results. roughly a quarter of a million users post and watch stories, which are very short videos. that’s more than snapchat.
30. create a google+ profile.
some people say google+ is dead, but it’s not true. last year, google rolled out a few new features and nearly 400 million people still use the platform. start here to create yours: https://plus.google.com and visit us here: https://plus.google.com/+sandismithleyva
31. help a reporter out.
haro brings public relations to the masses by matching reporters who need subject matter experts and well, subject matter experts like accountants. with the new tax cuts and jobs act, you’re bound to get some publicity, furthering the reach of your brand. subscriptions range from free to $149/month; sign up here: https://www.helpareporter.com/subscriptions/
32. publicize your website in flyers and brochures.
if you print any marketing materials, don’t forget to include your digital links, including your website url, email address, and social profile links so people who receive the flyers can visit you online.
33. pay for linkedin ads.
if you’re savvy about the linkedin platform, running ads is an option. the cool thing about linkedin is if you want to access members in a group, you can target them with ads, while that feature is not available in facebook groups. you have numerous targeting options when it comes to audience and the standard online ad payments options when it comes to your marketing goals. start here: https://business.linkedin.com/marketing-solutions/ads
34. claim your free listing on superpages.
superpages appears very high on many search listings, so it’s worth claiming your free listing. you can also run ads to promote your listing. start here: https://www.superpages.com/
35. join the quickbooks community.
accountants and small business owners have a place to connect and learn on intuit’s community platform. when you answer questions of business owners, you have a chance to connect with them further. this method is time-intensive, but once you become well-known on the platform, you pretty much own it. go here: https://qbcommunity.com/
36. get a free website at wordpress.com.
expand your web exposure by setting up a website at wordpress.com. wordpress.com varies from wordpress.org, which is a content management system used by 27 percent of all websites online. start here: https://wordpress.com/ and visit us here: https://accountantsaccelerator.wordpress.com/
37. use facebook events.
if you host events, such as classes, webinars, get-togethers, open houses, parties, or other events, you can promote attendance on facebook using events. if you have a business page in facebook, create your event from there so that your business page “owns” the event. you can set up registration links, photos, and descriptions of the event. best, you can invite your friends and people who like your page.
38. try upwork.
upwork, which was renamed when elance and odesk combined, is a way for professionals to connect with people who need them. upwork charges a sliding service fee from 20 percent to 5 percent of revenues earned. start here: https://www.upwork.com/i/how-it-works/freelancer/
39. get on foursquare.
you can get a free profile on foursquare, the local mobile search platform, and you can also enhance that profile with paid features. if you’re all over walk-in traffic, foursquare is a must. start here: http://business.foursquare.com/
40. write and post articles on sites where your clients frequent.
if you’re a writer or want to tell future clients something, then write an article and get it posted online. in addition to your own blog, you can submit it to sites who will publish it. there are too many sites to list that will take your articles, and often, having connections helps too. to find sites that will take your articles, you’ll need to do some research about submission guidelines and locate the correct editor.
some sites allow you to become part of an exclusive community of writers for a fee that you pay, and others, less frequently, will pay you to post your article. start with the online version of your local newspaper, and then branch out from there.
41. get listed in the yellow pages.
a little old school, yes. but if you are looking for older clients, the yellow pages might work. it does not come up in search as much as it did five years ago, but there are accountants still listed there, and some of them pay to boost their ads. start here: https://www.yellowpages.com/
42. run an ad on bing.
with 22 percent of search, bing has far less ad competition than google, so promoting your profile might make sense. i ran ads with great success on the microsoft network for web clients over a decade ago before bing was “born.” sign up here: https://secure.bingads.microsoft.com/
43. send a digital press release.
sending a digital press release allows you to get news impressions for your brand. in the past, i’ve used prnewswire.com and prweb.com, now owned by cision ltd, the same people who own haro (see no. 31). see the pricing here: http://service.prweb.com/pricing/
44. ask people to link to your site.
it’s the digital version of referrals; when a web page includes your website url on their page and someone clicks, you get a digital referral. and the more, the merrier. link building is also a huge component of search engine optimization and ranking higher organically (or naturally, without paying for ads) in search. encourage your friends and peers to link to your site, and if you write for a website, make sure your profile includes your website url.
45. join startup nation.
startup nation is a great site for small business owners to connect. you can get an account and join in on comments to get known within the community. go here: https://community.startupnation.com/
46. pay for display ads.
most owners of small businesses have not dabbled in display ads, so that is an opportunity for you. display ads are ads that appear on major news and media sites. you can get them through google display ads here: https://adwords.google.com/home/how-it-works/display-ads/
47. get a free website through wix.
yet another way to grab some free digital real estate is through wix.com. start here: https://www.wix.com/
48. get accounting gigs through freelancer.
if you’re a solo bookkeeper or cpa, freelancer matches you with people who need your services. freelancers charges fees on both sides of the equation. your fee to work is 10 percent of the job, and the employer or hiring person is charged three percent. additional fees to post a quote are available. start here: https://www.freelancer.com/jobs/1/
49. get a free page via about.me.
just more digital real estate. get you free profile page here: https://about.me and view ours here: https://about.me/sandismithleyva .
50. run ads on twitter.
in twitter, you can promote a post, feature your profile, or sponsor a hashtag, all designed to get you more traffic. start your twitter ad campaign here: https://ads.twitter.com
51. try taxbuzz.
taxbuzz is a directory especially for tax professionals. it’s run by one of my accounting website provider competitors, clientwhys. the cost ranges from free to $500 per year; expect to be upsold. go here: https://www.taxbuzz.com/
52. get listed on apple maps.
a best-kept secret is that apple powers most of the map technology on mobile phones, macs, and apple watches that use the os operating system. start here: https://mapsconnect.apple.com/
53. outsource your directory listing management to us.
feel overwhelmed about adding your business to all the directories listed above? well, i haven’t even listed a tenth of them. we partner with a local firm advicelocal, to help our clients get listed in the major directories. you can get a free report of how your business ranks in more than 30 directories here: https://acceleratorwebsites.com/services/free-report-online-visibility/
54. join american express open’s small business community.
meet owners of small and mid-sized businesses in the american express open community. engage, comment, and post content to attract prospects here: https://www.americanexpress.com/us/small-business/openforum/explore
55. add “forward to a friend” to your newsletters.
while sending email newsletters will generate repeat traffic and top-of-mind share with current clients, it won’t generate new traffic, unless you encourage people to forward the email to their friends. look in your email list management software for a button, or simply add a sentence that encourages people to forward your newsletter.
56. run instagram ads.
if instagram is an important platform for you, you can buy ads via facebook (who owns instagram).
57. find jobs on guru.com.
get matched with people looking for booking and tax help on guru.com. pricing for freelancers includes a monthly fee which ranges from free to $40 per month and a percentage of the sales, ranging from nine percent to five percent depending on job volume. start here: https://www.guru.com/d/jobs/
58. get listed on local.com.
local.com is yet another directory that you can claim a free listing on as well as promote your listing via ads. start here: https://www.local.com/
59. get job leads on bark.
bookkeeping services is one thing people can look for on bark, which is running google ads to rank in search results in certain cities. bookkeepers who sign up get free job leads and can buy credits to bid on jobs they select. go here: https://www.bark.com/en/us/sellers/create/
60. list on hotfrog.
hotfrog is another directory to get listed in. add your business here: https://www.hotfrog.com/addyourbusinesssingle.aspx
61. get a free site on weebly.
weebly is another option where you can get a free website. they also have packages up to $25 per month. start building here: https://www.weebly.com/
62. buy youtube ads.
ads in youtube can vary from video ads (go here: https://www.youtube.com/yt/advertise/index.html ) to placements within google adwords (https://adwords.google.com ). if your audience watches a lot of videos, running youtube ads makes sense.
63. use retargeting.
bring one-time website visitors back via retargeting, which is when ads for websites you visited appear on other websites you visit afterwards. you can set this up in a number of platforms, including facebook, google, and any of the major ad display networks.
64. get listed on accountant-finder.
this index is run by another one of my website competitors, cpa site solutions. i don’t see this one coming up in search any more, but it might be worth it to get listed. expect a sales call if you go here: http://accountant-finder.com/getlisted.php
65. add your company to manta.
manta is the small business directory. you can add your company for free: https://www.manta.com/add-your-company
66. pay to play on goodaccountants.com.
for higher stakes and a far higher price tag than any of these other solutions, try good accountants. the price tag is $5,000 to be listed, and the service look to target larger businesses and larger jobs. try it here: https://goodaccountants.com/ .
67. join your local chamber.
with most chambers of commerce, your business gets a profile listing. often chamber members do business with other chamber members when possible.
68. for cpas, verify your board listing.
if you’re a cpa, the state board that your license is registered with will have a directory listing. super-savvy clients will check you out, and you’ll want to make sure there is no error in your license status. cpa verify is a cool site that links to all the states. try it here to save time: https://cpaverify.org/
69. buy pinterest ads.
if your target client spends time on pinterest, then an ad will be a good investment. go here: https://ads.pinterest.com/
70. outsource your directory listing management to yext.
yext is a service that will add and update your directory listings automatically for you. they have small business packages here: https://www.yext.com/pl/powerlistings/plans.html
71. apply for jobs.
many entrepreneurs hold part-time jobs while they build their client base. for this approach, posting a resume and applying for jobs will get you some fast steady cash. the most common job sites include https://www.indeed.com/ , https://www.careerbuilder.com/ , and https://www.monster.com/.
accounting traffic cornucopia
well, as you can see, you have a lot of places to find new clients online and to build the right amount of lead generation traffic you need. my goal was to be comprehensive, but also current. i left off several directories, especially ones specific to cpas, because they look abandoned or haven’t come up in search for any of the cities that i have clients in.
now all you need to do is select which places or methods are best for the type of person you want to do business with. it’s a numbers game, and as accountants, we rock at numbers. so you’ve got this!