when did you last optimize?
by penny breslin
it’s not just the numbers
the global pandemic has significantly impacted every aspect of business and our society, including digital marketing and how we do business. accounting firms had to pivot and shift their practices to increase their online presence to stay connected with clients, find a way to stay relevant, and increase their client base.
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the pandemic initially muted and almost eliminated traditional marketing, such as in-person meetings, conferences, and other events, and it amplified the importance of digital marketing in growing accounting practices.
many turned to social media, producing more relevant content, increasing their paid ads budgets, and launching webinars and podcasts. digital marketing is here for good, and firms must embrace it to grow. whatever business goals you have, you can utilize several digital marketing strategies and platforms to achieve them and significantly impact the future of your practice or firm.
social media marketing
the pandemic has proven that social media has gone beyond a platform for families and friends to socialize. the pandemic has proven that it is used highly by many to pitch services, build or grow their network, and keep abreast of what is happening worldwide. social media has become especially popular for promoting accounting firms. check what your competitors are doing on top social media platforms such as facebook, twitter, linkedin, etc. to help you establish a strong connection with your target audience.
there are two types of social media marketing: organic and paid. your standard posts on social media accounts and the engagement are part of organic social media marketing. the posts’ reach and virality depend on the timing and relevance of content. the more relevant, timely and impressive the content, the more shares, likes and comments it will get. paid social media marketing is a strategy used to boost and promote your posts to your target audience.
content marketing
content marketing is the production and distribution of valuable content that promotes what your accounting practice or firm can do for the target audience. the main objectives of content marketing are to generate leads, increase brand awareness, or to drive traffic to websites. for effective content marketing, it has to be consistent, informative and engaging. earning your audience’s trust is a long process and takes more than just posting a few content pieces when the mood strikes.
here are content ideas that can be used successfully for your accounting practices:
videos
video marketing provides the platform to demonstrate your expertise in accounting. this helps establish thought leadership and reputation among your accounting and bookkeeping peers, which often turns into collaborations and referrals. this also helps educate your target audience and build trust.
whitepapers and ebooks
whitepapers and ebooks are downloadable long-form content with persuasive, factual information on relevant topics that presents issues and offers solutions. they help educate the audience about your services and expertise in accounting, bookkeeping, taxation, payroll, auditing, etc. the difference between these types of content is that whitepapers tend to be more serious, more detailed and more researched compared to ebooks. both usually require the submission of email addresses to access and download, which is ideal for capturing new leads.
blogs
considered one of the oldest forms of content, blogs are free-to-read articles that are available on websites, discussing different aspects of your practice. optimized blogs are extremely beneficial in driving organic traffic to websites. write regular blogs that address the problems experienced by your audience and highlight your accounting or taxation services. prospects usually tend to start their online search by looking up their problem. by addressing their problem, your blog will likely be featured in the top ranks of the serp.
infographics
infographics are collections of engaging images and graphics that visualize an overview of information or data with minimal textual content. the idea behind creating infographics is to use easy-to-comprehend visuals to communicate information quickly and appeal to online visitors who are not keen on reading ebooks, whitepapers or blogs.
paid online advertising
paid online advertising is an online advertising strategy wherein the advertisers pay ad publishers and platforms to showcase the ads. compared to traditional advertising, online advertising costs require a minimal starting range, making it an ideal choice for cpas, accountants and firms. the most common forms of paid online advertising are pay-per-click (ppc), cost-per-click (cpc), cost-per-action (cpa) and cost-per-thousand-impressions (cpm). here are some of the platforms where you can pay for online advertising:
google ads
google ads is the leading advertising solution that can get your ads in front of prospects looking for accounting and bookkeeping services. you bid on certain keywords, such as “the best accounting firm in san diego” or “outsourced accounting services for small businesses” for your clickable ads to appear in google’s search results, youtube and its network of ad partners’ sites. your ads show up when someone searches for similar keywords that you used in your ads. the bidding options allow you to compete for top ranks on the serp.
facebook and instagram ads
facebook and instagram ads allow businesses to customize their ads through image-based posts, videos and slideshows, accompanied by tight headlines and messages. facebook ads also offer highly targeted options for audiences based on interests, geographic locations, behaviors and more.
linkedin ads
linkedin ads is a social media platform that specializes in connecting professionals based on job, position, function, industry, expertise, association and more. this platform is ideal for tapping professionals and companies that might be in need of accounting and bookkeeping services. linkedin ads can be customized and pushed on the inbox or newsfeed of your target audience.
twitter ads
advertising on twitter provides an opportunity for accountants and accounting firms to promote their services and reach prospects who might be interested in what you have to offer. twitter ads allow you to place posts and profile badges within the newsfeed of your targeted audience. considering that there are different types of twitter ad formats and no required minimum ad budget, it’s a great option for running your first social media ad.
email marketing
effective and consistent communications are the building blocks of successful businesses. email marketing helps build strong relationships, establish trust and inspire long-term client loyalty. it allows accounting firms to have direct communication with the audience, right in their inbox. to jumpstart your email marketing, you need to acquire email addresses and consent of your audience. or you can build your own email list through contact forms on your website, blog, whitepaper downloads, landing pages and ads. for successful email marketing, write appealing subject lines that will encourage users to click and open the email by focusing on what interests your audience. offer them something that you think they want to be addressed.
consider using automated emails to send emails to your email list. here’s a list of instances that are ideal for sending automated emails:
- welcoming new users who have subscribed to your blog
- follow up and nurture prospects who have not been converted
- reminder for clients to leave a review for your practice
- follow-up email for users who downloaded content from your website
- general emails promoting your services
search engine optimization
search engine optimization (seo) is a process of optimizing your content and website to make it rank on the first page of serp when relevant keywords are searched organically (non-paid). this strategy helps increase the quality and quantity of traffic to your website. seo is all about understanding what your audience is searching for online, the answers they are seeking and the type of content on your website that they consume. knowing these will allow your practice to connect to your audience who are searching online for the service you provide.
we’ve already highlighted how blogging is beneficial to seo efforts. blogging gives you the opportunity to embed keywords, tags and website links that will help your content and website rank on the serp. here are the types of seo:
on-page seo
on-page seo refers to the optimization work you put in on your own website to rank high on the serps. there are multiple steps and methods that one can use to make your website seo-friendly. here are some of the crucial seo ranking factors:
- optimized content: use of targeted keywords and related terms within the website content to get on the first page of serps.
- page speed: make your website load fast on desktop and mobile by removing unnecessary aspects.
- responsive website: improve user experience by making your website responsive to load consistently on any device mobile, tablet and desktops.
- metadata: working on title tags, alt tags and meta tags of your content, including photos.
- links: connect your pages within your website with internal links and connect your pages to other websites through external links. these give search engines and your audience an idea of your website’s structure.
off-page seo
off-page seo refers to actions performed outside your website that impact your ranking with the serp. some of the most common off-page seo samples are:
- social media profiles
- listing your practice or accounting firm on relevant online directories
- backlinking and external links
- guest blogging on other websites
digital marketing metrics to track performance and measure roi
digital marketing metrics can effectively track and measure your campaign’s real-time performance for conversion and brand awareness. if goals are set correctly and tracking codes are implemented properly, data can be gathered, and campaign performance analyzed. digital marketing allows you to measure the outcome of your campaigns and every step of your campaign. it also gives you data on the type of audience, the engagement rate, interest in your services, actions they take on your website, etc. these insights can enable your team to make data-driven decisions and take a more measured approach to digital marketing that will help generate leads and grow your practice.
with digital marketing, setting up accounts and planning campaigns can be done easily within the comforts of your home office. most platforms have apps that are accessible through mobile devices. alternatively, you can outsource your digital marketing for accounting firms to a full-service digital marketing agency and save a lot of time. at the same time, you focus on running and scaling your practice. digital marketing is the most cost-effective way to market your accounting firm, and it is known to provide the best return on investment.