Digital Marketing for Accountants: 5 Ways to Boost Your Firm's Online Presence
A strong online presence isn't just about having a website or social media profiles; it's about creating a cohesive and effective online strategy that showcases your firm's expertise, services, and values to your potential and existing clients.
By establishing a solid and recognizable digital persona, your accounting firm can demonstrate expertise and authority within your industry. It can also give you a competitive edge amongst other accounting firms in your area.
In this article, we'll explore five essential strategies for helping your firm establish a strong online presence and attract more customers, ultimately driving business growth and increased visibility.
Focusing on these key tactics and tools will boost your reputation, establish trust and credibility with your target audience, and help you maintain a competitive edge over other accounting firms in the industry.
1. Optimize Your Website for Your Target Audience
According to Research and Markets, the global accounting market is anticipated to hit $735.94 billion by 2025—that's a statistic you want your firm to be a part of!
It begins with improving your online visibility through your website, which is often the first point of contact between your firm and prospective clients. Ensuring your accounting site is intuitive for your users, has relevant and accurate information, and runs efficiently will help drive the traffic you want.
This is the premise of search engine optimization (SEO), which involves implementing various strategies to improve your website's visibility and ranking on search engines. While you can do this manually, we recommend utilizing marketing tools and software as it’s often the easier (and less time-consuming!) option.
Use website builders like WordPress, Wix, or Squarespace to create a modern and mobile-friendly site. Install SEO plugins like Yoast SEO or SEOPress to optimize content further. A responsive design that adapts to different screen types and sizes will provide a better user experience and improve your search engine rankings.
Conduct keyword research using tools like Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, SE Ranking, or SEMrush to identify relevant terms to target. Incorporate these keywords strategically throughout your website's content, especially in your page titles, headings, and meta descriptions, to garner the best results and attract clients.
You can also leverage AI content tools like Surfer SEO and/or Jasper to help make this process easier.
With Surfer SEO, you’ll be provided with detailed insights on keyword density, readability, and other key factors that impact search engine rankings. You can even get instant feedback on how your content stacks up against your competitors and identify areas for improvement.
Meanwhile, Jasper is a powerful AI-powered writing tool that can help you efficiently generate ideas and structure high-quality content.
However, it’s important to keep in mind that the Google algorithm (as well as other search engine algorithms) frowns on content that is purely created by AI. To avoid this, make sure you’re using these tools as a way to streamline and structure your own unique business voice.
By using the above tools in conjunction with your keyword research, you can create a well-structured and optimized content strategy that drives traffic and conversions.
2. Include Social Media Platforms in Your Marketing Efforts
According to Statista, the average person spends about 145 minutes a day on social media. This makes social media channels a must-have if you want to employ successful accounting marketing strategies.
Social media management offers a powerful way to connect with your audience, showcase your accounting services, and build brand awareness. Platforms like LinkedIn, X (formerly Twitter), Google Business Profile, and Facebook can be particularly useful for accounting firms.
Establish a strong presence on these channels by creating professional business profiles and sharing valuable content regularly. This can include industry insights, tax tips, financial advice, and updates about your firm's services and achievements.
Additionally, consider running targeted social media advertising campaigns to reach potential clients who fit your ideal customer profile. For instance, you may choose to use paid Facebook or Instagram ads to reach your target market.
Lastly, social media management tools like Hootsuite, SocialPilot, or Sprout Social can be used to schedule and publish content consistently. These programs also allow you to analyze your social media ads' performance using their built-in analytics capabilities.
3. Implement a Cohesive Content Marketing Strategy
Content marketing effectively attracts and engages potential clients while positioning your firm as an authority in the accounting industry. Creating and sharing valuable, informative content establishes trust and credibility with your audience.
It's also one of the tasks businesses struggle with the most, as 13% of marketing leaders report that content strategy is their top challenge.
Start by developing a content marketing strategy that aligns with your firm's goals and the needs of your audience. This could include:
Creating a blog on your website
Publishing relevant whitepapers
Producing educational videos
Starting an accounting podcast
Guest blogging on reputable industry websites
Most accounting firms use some or all of these in their digital marketing plan. When creating content, address your target audience's common pain points, questions, and concerns. You can do this by providing actionable advice, insights, and solutions that demonstrate your expertise and commitment to helping them.
You can also research relevant topics using programs like Ahrefs, SEMrush, SE Ranking, or Moz and then distribute your content across various platforms using tools like Outbrain or Taboola.
4. Encourage Online Reviews and Testimonials
Online reviews and testimonials can significantly impact a potential client's decision to choose your firm. In fact, 89% of global consumers say they heavily investigate online reviews when evaluating service providers, making them an incredibly important part of strategic marketing for accountants.
With this in mind, encourage satisfied clients to leave reviews on popular platforms such as Google, Yelp, and Facebook.
You can also prominently feature testimonials on your website and social media channels to showcase the quality of your services and your clients' positive experiences.
However, it's not just the good reviews that build credibility—it's also how you respond to the negative ones.
While it may be tempting to delete that poor online review, it can hurt your credibility and search engine ranking. It can also hurt your trustworthiness amongst current and future clients, as Trustpilot reminds us that 62% of consumers would stop using a service if they found out they were censoring reviews.
Instead, respond promptly and professionally to positive and negative reviews using management platforms like ReviewTrackers, BirdEye, or Yext. These considerate responses demonstrate your commitment to customer satisfaction and can help mitigate the impact of any negative feedback.
5. Leverage Email Marketing
Email marketing strategies remain among the most effective ways to nurture relationships with established clients. It's also one of the most effective online marketing channels for driving conversions, with a 2.8% conversion rate for B2C brands and a 2.4% conversion rate for B2Bs.
By building a client list and sending regular newsletters or updates, you can stay top-of-mind with your audience and provide valuable resources and information tailored to their interests and needs.
Build and segment email lists using email marketing platforms like ActiveCampaign, Mailchimp, Constant Contact, or Klaviyo. Lists should be separated based on factors such as client type, industry, or areas of interest to deliver more personalized and relevant content. Many accounting firms also use these programs to automate their campaigns to meet deadlines.
In addition to sharing industry insights and updates, use email marketing software (we’ve got a blog post all about our favourite programs) to promote your firm's services, highlight client success stories, and announce special offers or networking events.
Ensure your emails are visually appealing and mobile-friendly and include clear calls-to-action (CTAs) to encourage engagement and drive conversions.
Accounting Firms Thrive with Noetic Marketer
By implementing these five strategies, your accounting firm can significantly boost its online presence, attract more potential clients, and establish itself as a trusted and authoritative player in the industry.
If you need help developing and executing an effective digital marketing strategy for your professional business, consider partnering with Noetic Marketer. Our team of digital marketing experts specializes in helping businesses, such as accounting firms, enhance their online presence and attract more qualified leads. Contact us today to schedule a consultation and learn how we can take your firm's online presence to new heights.
Book a Free Consultation
If you need help with your next campaign, we offer customized, full-service digital marketing services for professional service providers. You can schedule a free consultation with one of our experts to learn more about our services and how they can help your business grow!
Who We Are
Noetic Marketer is a full-service digital marketing agency with roots in Ottawa and the GTA. We specialize in creating and optimizing digital marketing campaigns for higher education, e-commerce, professional services, and contractors.
Over the past few years, our team has developed and implemented complete digital marketing solutions for professional service providers across North America.
Our services include digital strategy consultations, search engine optimization, pay-per-click advertising, social media advertising, content marketing, website design, email marketing, CRM implementation, and conversion rate optimization.
About the Author
With a keen eye for detail and a deep understanding of people's motivations, Jess brings her unique perspective and expertise to every project she takes on at Noetic.
With over ten years of copywriting experience, Jess is passionate about distilling complex concepts into engaging, accessible, and SEO-friendly content that resonates. Her mission is to craft written words and content strategy that brings your vision to life.
When she's not working on a project, Jess loves to explore the great outdoors, volunteer with animals, spend time with family, and game to her heart's content.
