Social media has become a dominant force in our lives over the last few years, but some businesses and industries have been slow to adopt these new platforms. One of the areas of business that has been under using social media are accounting firms, as it can be difficult to see the connection between their business and the content that is usually posted on social platforms.
By developing a deeper understanding of social media, what users are looking for, and deploying a social media strategy that uses this information, you can leave your competitors in the dust and present your business as a leader in the social media age.
Why use social media?
More than 50% of the world’s population uses social media, around 4.6 billion people according to Datareportal. By having a presence on these platforms, you can gain access to a massive audience of potential customers that you may not have otherwise been able to reach. Traditional marketing techniques such as TV ads or billboards can only reach people during specific times and places, while social media can reach them wherever and whenever.
Accounting firms have typically struggled with the use of social media since their product is a service that everyone needs but nobody wants to think about. That’s where social media comes in, to separate your business from the preconceived idea of what an accounting firm is, and to deliver value to your audience in ways that your competitors are not.
What benefits are there?
Building relationships with current and potential customers is important for any business to survive. Social media allows you to reach new people more easily and stay at the top of your existing client’s preference. With the right content and delivery, you can also establish yourself as a thought leader in the industry and attract new talent to your business.
Now that you know why you should be using social media, here are some tips to get you started.
Frequent and diverse posts
One of the most fundamental parts of a social media strategy is: Posting more frequently is key to success on social media. You shouldn’t spam your followers with 15 posts a day but having at least one post on each platform each day will ensure steady growth and encourage engagement with your pages. Posting frequently is also helpful for staying on the good side of the algorithms, which is key for growth on these platforms.
Change it up
Users will also be more likely to engage with your content if you use different types of posts, rather than just one type of content all the time. For accounting firms, this content could be snippets from a blog on your website, or calendars for important dates for tax returns etc.
People find photos and videos more interesting than just text, so make sure to add them to posts to create more visually engaging content.
Use multiple platforms
As mentioned in the previous section, you should be posting to multiple platforms each day to keep your followers engaged and to feed the algorithm. The platforms you should focus on depend on what you are trying to achieve. For accounting firms, the most important platforms are LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. The content that users expect on these platforms most closely aligns with your goals. YouTube can be very effective but requires a greater investment of time and resources to extract its full potential. Instagram can be used but it isn’t as effective, as the focus on visual content doesn’t play to your strengths as an accounting business.
Every post should be unique
While it is easiest to create one post and copy it onto all your social pages at once, you should take some time to create unique posts for each platform. You can use the same idea or theme for each post but tweak the caption for each site. For example, LinkedIn is a great place to grow your network and make connections, and is mostly used by professionals, so you should tailor the content you post here to a more professional audience. Facebook is a good place to show off a bit more personality by making your content a bit more fun and charismatic. Content here should be a bit more social, with a focus on potential clients and showing them the services you offer and how you can help them with additional posts for your current customers. Twitter’s 280-character limit makes it best for short and sweet posts and announcements. Content here should be like Facebook, focussing on social posts targeted at potential and current customers.
Social media has developed massively over the past decade to become one of the primary methods of communications that people use every day. Despite this, accounting firms have not fully embraced the new technology, reducing the ability to reach customers online. With a solid understanding of the medium and the right social media strategy, you can differentiate your firm from the competition and deliver value to your customers in new ways that your competitors aren’t. With a little bit of time and effort, you can market your accounting firm on social media and set yourself apart from the crowd.
Written by: Kyle Gillies
