Marketing for Accountants (Tips that Actually Work)

The demand for accounting services is on the rise. And it has a lot to do with the growth of entrepreneurs across the country.

There are currently 27 million self-employed professionals in America and more joining the ranks each year.

Entrepreneurs are known for wearing many hats, but few want to take on the responsibility of doing their own accounting. This is where your services come in.

If you're targeting local small business owners and digital-preneurs, then you're going to need to adopt the right marketing for accountants.

There are over 95K accounting businesses and annual growth of 3.8%. In other words, you need a solid plan to market your accounting services.

So here's a look at what you can do to attract small business owners to your accounting firm.

Build Your Digital Empire (Your Website)

It doesn't matter how much of a presence you have on social media (and within the local community). If you don't own a website, then you're missing out on opportunities to drive more traffic to your business.

Today's consumers are using Google to research services (especially locally). If your business doesn't show up in the Google Local 3 Pack (or at all), then you might as well direct prospects to your competitors.

When creating your site, be sure that it's mobile-friendly and good quality. Otherwise, your visitors will bounce away faster than you can blink.

Niche Down to Attract Quality Leads

Your role is to crunch numbers, generate financial reports, and make sense of it all. Your insight is what your clients hire you for. And the reality is you can do this for any business in any industry.

However, when it comes to marketing for accountants, you don't want to generalize yourself. Instead, you should niche down, so you can position yourself as an expert.

If a client runs a dental office and they find an accountant that offers services specifically to dentists -- who do you think they're going to pick? The general accountant or the dental accountant?

Niching down is one of the best ways to set apart your accounting services and convert more leads. You can use SEO to target this audience so you're driving quality leads to your site.

Claim Your GMB Listing (and Others)

Having a listing on Google My Business is one of the best ways to attract customers to your accounting company. If you optimize it properly, you can potentially reach the top 3 position, which will boost your visibility and traffic.

But don't stop there. You should also claim or create your listings on other popular business directories. This includes:

• Yelp
• Yahoo Local
• Bing Places
• Angie's List
• And dozens of others

The good news is you don't have to do each one manually. You can use increase your web presence to create and edit your listings across all directories at once.

Allow Online Booking and Payment Options

Consumers are demanding a great customer experience. So it's up to businesses to find ways to make transactions seamless. One way to do this is to make it possible to schedule appointments and submit payments online.

For instance, let's say you offer free consultations. Your leads can book their appointment online. Then to make sure they show up, you can require a refundable booking fee (which they can submit digitally).

Conveniences like this will always create a great impression, which can help you to grow your reputation (and improve retention rates).

Collect Review from Your Clients

Now that you have your website set up and listings in business directories, it's time to improve your online reputation. Eighty-three percent of consumers trust recommendations from peers.

Not advertisements.

So although paid ads can help build attention for your accounting firm, it shouldn't be the only tactic used when marketing for accountants.

Instead, you should solicit your clients for honest ratings and reviews. Aim to get these published on Google My Business, since this is where the majority of consumers research brands.

Reach Out to Industry Influencers

You don't have to build notoriety all on your own. Why not harness some of the influence of notable social media accounts?

Let's say you're targeting realtors with your accounting services. You can search for people in this industry that have a sizeable following (and engagement).

For instance, an influencer who offers tips on how to sell more homes. Maybe this is an individual who specializes in staging properties with beautiful furniture or taking aerial videos using drones.

Connect with them and build a relationship before you ask them to promote or speak on your services.

Marketing for Accountants Doesn't Have to Be Bland

Normally, finance is something that's looked upon as boring and tasteless. The task of searching for an accountant isn't exactly fun, so why not spice things up with your marketing?

Try unconventional methods to reach your audience and use content that's engaging.

With these tips for marketing for accountants, you'll have yourself positioned to drive quality leads to your firm.

Then when it comes time to collect digital payments, you'll have the tools you need to process them.

Interested in learning how these systems work? Then give GoSite Payments a test drive for free today!