Accounting services are a hot commodity. Businesses of all sizes require accounting professionals’ assistance throughout the year to manage their accounts and assist them in filing taxes. Given the competition in the market, accountants may find it challenging to generate leads online and offline. Here are some ways to generate leads for your accounting firm:
1. Content marketing
Content marketing involves the creation and sharing of online materials that stimulate interest in a company’s products or services. For accountants, content marketing could include publishing articles on tax education, tax saving, and other how-to articles on your company blog. You could also create explainer videos on how your accounting firm is adept at handling auditing and tax filing. Post case studies to demonstrate how you assisted your client to file taxes efficiently and improve productivity. Use infographics to share information on tax statistics and tax mistakes to avoid. Quality content triggers interaction and will get you hot leads.
A recent study of 500 professional services firms found that search engine optimization (SEO) was the single most effective tool for generating online leads. SEO consists of using targeted keywords or keyword phrases to communicate what content is on your site and the relevance to what online users are looking for. It also consists of using outside engagements and articles to obtain high authority and relevant links to your website.
2. Social media advertising
The power of affordable social media advertising to generate qualified leads can’t be overstated. Use Facebook Ads in combination with landing pages optimized for lead generation. Especially with Facebook’s change to their algorithm, ads on the platform are becoming more important than ever. In order to create more engagement for your Facebook ads, run contests and push content via Facebook ads that direct visitors to your landing page or website.
Instagram Ads also offer a powerful medium that allows you to use images and videos to target young entrepreneurs and direct them to your website. LinkedIn Sponsored Content in tandem with LinkedIn Lead Gen Forms is a quick method to increase the lead volume and quality.
3. Targeted mailing list
Create a targeted mailing list by collecting emails on your website in exchange for eBooks and other white pages on accounting. Ensure that your eBooks are up-to-date, well-researched, and contain valuable content for readers. With a targeted mailing list, you are equipped to send newsletters by launching email marketing campaigns. Choose from numerous email automation tools like HubSpot, MailChimp, and AWeber to generate leads and nurture them.
4. Referrals
Referrals come when you offer good service, and in return, clients will often be willing to give you a refer your business to others. To get quality referrals, sort out your ideal referrals by classifying clients based on specific industries, business size, and specific services like payroll, tax, and bookkeeping.
Seek referrals from bankers, lawyers, insurance agents, real estate agents and fellow accountants you interact with. Always give your clients a few extra business cards that can be shared with associates, friends, and relatives. Actively use referral requests in your emails as postscripts while thanking your clients for their business.
5. Pay-per-click campaigns
Pay-per-click (PPC) ad campaigns, often implemented through Google AdWords, are a targeted form of marketing to generate leads. The advertiser pays a fee to the search engine for every ad clicked on. The campaign focuses on relevant keywords that allow you to capture specific search queries and generate quality leads. Accurately target small businesses and individuals by tuning your bid strategy and achieve optimal performance. It also helps you to boost competitiveness, reduce cost per acquisition and maximize ROI.
6. Community outreach
Look for businesses, professionals, and bloggers who offer complementary services to your accounting firm. For instance, if your specialization is monthly bookkeeping and you get clients who are also looking for bank reconciliations, direct them to businesses that specialize in bank reconciliations. Strategic partnerships are a win-win for both parties and hold endless scope for accountants to generate quality leads with a high rate of conversion.
Membership in local industrial chambers such as your local Chamber of Commerce or Business Network Institute can create networking opportunities with potential clients. Participation in local seminars and lectures on accounting also opens your door to another set of highly qualified leads.
7. Use Q/A platforms to answer questions
Question and answer websites like Quora and Reddit are great places to generate leads. Be active on these discussion platforms and answer as many questions as you can on accounting services in order to be seen as an expert in your field. For instance, Reddit allows users to upvote and downvote your answers, so your aim should be to answer as accurately and precisely as possible. Satisfied users and viewers will seek you out for other questions and advice. Quora also is a valuable forum where discussion happens over different topics and questions.
8. Choose your specialization
There’s no need to be everything to everyone. Whether you are targeting local clients or regional clients, it is always better to define your accounting specialization. Focus on one area of accounting and market your service aggressively to generate quality leads. Besides generating more leads, specializing in a specific area will allow you to command higher billing rates and being able to close sales more easily.
9. Hire an accounting answering service
Tax season requires a good grasp of several important factors, not to mention you are pressed for time with the big workload, you are pressed for time with the big workload. If you choose to ignore calls from unknown numbers during the busy accounting season, you could be losing out on potential customers to your competitors. Remember, this is the time when your request for referrals and strategic partnerships are crucial. If you are unable to receive calls yourself, hire an accounting answering service. Virtual receptionists can answer phones, direct calls, and take messages made to your office so you never have to miss a potential lead call.
Get Set to Generate Leads
Lead generation is all about being accessible to your target clients. Content marketing, social media advertising, referrals, pay-per-click ad campaigns, community outreach, Q&A sites, and networking are all steps you must take to market your accounts firm. Use email automation tools to generate leads in an organized manner. Moreover, accountants offering specialized services find it easier to obtain quality leads.
Hiring an answering service can help your accounting firm deliver growth in warm calls and potentially more clients. Abby Connect is #1 in customer services and virtual receptionist services, which will help give your clients, both current and potential, an opportunity to reach new heights. Try our 14-day free trial and see how Abby Connect can help your business reach their goals.
