Do you want more leads, more engagement and more results from the social media in your accountancy firm?
If so, there are a few things you need to know before you get started.
Here is a list of the top 5 misunderstandings accountants have when using social media in their accountancy firm and how to avoid them.
1. Not being clear how social media fits in with your marketing
Your prospects today are not just learning about you and your accountancy firm from your website; they’re also checking you out on social media.
You don’t need to be on all the social media platforms. But the ones you are on, you need to have a strong presence on. Don’t just create an account and leave it there collecting cyber-dust.
Social media is all about being ‘social’. It’s in the name!
Post regularly. Connect with your clients and potential clients. Get involved in events or conversations. Share, like and comment with those in your audience. Be human.
Being active on social media can go a long way in building trust with both potential and existing clients.
The more trust you build with prospects, the more likely they’ll be to buy from you.
Ask yourself:
- Do you have a LinkedIn profile that best represents you and your accountancy firm?
- Do you have branding on Twitter or Facebook that matches your website?
- Are you active and do you post regularly on your social media channels?
See also: How to post daily on social media
2. Presuming your prospects will magically find you
Once you have a social media presence and you start posting regularly on your social media channels, you’ve started to build the foundations of a successful social media strategy.
But don’t stop there!
Now is the best time to start growing your presence on social media.
There are two main ways you can grow your presence online:
- Grow your audience
- Grow your leads
You don’t have to grow your audience and leads on every social media channel at the same time (if you don’t want to).
To start with, you can focus on one or two social media channels and then you can always scale up even more whenever you’re ready.
The bigger your audience, the more people that will see the content that you share. And the more leads you generate, the more people that you will be able to nurture into clients at some point in the future.
Ask yourself:
- Is my audience (followers, likes, connections, etc) on social media increasing?
- Am I generating new leads from social media?
See also: How you can generate leads for your accountancy firm on social media
3. Thinking all you need is social media… and nothing else
Social media works best when it is part of a larger marketing plan and combined with your content and email marketing.
Content, for sure, definitely needs to be at the heart of your marketing.
But not just any content.
It needs to be your own unique content.
Without creating your own unique content, you won’t get very far or be able to stand out on social media.
So although it’s great to share other people’s content (and we encourage you do), you also need to be creating and sharing your own content – that has been tailor-made to help your clients and prospects.
Sharing and promoting your own unique content is one of the most powerful ways to build trust, likeability and rapport with your audience.
Also, the content you create for your accountancy firm (that includes blogs, videos, webinars or anything else that provides value), can be used in lots of different ways (not just for sharing on social media).
For example, you can use the content you create to generate leads and in your email marketing campaigns to nurture your leads into clients.
Ask yourself:
- Am I creating content for my accountancy firm on a regular basis?
- Am I sharing that content on social media?
- Am I using content to generate leads?
- Am I using content to nurture leads into paying clients?
See also: Free Marketing Masterclass for accountants
4. Only using the social media channels you love the most
Everyone has a favourite social media channel. Mine is probably Instagram. And you probably have your own too.
However, just because you prefer one social media channel over another one, doesn’t mean that is necessarily the best channel for your accountancy firm.
That’s why at The Profitable Firm, most of our time and energy is spent on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Because that’s what most accountants are using.
The best social media channels are those where your prospects and clients are hanging out.
Not the ones you like using the most.
The good news is, you don’t have to guess what the best channels are for your target audience.
You can go to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn and search (for free) the type of people you want as potential clients. Then, you can know for sure, what is the best channel for you and your accountancy firm.
If you’re not sure how to do that, just reach out to me and I’d be happy help you find what social media channels your target audience are most likely hanging out on.
See also: What are the best social media channels for your accountancy firm?
5. Imagining social media will give you instant clients
Social media isn’t a magic button that you press to get an instant flurry of new sales. Yes, it does result in sales eventually, but it takes time and hard work to grow your audience, build trust with your prospect and nurture them into clients.
In fact, any good marketing plan will take time if you want to do things properly and build a business for the long-term.
You need to be consistent in what you do and focus on improving a little bit more each month.
Whatever happens, don’t give up. Almost all successful companies have a strong social media presence, and the accountants we see getting the best results are those that combine social media with content marketing and then follow up with leads through email marketing.
Ask yourself:
- Am I tracking the results from my social media campaign each month?
- Am I looking for ways to improve and increase my social media activity?
- Am I following up with leads on social media through content and email marketing on a regular basis?
See also: How to convert leads from social media into clients
If you have any questions about using social media in your accountancy firm, feel free to send me an email or book a meeting with me.
About the Author
Ashley Davis is the Social Media Director at The Profitable Firm and also works with small to medium sized businesses at Skyline Social.