The truth is most accountants, and accounting firms, have no idea how to effectively market their business. After all, they are accountants, not marketers. Even the larger firms with in house marketing teams struggle to beat out a dedicated professional team. Why is that?
We've been shocked at how poorly are competition fares compared to our clients. And in this article we are going to briefly outline the exact process we use to help our clients in getting more bookkeeping clients online.
We've talked about this before but you need to understand your customer's journey. Take for example your website.
Most accounting firms design their website to either look good, or be an updated version of their old website. Header goes here, logo goes here - lets put a nice image in the hero section!
This is wrong. This is not how you build a website which actually turns traffic into customers.
Really you need to plan out the goals of your website and your customer's journey from cold to client.
We know the end goal is to convert them into a client. But how do we get there? Is the goal to get them on the mailing list, give them value over time (nurturing a relationship) and then converting them into clients? Or is it to get them on a consulting call and convert them over the phone?
Understand that just because you give them the option to sign up for a call, or your mailing list, doesn't mean they will. You need to offer value in exchange for value. Give them a reason to do these things!
For example on the Floss Accounting website we decided on two major goals. To book consultation calls, and to get them into the content funnel.
Notice how every "path" you can take on our website leads to one of those two goals. And while potential customers are on this path we do a couple of key things. First we present information as they need it - users with questions can always dig down into deeper pages with more information if they want, and there is always a nearby call to action directing them into the content funnel, or into booking a call.
No one who visits the Floss website leaves confused about what they do - professional accounting services for dentists.
Its a goal orientated user experience.
Another thing to note is that the sequence of information is presented differently. All of our client sites have separate (and distinct) landing and home pages. A user who finds Floss through Google (organic search) will have a very different experience to a user who finds them through one of the Facebook ads (paid traffic). As they should! Their entry points and needs as a user are different - and the pages are built to reflect that.
I wont get too deep into this because its painfully obvious... and yet we see accounting firms not doing this every day. Hundreds of them really.
Stand out from the competition. Either niche your brand down, or take some kind of marketing position that makes you unique. You'll get a lot more responses this way!
Especially in your advertising.
This is something that bears repeating. When you are running ads (which every business should be if they want to grow) make sure you stand out. Take the time to look at what the other accounting firms, or independent CPA's are doing. Look at their Facebook ads (use the Facebook Ad Library). Look at their Google ads (just search some of the terms you plan to bid on).
You're going to notice something.
90% of them are all the same. Exactly the same. Name of the company, "what they do" description. And they wonder why they have sub 5% click through rates?
While I'm not opposed to direct, straight faced advertising ... it is much more important to stand out. What does that mean? Well first tailor your ad headlines to the users search! Be exciting. Be unique. Don't be boring - boring will not generate ad clicks.
Then make sure the landing page is tailored with information relevant to their search (Google will reward you for this, and it will convert better).
I'll make this last part short but don't just state what you do on your website. Everyone does that. Instead you need to demonstrate that you are experts, and provide value to your potential clients. What kind of value?
Well firstly make sure you are answering any questions they might have about your services. You don't want to overload the with information but you do want to make it accessible.
Secondly demonstrate that at a base level you can help them. You have to give a little. Case studies are great, actionable advice is great ... if you have the resources or time to invest in a lead magnet (or better yet a full blown content funnel like we provide for our clients) ... then do so! It will pay out tremendous dividends.
Design your website with goals in mind. Map out its flows, and entry points. Make sure you have measurable objectives ... then measure them, make changes and improve.
Try to stand out from your competition. I understand that an established brand cannot easily re-brand or niche down ... but you can launch a sub brand, or create a specific area of your website just for a specific type of client and direct paid/organic traffic there where appropriate. Had a lot of success with bookkeeping SaaS clients? Create a case study page, and some blog pages about that services and those successes.
Try to provide value to potential clients. This will show that you are an expert, and can help them. It will also help you stand out from your competitors - it builds a relationship with your traffic. You can do this with lead magnets or a content funnel.
All in all most accounting firms, and certified professional accountants are lucky. While you might have a lot of competition, most of it is clueless when it comes to marketing. They rely on referral traffic, and established client bases. But it doesn't have to be this way! With a little marketing knowledge your firm can go a long way to growing that client base - no more struggling to find bookkeeping clients online!
And remember if you want to learn more about how marketing can help your accounting firm you can always reach out to our professional team. We provide a free consultation. Not a sales call. A rigorous, proven deep dive into your company marketing which will help you grow - whether you hire us or not. Just click below to learn more:
And if you are interested in learning even more about marketing and how you can grow your business online, you can download our book for free below!
