Social media may seem frivolous at first glance, but it has evolved far beyond casual browsing and cat videos. In fact, social networks have become dynamic hubs for industry networking and business growth.
And it’s easy to see why — with nearly 4.5 billion users, they offer something to everyone, accounting firms included. In this post, we’ll show you some practical tips and content ideas for accounting-related social media posts.
But before we dig deeper into the subject, let’s explain the fundamentals of social media marketing for accountants.
Social networks: The basics accounting firms must know
Some accounting practices have already mastered the social media game, but many firms still struggle to get their foot in the door. That’s why we’ll first answer the most common questions about different social media platforms.
1. What social media platforms should accountants focus on?
Accountants should focus on LinkedIn because it’s a professional networking platform.
Twitter is also valuable if you want to stay updated on accounting industry trends. You’ll even find Tax Twitter on this platform, aka an area of Twitter with highly engaged and influential accountants.
On the other hand, YouTube is excellent if you feel like demonstrating expertise through video content.
Pro tip: Start slowly with your social media presence by focusing on one or two networks. As you gain more social media management experience, you can add extra channels.
2. How often should an accounting firm post on social media?
According to reports, users publish millions of posts every minute. In such circumstances, your firm’s social media presence has to be consistent. This usually means posting at least three or four times a week.
However, don’t neglect the issue of content quality. We’ll talk about it later, but remember that posting less frequently with well-thought-out content is more effective than posting frequently with low-quality or repetitive content.
3. How can an accounting firm measure the success of their social media marketing?
Lots of performance indicators can help you assess the efficiency of your social media strategy. You can monitor just a few parameters or all of them — it depends on your marketing goals and the overall importance of social media management. Here are some common KPIs:
- Engagement: Likes, shares, comments, and followers/fan growth indicate the level of audience engagement with your content.
- Visibility: You can track the number of people who have seen your social media posts (reach) and how many times your posts have been displayed (impressions).
- Click-through rates: This indicator reveals the percentage of users who click on links or CTA buttons in your posts. Simply put, it measures the ability of your content to drive traffic to your website or specific landing pages.
- Conversions: Use conversion tracking tools like Google Analytics to see how many followers take action on your website after clicking through from social media.
- Referral traffic: You can also measure the amount of website traffic generated from social media platforms.
4. What are some common mistakes accountants make on social media?
Unfortunately, accounting firms can make quite a few mistakes when posting on social media platforms.
Firstly, some CPAs add personal content to professional accounts even though it doesn’t directly relate to accounting. This can work to your advantage because it helps people relate to you, generates engagement and can help build your network. That said, you should approach it strategically to ensure relevance and build relationships with prospective clients.
Aggressive self-promotion is another common mistake. Social networks are valuable for marketing your services and expertise, but excessive self-promotion can be off-putting to others. You should always strive to strike a balance between sharing quality content, promoting your services, and personal wins that relate to the business .
We’ve also noticed more than one accounting firm that doesn’t maintain a consistent brand image across different social media profiles. Inconsistent branding, such as using outdated logos or visual elements, can create confusion and make your accounting business look unprofessional.
Social media marketing for accountants: Key tips
The way you approach social media depends on your style and creativity, but there are rules every accounting firm should follow. Here they are:
- Define objectives: Clearly define what you want to achieve with your social media marketing. Is it to build brand awareness or generate leads? Perhaps you’d like to become an accounting expert? In each case, having specific goals will guide your strategy.
- Optimize profiles: When users start noticing you online, they’ll often visit your social media profiles to learn more about the company. That’s why you must optimize profile pages to include relevant information and images.
- Create quality content for a given network: Each platform has unique characteristics and user demographics, so you should tailor your content to fit the specific network. Check out this Twitter post as an example — it’s short but insightful, as all Tweets should be:
- Delegate content creation: Let’s face it — many accountants don’t have time to create social media content. But that doesn’t mean they should give up. On the contrary, they can use a content library like BOMA to customize pre-written social media posts.
- Don’t post the same content on all channels: Using the same content across all social media accounts limits your reach and engagement. You should create platform-specific content to maximize impact and connect with diverse audiences.
- Visual appeal: Use high-quality visuals, such as professional graphics, photos, or videos, to make your posts eye-pleasing.
- Engage: Social media is a two-way communication channel. Engage with your audience by responding to comments, answering questions, and acknowledging their feedback. You can also encourage conversations by asking followers to share their opinions.
- Consistency is key: Posting regularly helps you keep an active presence on social networks. We encourage you to develop a content calendar and schedule posts in advance — it helps avoid last-minute content creation and mistakes that go along with it.
- Use relevant hashtags only: Hashtags are the essence of LinkedIn networking (on Twitter not so much), but only if you use them sparingly. You should add relevant accounting hashtags to your posts to maximize visibility and reach a wider audience.
- Track and analyze: Each platform offers analytics tools, so you can track engagement, reach, clicks, impressions, and conversions to assess the effectiveness of your campaigns.
Content ideas for your social media marketing plan
Social networks are a powerful marketing tool only if you post valuable content for your particular industry. We’ll help you kickstart campaigns with a few interesting content ideas.
1. Publish educational content
The most important task is to share highly informative posts about common accounting concepts and practices. For instance, you can create a YouTube video or write an in-depth LinkedIn post to explain different accounting standards.
Educational content helps your audience understand who you are and what you know. Here are a few topics/ideas for this kind of social media content:
- Tax planning strategies for small businesses
- Common accounting mistakes to avoid
- Introduction to cloud-based accounting
2. Provide tips
You can provide helpful tips on accounting topics like tax planning, budgeting, or financial management. Let’s see some suggestions:
- Simple steps to optimize your business budget
- Effective ways to reduce tax liability
- How to streamline payroll processes
3. Share breaking news
Another great option is to share relevant news about changes in tax laws, accounting standards, or financial regulations. This shows that your firm stays up-to-date with important developments.
Twitter is particularly useful for this type of content. For instance, you can provide information on the following news:
- Changes in tax laws for the upcoming year
- New regulations for financial reporting
- Industry-specific accounting challenges in healthcare
4. Case studies
Word-of-mouth marketing is precious, so why not share case studies of clients you've helped? It demonstrates the value you provide, but remember to protect confidentiality. Here are some appealing case study titles you could test:
- How our accounting services helped a small business increase profits by 30%
- A case study in minimizing startup tax liability
- Overcoming financial challenges: How we assisted a non-profit organization
5. Behind the scenes
You can allow future clients to familiarize themselves with your company before you actually seal the deal. “Behind the scenes” content gives them a glimpse into your office or day-to-day work, which builds a more personal connection with your audience.
This kind of content is suitable for all social networks. For instance, you can cover these topics:
- A day in the life of an accountant
- Meet our team: The experts behind our accounting services
- Internal processes that guarantee data security and confidentiality
6. Events
If your firm hosts or attends networking events or webinars, mention them on your social media channels. Events like these can show your involvement in the community or industry:
- Small business accounting workshop
- Save the date: Our annual accounting conference on financial planning
- Connect with industry professionals and expand your network
7. Q&A sessions
Host a live Q&A session where you answer common accounting questions. This can be an engaging way to provide value while proving the expertise of your accountancy firm. Here are a few interesting topics for Q&A sessions:
- Live Q&A on tax season preparation and filing tips
- Accounting Q&A roundtable: Expert insights on financial management
- Addressing common tax-related concerns and clarifying misconceptions
8. Celebrate business milestones
Last but not least, you can celebrate milestones or success stories. This kind of content motivates your audience and shows them what's possible with good financial management.
- Celebrating a decade of helping businesses achieve financial success
- From startup to market leader: A journey of business milestones
- How our firm assisted a client in securing financing for expansion
Need more inspiration? Follow popular social media accounts
If you’re still not sure about social media management — or just need additional inspiration — perhaps you can start by following influential pages. There’s more than one accounting firm and CPA who does a great job posting relevant content, so we’ll give you several suggestions:
1. LinkedIn: Jody Padar
The vast majority of CPAs and accounting practices post content on LinkedIn, which means you can find a lot of interesting profiles. This time, we’ll point out Jody Padar as one of the most notable names. Her follower count speaks for itself — nearly 650 thousand users follow Jody because she frequently shares top-level industry insights.
2. Twitter: Deloitte
If you want to learn how Twitter marketing works, just follow Deloitte. As one of the top accounting and audit firms in the world, Deloitte shares a plethora of information on all things accounting and finance.
3. YouTube: Jason_CPA
Video content is tough, but you can figure it out by watching Jason_CPA. Jason Staats combines his expertise with unique humor to deliver amazing YouTube videos about accounting. For instance, you can check one of his recent posts about the best productivity hacks for accounting practices.
4. Facebook: WorkFlow Queen
If your target audience is active on Facebook, we suggest following Workflow Queen for inspiration. Allysa Lang, the person behind this page, usually posts about digital tools and tech innovations powering bookkeepers and accounting firms.
5. TikTok: The Accounting Rapper
TikTok is probably not the place where you’ll search for potential clients, but it can be a nice place to show your funny side. Check out The Accounting Rapper if you’re into that kind of stuff.
If you have grown your audience enough, you could even consider going live on TikTok and connecting with your audience in real time. You could use this time to answer questions during tax season.
Get new clients with the right social media strategy
Social media sites have become a powerful tool for accountants to expand their businesses and connect with potential clients. With billions of users across various platforms, you get unlimited opportunities to approach new clients and key opinion leaders in the business. Although it’s a long-term game, a well-planned social media strategy will help solidify the reputation of your accounting firm.
