If you’re an accountant you’re used to handling big numbers, so try this on for size: there are approximately 1.25 million accountants and auditors in the United States. When potential clientele can’t tell one practice apart from another, how do you make your accounting practice stand out? This is where marketing tips to get your accounting practice in order become incredibly valuable.

Marketing bridges the gap between you and prospective new clients. If you’ve never dabbled in marketing, creating a marketing plan and establishing a budget can seem daunting. In order to find target audiences (and be found by them) with relatively small output, here are some insider secrets to consider. We’re giving you the keys to the kingdom here, don’t abuse them!

Keep reading for the top seven marketing tips to get your accounting practice in order.

Pick a Niche

Determining an area of focus will help you streamline your messaging to be as specific and effective as possible. You wouldn’t give the same pitch to a low-income household and a multi-million-dollar corporation, right? Keep this in mind for all aspects of your marketing, from digital to print and beyond.

Working in one niche not only gives you the opportunity to become an expert in that area, but you will come be to known in those circles. People inherently trust what is familiar. If your accounting practice is a name they recognize, the chances of them choosing your services increase tremendously.

Find Your Keywords

The second marketing tip to get your accounting practice in order is to find your keywords! Once you’ve found your niche, it’s time to identify the words and phrases that are relevant in that particular market. Your goal is to capture that audience and make sure they’re aware of you in their moment of need.

Say you specialize in Dental Accounting, a potential client might search something like “how to have a profitable dentist office.” It’ll be a smart idea to add ‘profitable dentist office’ as one of the phrases you use regularly in your communications. This is one of the most common pieces of advice we give when consulting with small businesses.

Use Lookalike Audiences

If you’re not already using Google AdWords or Facebook targeting, then you don’t yet have an audience. Base your digital audience off of your current clientele. Ask yourself the following questions:

•         Are your current clients male or female?
•         Are they single or divorced?
•         Is there an average income bracket they share?
•         What hobbies do they have in common?

Once you’ve built out your audience, you can generate “similar audiences” that usually come at a lower cost but are just as potent as your original base.

Start Local

Our fourth marketing tip to get your accounting practice in order is to spend your advertising dollars in your local market. While it might be tempting to blanket the entire country with ads, and rack up millions upon millions of impressions, your chance of conversions is much slimmer than if you keep it local.

By limiting your exposure to a predetermined area or radius, you can establish consistent messaging to your audience and establish yourself in your community. Geofencing and geo-targeting are useful tools provided by Google AdWords and Facebook to contain your marketing where it’s most effective. In fact, local marketing is one of 2018’s hottest workplace trends.

Have a Budget – But be Flexible!

If you see a particular channel or advertisement taking off, don’t be afraid to put more money into it. The return could be exponential and signal that you’ve found a winning message. If it caps off, it could be signaling that the potential in that particular area may be limited, so you know not to focus your monetary efforts in that direction. It’s important to remember this applies to both digital and traditional marketing.

Optimize Your Website

A high bounce rate on your website indicates that people aren’t finding what they need when they need it. Ease barriers to purchase by making your site customer-centric.  A/B tests allow you to test changes, so you can identify what aspects of your site customers value most. This is marketing tip number six to get your accounting practice in order.

Create Content

Talking about topics potential clients are interested will attract people when they’re in the searching stage. This means that they aren’t yet ready to buy, they are seeking information. You could potentially be their first source of information on the subject, giving you a valuable opportunity to sell your services and make a lasting impression. Not to mention, you can retarget these searchers with ads in the future, drastically reducing your overall ad spend.

Now that you know the top seven marketing tips to get your accounting practice in order, don’t hesitate to contact us today for a free consultation on how to put them into effect. With an average growth rate of 165%, our clients are redefining what success looks like. Isn’t it time you did too?