Do you want a chance to reach 4.9 billion people with your firm’s message? In 2023, 4.9 billion people used social media across the globe, according to Forbes. Even if you only reach a small percentage of those people, that’s still enough to create a chain reaction of growth for your business.
However, knowing how to use social media as a tax professional can be difficult. Strait-laced accounting social media posts may not achieve the results you’re looking for. Perhaps you’re struggling with how to approve accountant social media posts within your office or looking for social media post ideas for your team of accountants. It can be an overwhelming prospect.
We’ll lay out some options for your social media marketing so that your accountants’ social media posts can help your business thrive. Social media for accountants can be tricky. No one really wants to get the latest “gossip” and entertainment from their accountants. Fortunately, there are ways that you can assist your customers through your social media and build your brand’s trust so that your firm is top of mind when tax season begins.
Reaching your clients through social media posts for accountants
According to Forbes, 77% of businesses reach their customers through social media. That means your clients are already trained to look for business information through social media. Business hours? Reviews? Clients may search for a quick update through Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and other common platforms. If you’re not posting information to these platforms, it’s likely a missed opportunity.
Setting up social media accounts early on also reserves your firm’s name so that it can’t be taken by anyone else. In many ways, claiming your social media handles should be part of your overall branding process, even if you don’t plan on posting with the account.
Which social media platforms should my firm use?
The average person spends about 145 minutes on social media each day and uses 6 to 7 platforms, according to Forbes. With that in mind, you may want to reserve accounts on several different platforms.
However, despite the many platforms available, you should focus on using the ones that are most likely to yield results. For example, a tax office catering to Gen Z would probably want to be active on TikTok. A tax office marketing to the baby boomer generation should probably stick to Facebook. Evaluate each platform choice based on the demographics you wish to serve. Then, create a strategy based around reaching that audience.
If you’re uncertain about which platform to start with, Facebook is still a popular platform and has a lot of overlap with the audiences that a typical tax office would be trying to reach. YouTube may also be a helpful platform for building up a resource library of videos for your clients. 52% of internet users use YouTube at least once a month per Forbes.
What should my firm post to social media?
When asking yourself what to post to social media, remember that the question is highly subjective. Anything is possible, and post-able, on social media, so this question should only be answered after deciding your firm’s goals surrounding your social media presence.
Short-form videos are currently the most engaging type of content across social media. However, there are many different ways to post to social media with images, text, or videos depending on the platform. You can use design programs like Canva to create templates for your social media posts with minimal time or cost investments.
Posting basic business information
One of the first items you should post is basic business information. Take the time to fill out the entire profile with pertinent information about your business and share facts about your firm that your clients will need.
Will your firm be open during the holidays? Is someone retiring and passing their clients to another accountant? These types of questions can be answered with a quick social media post so that clients searching your business will have an answer to their question right at the top of their social feed.
Sharing important deadlines and reminders
Tax accountants tend to live by the April 15th and October 15th deadlines. However, they can also forget that those dates may not be the highlight of everyone else’s year. That’s why it might be beneficial to your clients to share reminders about important deadlines for their tax commitments.
When do they need to complete their questionnaires? When do they need to turn in their documents? What’s the deadline for filing an extension? These can all be helpful countdowns to post to your firm’s social media accounts.
Creating engagement: Social media post ideas for accountants
Most, if not all, social media platforms prioritize engagement when sharing posts with followers. Therefore, your content must intrigue and engage your audience to be seen.
To promote engagement, create posts that encourage users to like, comment, or share. This could also have benefits for your business, such as taking an informal poll about what financial services your clients are most interested in or asking them to vote on the company’s annual client thank-you gift.
Engagement is essential when developing your firm’s social media strategy. Figure out what type of content gains traction with your audience. Then, pivot some or all of your posts to incorporate your findings.
A few more ideas to promote engagement on social media include:
- Sharing introductions to your team so that clients know who they’d like to work with.
- Answering frequently asked questions for your firm’s clients. At the end, prompt readers to comment with other questions they have so you can use those for future posts.
- Making jokes about the tax season. If you find something more universally appealing, then it can be especially sharable. It may even go viral!
Getting the team involved: Accountant social media posts
Posting on social media doesn’t have to be limited to the official company profiles. Your team should be excited about the work they’re doing and want to share about it on social media!
Your social media manager can send internal communications to encourage the team to post on social media during specific periods of promotion. Send suggestions, provide helpful graphics, or facilitate ideas for posting so that the team feels empowered to share their experiences at your business.
Allowing your team to share honestly and openly on social media builds trust with your clients and can pull back the veil of corporate-speak to showcase the real, authentic people doing their best work for your clients.
Establishing a social media policy for your tax team
As you’re encouraging your team to post about the work they do, you may run into questions of “how much sharing is too much sharing?” with your team members. That’s why a social media policy is so important.
Rather than restraining them from sharing, provide guidelines on what is appropriate to share and what can be revealed about your company. No one wants to violate their agreement to keep client information confidential, but additional guidance may prevent any faux pas regarding other sensitive information as well.
Developing a social media strategy for your accounting firm
Your tax business can flourish online with the right strategy. Setting a social media strategy enables you to start your social media marketing without getting bogged down with inconsequential details. Aim for the platforms and posts that best fulfill your company’s goals.
Consider these main goals for your firm’s social media marketing:
- Help your clients.
- Promote your business.
- Build brand trust.
For the latest in accounting news, educational, and entertaining content, follow us on social!