Having a social media presence for your accountancy firm is a necessity in the modern world. Not only does it offer an affordable way to stay connected with your customers, it also introduces your brand to potential customers.
But getting starting with social media marketing is not as easy as creating a post. Social media is a powerful marketing tool. As such social media needs its own marketing strategy. A content strategy. A lead generation strategy.
Having a strong understanding of what type of content to post. The benefits of different social media networks. And what your marketing goals should be, will all go towards building success social media marketing plan.
Understanding the different social media platforms
The social media landscape is full of different social media platforms. You may be tempted to create social media accounts for all of them. But that may not be the best option for your accounting firm.
Each social media platform has a different audience. Some of these might be completely irrelevant to your brand. Because of this, you can find yourself creating content and social media posts that are not even being seen by your target audience.
When it comes to social media, the same old rules of marketing still apply. Market where your audience is.
Each social media network has its own advantages and disadvantages for accountancy firms. Below, we highlight the key strategic takeaways for the most popular social platforms. Use these to help educate your marketing strategy and social media content.
Facebook is still the goliath of social media. It is the most used and engaged with social platform on the market. Used by millions of people every day.
Key information:
Monthly users: 2.7 billion
Largest age group: 24-34 (26.3%)
Gender: 44% female, 56% male
The platform allows for multiple ways for your accounting firm to do marketing. From publishing blogs, sharing photos & videos to even creating 'Story' clips - short video clips which disappear after 24 hours.
How people use Facebook
People typically use Facebook to stay in touch with their friends and family. Or to interact with news stories or their favourite brands. Typically, brand interaction is on a more B2C basis than a B2B basis. This means people are more likely to follow their favourite clothing brand than accounting firm.
How accountancy firms can use Facebook
Even though brand interaction is on a more B2C basis, this should not mean accounting firms should ignore Facebook.
For B2B companies, views to a Facebook profile are most likely going to come from potential employees than prospective clients. Take this into account when developing content ideas.
Use Facebook to deliver soft brand messages. Some suggestions could include 'Meet the team', 'Social days' or Corporate Social Responsibility activities.
LinkedIn is a B2B social platform. It is the top-rated social media platform for lead generation. Unlike other social media platforms, people use LinkedIn for business.
Key information:
Monthly users: 465 million
Largest age group: 46-55
Gender: 51% male, 49% female
LinkedIn generates income in a slightly different way than other social media platform. Every other platform relies on paid advertising. Whilst LinkedIn does allow firms to advertise, they put high budget limits in place. Instead, LinkedIn generates revenue through paid memberships.
How people use LinkedIn
LinkedIn is built around building relationships in business and lead generation. Most of the audience there expects some business interaction. However, that's not to say hard-sells or soft-sells are welcomed by the audience.
On LinkedIn, brands tend to take a back-seat. LinkedIn tries to push the building personal relationships between different people. This means, as a general rule, a social post from a personal account will tend to get more engagement than from a company account.
How accountancy firms can use LinkedIn
When it comes to social media marketing for accountants, LinkedIn can be incredibly powerful for raising brand awareness. But it requires a joint effort between the profile page of the brand and individual employees.
The brand page should focus on providing relevant valuable content to your audience. Examples include linking to blog posts or sharing thought leadership articles. But ensure to mix that with some softer social media activity such as 'Meet the team' or Corporate Social Responsibility activities.
Meanwhile, employees of your accounting firm also need to embrace LinkedIn. Ensure they like, comment and share on your brand page posts. In addition to this, encourage them to be active in their own right. Commenting on other people's posts which they find interesting. Following their client's profiles. Or even posting their own content.
Remember, LinkedIn encourage its users to build relationships between people rather than to brands. So, your employees and people will be key in any establishing any social media marketing strategy.
Instagram is the second largest social