Overcoming Marketing Challenges in Accounting Firms: A Comprehensive Guide

Feeling like marketing is a foreign language? Let us be your Marketing Google Translate. 

Marketing in the accounting world can feel like trying to join a conversation when everyone else is speaking a different language... and they are from 10,000 years in the future. But here’s the kicker – without marketing, no one will understand what makes your accounting firm the right choice for them. 

Many firms face a few common marketing challenges that can slow them down. This guide will help you spot these challenges and give you some simple, actionable solutions to overcome them. Think of us as your Marketing Google Translate.

Challenge 1: You’re Hard To Find

When’s the last time you made it to page 2 on a google search?

Maybe if you were looking for something really specific, but my bet is that it’s been a while. That’s because most people are lazy…I mean efficient. No, I take it back. I mean lazy. 

If your accounting firm isn’t easily found online, people aren’t going to work really hard to find you. A limited online presence will stop you from getting more clients. Period. 

The Solution

As my mom used to say after a bad breakup, “You gotta get out there!” But maybe don’t settle for a rebound. 

Getting out there in the online world doesn’t mean you have to be on social media 100% of the time, become an influencer, or sell your soul to Mark Zuckerberg. It’s actually really simple.

Go where your potential clients are, and hang out by the water cooler. 

1. Option 1 - Hang out where they are searching aka SEO Optimization.
   
   Get your website ranking higher for the search terms and phrases your clients are Googling with search engine optimization (SEO) tricks. This is something you’ll eventually want expert help with, but that shouldn’t stop you from starting.
   
   Start with a hunch and hit Google Search with what you suspect your potential clients might be searching. Scroll the page and let it spark inspiration. Then, check out what “people also searched” to access a goldmine of potential keywords and topics. Next step is getting those keywords and phrases on your website in places where you’ll get the most bang for your buck. Page titles, Meta Descriptions, and your H1s and H2s (page headings).

2. Option 2 - Hang out where they are scrolling aka Content Marketing.
   
   Blogs are like a tissue box in your car. It looks tacky, and no one wants to be a person with a tissue box in their car, but boy, is it an amazing thing to keep in the car for pretty much anything from messes to sneezes to foggy windshields because car temperature settings are impossible to master.
   
   Blogs are one of the most underused underloved powerhouse tools of marketing. A wildly powerful way to get your site showing up higher in search AND to stand out as the no-brainer for your niche is to share high-quality content like blog posts, articles, and case studies.
   
   The key: Don’t be boring. I mean generic. Don’t be generic.
   
   You want to produce content that is specific to your niche–you aren’t writing ‘about’ something, you’re writing ‘to’ someone, as the amazing A.J. Harper says.

3. Option 3 - Hang out where you know they are going aka Local Listings.
   
   Last week I opened up Google Maps because I’m directionally challenged and needed to scope out parking downtown for an event I was attending. Not only did I succeed at finding decent parking, I also found an unexpected lunch spot around the corner.
   
   Herein lies the magic of Google My Business. If you keep your Google My Business listing up to date and complete the handy dandy checklist they give you, you’ll pop up in local searches just like that incredible Indian Pizza place. 

Stop and do this now:

Create a Google My Business profile. Fill it out completely, and do all of the things they recommend in their checklist, like sending your Google Reviews link to your happy clients. This small step can be a giant leap for your online presence.

Challenge 2: You’re Quiet

There was this guy in my Spanish Civil War class in university who we called ‘the ghost’ because whenever the teacher called on him, he would look down and pretend he wasn’t there. He was there…but was he?  

Being online isn’t the same as ‘being’ online. 

If you don’t engage your audience, you risk becoming like the ghost. You’re there, but after the curiosity wears off, everyone forgets you exist and move on with their lives. In business jargon, poor engagement means lower retention rates and fewer referrals.

The Solution

1. Don’t talk AT your audience: Use your content to start conversations by asking questions just like you would if you were talking to a real human…because you are talking to a real human.

2. Make Harry happy: One of the fastest ways to get your content seen by more people is to start commenting on other people’s posts. Seriously. Let’s imagine LinkedIn is a guy named Harry.
   
   Harry sees that you’re posting online and shows your posts to a few people…but not many people comment or like, so it stops.
   
   Then Harry notices you’re commenting on a bunch of other people’s posts and thinks to himself, “They must be friends, I’ll show them each other's posts!”
   
   Plus, because of this magical thing called Reciprocity, the people you engage with will feel compelled to engage with your posts, and that’s when Harry gets really excited and starts showing your posts to even more people to turn this lil’ Shin-Dig into a full-blown Party!
   
   Yep. It’s that simple. Start commenting and linking content from people that you want to see your content. Harry will be happy. 

3. Stop ghosting your email list: Email your list. Email your clients. Email, email, email. At least once a month, but ideally 1-2 times a week. You are not going to annoy people IF you make the emails meaningful, real, human, and valuable. 

   That isn’t hard…just do this one thing: Answer Questions.
   
   Any time a client, friend, or anyone on the internet asks a relevant question that might help your clients or potential clients, write that down.
   
   Build a hit-list of questions and then answer them by email–skip the fancy designed ‘newsletters’ and write like you would if it was coming straight from your gmail…from YOU to the real human on the other side.
   
   Do this consistently, and you’ll be amazed at how many more clients you close and how many more referrals you get. I’ve done this one thing and doubled firms in a year. 

Stop and do this now:

Write an email to your list. Doesn’t matter if it’s just clients or 3 people who gave you their emails 2-years ago. 

Send a 100-word email without any design, images, or funky stuff, and answer one question. Write it as if you’re writing to one specific person who asked the question. 

Once you’ve sent it, email me and let me know. I want to celebrate with you. Seriously, mickey@90daycampaigns.com. 

Challenge 3: You Look Like Everyone Else

My husband is in the military, and don’t tell him I told you this, but whenever he and all his work buddies get together (whether they are in uniform or not), they all look the same. 

Not ‘the same’ the same, but they all dress similarly, walk similarly, talk similarly, have the same weird habits. It’s freaky. 

The accounting industry is a lot like the military. Everyone is working so hard to follow the rules or, in this case, count the pennies that they all start to look the same. The industry is highly competitive, with tons of free and cheap options. On top of that, the majority of humans on this big space rock are financially illiterate–we are completely uneducated on what the value of a great accountant is, let alone how to invest or save money on taxes. 

Standing out from the competition requires more than just a cool t-shirt or beard. You need a niche. Yeah, I used a fancy marketing term, but a niche is just how the cool kids say, “personality.”

A niche is a specific area or expertise that sets you apart from others in your industry. It's what makes you unique and valuable to potential clients. And let’s face it, in the accounting world, having a niche can be the difference between being just another number cruncher and being a sought-after expert. 

The problem is that most accountants are so worried about turning potential clients away that they refuse to niche and end up accepting more and more people who ask, ‘What am I paying you for?’ after cleaning up three years of bookkeeping and unfilled tax returns. 

A niche keeps the goodies in and the baddies out. 

“I specialize in accounting for entrepreneurs” isn’t a niche. That’s literally every accountant. 

“I specialize in corporate accounting for home services businesses in Central Florida” is. 

Having a niche doesn’t mean you say no to anyone who isn’t a home service business in Central Florida…it just means you are shouting YES to home service businesses in Central Florida. 

The Solution

1. Pick a darn niche already: Figure out what makes your firm unique, who your favorite clients are, and what services you want to provide, and shout it from the rooftops.
   
   Own your niche, and you’ll own a damn profitable firm.

2. Own your niche: The best way to own your niche is to create content for your niche. Your online presence…you know, that thing we’ve been talking about forever now, should make it more than obvious that you’re the absolute best option for anyone even remotely in that niche.
   
   Literally, any marketing you do should be specific to your niche.

3. Get some street cred: I almost never buy anything on Amazon without skimming the reviews. I bet you don’t either.
   
   The best street cred is happy clients, but no one knows about your happy clients except you and your mom. So, get them to post it online. Google Reviews, Facebook Reviews, case studies, testimonials…even post their business logos on your website (with permission, of course). 

Stop and do this now:

Write a list of your top 5 favorite clients. You know, the ones that you wish you could clone. Imagine you could clone them…think about what that niche of clones would look like. Would it be viable? Would your business run like clockwork? Would you finally be able to say “beat it” to the lady who keeps pestering you while you’re rummaging through her paper receipts from 3 years ago? Think about that. 

Conclusion

Marketing is like a foreign language. With practice and a little help from Duolingo, you can master it well enough to order food, find a bathroom, and compliment the chef.  By making your firm easier to find online, engaging on your social platforms, emailing your list, and owning your niche, you can rapidly grow your firm.