Social Media Tips for Accountants

Quick — name the brands with undeniable “stage presence” on social media!

Did you think of the Wendy’s Twitter account, known for its tendency to roast competitors and commenters alike? Maybe you remembered how Dollar Shave Club’s Facebook page combines characteristic visual content with witty captions or how a certain marketing agency always knows just what to say on LinkedIn. (Hey, it’s our job!)

Here’s the thing, though — of all the brands that come to mind, not one is an accounting firm.

We’re here to help you change that.

Here are all our best tips on social media marketing for accounting (plus a few ideas to get you started).

Why Accountants Shouldn’t Skip Social Media

You might be thinking to yourself, “Hold on. It’s not fair to compare accounting with fast food, shaving or marketing work. The industries are too different!”

And you’d be right. 

Luckily, you don’t have to be exactly like Wendy’s, Dollar Shave Club or even Brafton to succeed on social media. Your industry has different challenges, services and realities — and therefore different customers. That means you can talk to your people much differently than we talk to our people.

Just remember that there’s room for everyone on the internet. After all, an estimated 233 million Americans use social media — and with numbers like that, it’s no surprise that 89% of marketers say social content increases brand exposure.

Here are a few more benefits of using social media marketing platforms:

It’s Worth It

You’re an accounting firm, and every accountant likes numbers — so let’s talk return on investment (ROI).

When it comes to social media, it makes sense that some of the top platforms offer the most impressive ROI, because that’s where your customers spend most of their time. Here’s the official ROI breakdown:

• Instagram: 25%.
• Facebook: 23%.
• YouTube: 14%.
• TikTok: 12%.
• LinkedIn: 11%.
• Twitter: 6%.

Long story short, yes — social media content is worth it.

It’s Flexible

Videos, infographics, captions — oh my! No matter what kind of marketing assets you juggle, there’s room for it on social media. That means even a small business can have a big impact through the magic of multimedia content creation.

It’s Fun

Let’s be honest: Not everyone thinks the accounting profession is “fun.” Social media is your chance to change that by humanizing your accounting firm. You can:

• Interact with prospective and existing clients through likes, comments and shares.
• Engage in industry conversations with other brands.
• Share success stories and case studies to show off your hard work.
• Post pictures of team-building events, company celebrations and more.

Tips for Getting Social Media Marketing Right

Don’t you wish there was a guide to succeeding on social media?

Well, there is one. Right here. You’re welcome.

In the meantime, though, it doesn’t hurt to have a few tips and tricks up your sleeve. That’s why we’ve compiled a list of things you can do to get social media right, right now:

No. 1: Know Your Brand

This one seems obvious — but when you’re sitting at your keyboard, drowning in the white light of an empty Twitter post, you might start to realize you need to do a little groundwork.

Your social media presence is a reflection of your brand values, goals and more. To keep it effective, you need to build it over time. Imagine someone scrolling through every post you’ve ever made; you want them to feel like every piece of content was created by your brand, even if different writers, graphic artists or strategists were involved.

A good brand presence should have 3 key things:

• Voice: In content marketing, voice combines things like word choice and sentence structure to create a consistent “sound.” For example, the Wendy’s Twitter sounds cheeky and playful, while an accounting business might prefer a professional but encouraging voice.
• Tone: Tone is the way a creator approaches their content. If you have a serious tone, you’re treating your subject matter with respect and gravity. (Suffice it to say that Wendy’s does not do that.)
• Messaging: Brand messages can change a little between topics and platforms, but they should always align with your company story. Basically, if you’re an accounting firm that discusses finances and decision-making, you likely wouldn’t make a sudden shift to talking about burgers.

Once you’ve mastered the basics, your presence also needs a boost from appropriate profile pictures, social media handles, descriptions and tagging strategies.

No. 2: Know Your Target Audience

At this point, you might wonder if I know what I’m talking about. I’m just pointing out the obvious with these tips, right?

But answer me this — do you know where your prospective and existing clients spend most of their social media time? Do you know what content they want to see at different points in their relationship with your firm? Can you tell me:

• How old they are?
• How they approach financial education and wellness?
• What helps them build trust?
• Why they’re your followers in the first place?

If you answered no to even one of these questions, you totally owe me an apology. Maybe knowing your target audience isn’t as easy as it sounds!

The good news is that audience research and profiling can help you understand whom you’re talking to. This, in turn, helps your messaging hit the mark and makes your content more likely to deliver real results.

No. 3: Plan Your Posts

Some accounting firms might be tempted to share every part of their work world on social media. Others might post so infrequently that it’s easy to forget they exist at all.

Neither of these approaches is the best way to go.

If you want to succeed on any social media platform, you need a plan. This includes multiple moving parts:

• Content creation: Although it’s possible to create social content on the fly, it’s not ideal. That’s especially true if you have a team of content creators who need a little breathing room. That’s why you should make a solid plan and outline, create and proof your social posts well ahead of time.
• Post scheduling: A flurry of posts all at once isn’t just ineffective — it also floods your dashboards or feeds with your name, which is a great way to lose followers. Create a posting schedule that’s frequent enough to keep you top-of-mind without edging into “irritating” territory.
• Post type: As you create and schedule content, remember that social media is a veritable playground of options. You don’t have to stick to just one kind of post; bounce between video, images, engagement questions and regular copy to keep things interesting.
• Campaign alignment: If you want your social media posts to create benefits for a particular campaign, you need to consider details such as timing, messaging, anticipated outcomes and more.

No. 4: Tell Your Story

At the end of the day, social media is about storytelling. Whether you’re trying to impress a prospective client, highlight a hardworking employee or just share your values, remember that your followers want two simple things:

1. Information.
2. Value.

Yep — it’s that simple.

You don’t have to roast your competitors or create GIF memes to have an impact. Just stay true to your accounting firm and its goals, and you’ll find ways to make genuine connections with your followers.

Fast Fixes for Your Social Media Campaign

Let’s say you already have a social media presence and it’s not taking off — or maybe you started an account and abandoned it over time because you got busy. No matter what state your social media strategy is in, there’s a way to pick it up, dust it off and get it going again.

Here are a few ways to improve an existing campaign (or plan a new one):

• Use the right platforms: Every platform has its unique audience, content types and rules. For example, Twitter is all about short, concise content that packs a punch, while Instagram is known for pictures and videos. If you don’t choose the right platform for your content, you might not be connecting with the right audience.
• Strengthen your team: A social media strategist and other experts can help you answer audience questions, create data-driven plans and see real ROI. Similarly, copywriters, graphic designers and videographers might all have a role to play in your social media presence.
• Do your research: Don’t just learn about your audience. Research other companies in your industry, top social media strategies, brush up on the latest techniques and more.
• Don’t try to be something you’re not: While it’s always possible to humanize your brand and create something unique, don’t feel pressured to act a certain way just because you’re on social media. Followers are great at identifying inauthentic messaging and tones — so if your company isn’t naturally cheeky or sarcastic, don’t adopt this persona just to make waves online. 
• Interact: It’s called social media for a reason. Use your account to interact with current and prospective clients — that way, they learn firsthand how communicative, reliable and empathetic you are.

Becoming a Social Media Star

Does your accounting firm have what it takes to become a social media star? 

Trick question. All you need to have on social media is a great brand — and you’ve got that already.

Now your mission is to take your values, messaging and marketing goals and translate them into social content. From text posts and engagement questions to infographics and videos, there’s always a way to deliver information and value to your accounting audience.

Go forth and create — and if you need some inspiration, remember there’s a whole internet full of social media posts to study up on.