Grow your Practice With Digital Marketing

Marketing used to mean posting classified ads and asking customers for referrals. However, while those things might still work, there are many other options to grow your accounting practice these days! 

Digital marketing has changed the way people advertise their services, and since most people these days turn to Google rather than the Yellow Pages, it’s the single best way to get your practice on the digital map! Here’s how you can start using digital marketing to grow your practice. 

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1. Get a Better Website

If your website is still the same static design someone did in 2000, it’s slow, has limited information and looks like it’s twenty years out of date, it’s time for a change. Website design has changed dramatically over the years. Today, fast, responsive, dynamic websites that people can access from a range of devices is the standard. 

You need a website that loads quickly (because people will only give it a few seconds before they go elsewhere), and that has all the information your visitors need to make the decision to contact you. It needs to be well designed and easy to navigate, and you also need to make sure that you have all your onsite SEO set up correctly. 

A website is the cornerstone of your digital marketing efforts. It’s where you send people who find you online. Think of it as an extension of your office, and make sure it looks slick and professional. 

Some examples of a good accounting practice website: CFO Minded, Bookkeep & Realize

2. Make Sure It’s Mobile

More people search the internet on their smartphones than on computers these days. We’ve already mentioned that your site needs to be responsive. That means that people can access it on computers and laptops, but also on tablets and phones. 

This is so important that search engines like Google penalize websites that are not mobile friendly. So, it’s not only important for customers, but it can also affect your online discoverability. 

3. Videos Are Taking Over

The text content on your website will always be important for SEO and for indexing of your website, and a blog or news section is always a good idea for digital marketing. 

However, many internet users now expect to get information from videos too. Think about how often you watch a how to video on YouTube when you’re trying to do something new. Or how often you spend time scrolling through videos on Facebook or TikTok. 

Video is a huge part of digital marketing now, and it doesn’t have to be complicated to use this as a marketing tool. Make a screen capture video of an Excel trick or hack or explain an accounting concept in language that small business owners can understand. The more you can connect with potential clients and show them that you are the expert they need, the more likely they are to reach out.

Some great examples of this are Terrell’s Business Talks Library and Jason Staats’s YouTube Channel.

4. Get Optimized for Voice Search

This might surprise you, but according to Google, nearly a third of all searches these days are voice searches. So, nearly 30 percent of all people are saying “Hey Google” or asking Siri to find things online for them. 

Optimizing your content not only for SEO but also for voice search is going to be an even bigger part of online and digital marketing in coming years. 

5. Local SEO

Accounting services are often locally focused. Most of  your clients will come from the same city or area that your office is located in. So, while you’re revamping your marketing, make sure you include local SEO in your strategy. 

This means doing things like putting your business on the Google map with Google My Business and using your city’s name in your keywords. Signing up on local directories can help too, and even advertising your business on local social media business groups. 

If you plan to use PPC (Pay Per Click) advertising in your digital marketing strategy, make sure you include location in your demographic targeting too. 

The Best Possible ROI

The good news is that with highly detailed targeting, SEO, a great website design and a solid digital marketing plan, this kind of marketing offers the highest marketing ROI out there. 

Once you’ve set up your digital marketing plan, you’ll spend far less for each lead that comes in than you would for any print, radio or television ad, and it will keep working for you 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. So, you could say that digital marketing tools are like a salesperson that never sleeps – and that’s why when you get it right, it could be the best thing you do to grow your practice!