Facebook Marketing for Accountants and CPAs

Facebook is the most popular social media platform available today. It engages 2.3 billion users who scroll an average of 2.5 hours per day. Facebook is a powerful supplemental marketing tool for businesses seeking to build and grow their customer base. The key to effectively using this medium is properly incorporating Facebook ads into your existing marketing scheme. Strategic goal-related Facebook ads will lead target clients to your accounting firm and inspire them to retain your services.

What are Facebook ads?

Facebook ads are paid messages that businesses create and place on Facebook. The designation is "paid." Any individual or business can post on their Facebook page for free; however, there is no certainty that a post will be seen, nor is there a guarantee who will see a given post. Using paid Facebook ads, a business can direct its marketing efforts at a specific demographic to ensure its target clientele sees what is shared.

Who uses Facebook ads?

With flexibility, audience customization, and easy-to-understand analytics, Facebook ads can be effective for any business. There is something for every budget, too. Companies can specify how much they spend on ads by setting:

• an overall budget,
• a daily budget cap, or
• a total cost per result.

Facebook ads help businesses like yours slice through the masses to reach target customers in need of the accounting services you offer, allowing you to grow your business like never before.

Should Accounting Firms advertise on Facebook?

Yes! Facebook provides one of the most influential marketing opportunities available in the world today. This platform offers accounting and CPA firms a chance to reach an endless pool of potential clients. And if you're concerned that an additional staff member would need to spend all day managing Facebook ads for your firm, you'll be relieved to learn that isn't necessary at all.

Facebook ads are:

• Easy to create and manage
• Less expensive than advertising on most other social platforms
• Cost-effective, with the ability to launch with as little as $10

Leveraging this additional marketing tool requires minimal time but can benefit your accounting firm substantially. Here's how.

Facebook ads can:

• Instantly connect you with clients actively searching for your services.
• Stimulate leads that you can convert into viable prospects.
• Connect you with existing clients through helpful tips (like seasonal tax information) that you offer throughout the year.
• Support existing client relationships by making customers aware of new or unique services you offer.
• Provide a way for you to create and manage a positive online reputation.
• Allow you to measure your return on investment (ROI) and marketing efforts.

Now, let's look more specifically at how you can use Facebook ads to generate leads.

How to use Facebooks ads to Generate Leads

As you know, lead generation drives conversions. To facilitate the process, Facebook provides built-in tools that:

• Make it easy for potential clients interested in your business offerings to sign up for information about your firm,
• Allow users to stay engaged with you and your business, and
• Provide an easy way for individuals to reach out to you directly.

In short, Facebook ads simplify and streamline how individuals connect with your business. For example, Facebook Forms facilitate signing up for your email list. This feature makes it easy for you to share more detailed information about the accounting services you offer with interested individuals and allows you to capture email addresses for future communication. And because ads are seen by individuals already interested in the accounting services you offer, the likelihood of positive engagement with your business is high.

You can even allow prospective clients to use Facebook's instant messaging platform (Messenger) to reach out to you with questions. And because Facebook and Instagram are connected, your messages can be used across platforms, leading to repeat engagement.

Now, let's look at how Facebook ads work for accountants.

How FB ads Work for Accountants

Remember, Facebook ads go a step beyond posting on your firm's business page. A compelling Facebook ad targets a custom group of individuals and entices interested prospects to click your ad link to learn more.

To understand what this means specifically for your accounting firm, let's consider who your Facebook ad should target.

While Facebook will automatically show your ad to people who are most likely to find it relevant, you can further drill down the audience to fine-tune who sees your ad. For example, you may consider attributes like:

• Geographic location (you may want local clients only, or you may work virtually with clients from all over the U.S. depending on the services you offer)
• Age (you may consider an older, more mature demographic to be firmly established in a profession and more in need of financial services)
• Profession (if you cater to a specific industry, this may help narrow your reach; for example, if you specialize in medical office accounting, you can fine-tune your search to physicians)

Next, let's discuss what your firm's Facebook ad might say.

Remember, your Facebook ad is your firm's highlight reel. Every ad that you share should include your:

• Firm name
• Physical location
• Specialty or focus area
• Niche market, if applicable
• At least one compelling, high-quality related image (this will depend on the type of ad you choose, which will be discussed later)
• Well-written targeted message (this will also vary with the type ad you choose)

What you include beyond these essentials depends on what type of Facebook ad you choose to use and the specific message you wish to convey. For example, if you want to increase traffic to your firm's main website, your message will direct viewers there for more information on the services you offer. In contrast, the message will be less generalized and more specific if you wish to highlight a specific focus area.

Finally, let's talk about how to handle leads once they start rolling in due to your effective Facebook ad.

Once a potential client clicks on your ad, they will be taken to a customized web page. There, they are invited to enter their email address to receive more information about you, your business, and how you can help them with their accounting and financial needs. The landing page should be designed to reflect your firm's brand. It should seamlessly mesh with any other branding you do (i.e., on your business website and other social media platforms). This is something you or a team member can do, or you can employ the help of a professional service that specializes in social media marketing for accountants.

Regardless of whether you or a professional creates and manages your Facebook ad campaign, remember, the purpose of the Facebook ad landing page is to capture prospects so that they can learn more about you and your business. This is usually done by funneling prospects into your email client list so that you can capture their contact information for future marketing.

Now that you understand what Facebook ads are, how they work, and why they will benefit your accounting business, let's look at some specifics about different types of Facebook ads and how they look.

How do Facebook ads Look?

The type of Facebook ad a business uses and how that ad looks depends on your objective. For example, you may want to:

• increase awareness of your business,
• highlight special offerings,
• generate leads, or
• convert prospects into clients.

The way your ad is formatted determines how it looks. Formatting is the layout of an ad. It could be an image with text, a video, a carousel (slideshow), or a story. Let's explore several types of Facebook ad formats to give you an idea of what might work best for your firm's business marketing plan.

Image ads

The most basic Facebook ad format is an image ad with accompanying text. Image ads contain a single image with text to highlight a specific service effectively or introduce you or your team. This format is a solid choice for increasing brand awareness or promoting a special offer.

The limitation of an image ad is using a single image to convey your message. For accountants, the single image used must be highly relatable and relevant. To successfully use an image ad, incorporate a high-quality image that clarifies your desired message with as little text as possible.

Video ads

Video ads are highly desirable because audiences like to see and hear what is offered simultaneously. This level of engagement is one that only video can provide, and there is an entertainment factor with these ads, too. You can get as creative as you want to be.

The limitation of a video ad is that the creation process is time-consuming. In addition to coming up with an idea and a script or images, you must shoot the video and edit it. However, if you or a team member possess those skills, it could be a bonus.

Do keep video ads brief and to the point. Facebook recommends 15-second ads for maximum engagement. If you need more time, be sure to keep videos under two minutes; that's the limit for the average adult attention span, and anything longer is likely to lose your audience.

Carousel ads

If a single image won't get your point across and you lack the skills and time required to create a compelling video ad, you may want to consider the middle ground of a carousel ad. These ads comprise several images that readers can flip through for an eye-catching and engaging experience. It's like a slideshow with each image having its caption or link. Like single-image ads, the images in a carousel ad must be high-quality, clear, and relevant to your services and message. A bonus associated with carousel ads is that they work well even with slow internet connections (unlike video ads, which require a boisterous connection to load and play properly). Carousels are great for introducing readers to a range of services because each image can have a unique headline, call to action, or be linked to a dedicated landing page.

Stories ads

Lastly, there are Facebook Stories ads. Facebook Stories are a way to share with an audience in a way that is similar to video but in a less involved, less formal way. Even if you aren't savvy creating and editing videos, Facebook Stories ads may be an option. Facebook Stories ads can be created with images, pre-existing videos, or an image carousel. They are an excellent way to exercise free expression and incorporate your firm's personality into your marketing campaign.

The limitation of Stories ads is that they do not show up on a page's feed; they show up in the Stories feed for a target audience, so users must actively engage the Stories ad by clicking to view.

Regardless of the type of Facebook ad you choose one thing to keep in mind is to avoid copyright infringement.

Avoid Copyright Infringement

As with all images, music, or other media that you use for marketing, the content should be original, from the public domain, or you should obtain the rights to use the content in the capacity you plan to use it to avoid copyright infringement.

Regardless of the type of Facebook ads you choose for your accounting firm – and whether you create them in-house or outsource the task to a qualified professional – incorporate engaging images or videos, include targeted messages, and correlate messages across platforms. This approach will encourage maximum engagement, generate leads, and spark conversions to help you grow your business.