Social Media Marketing - Hand Crafted and Engaging

Social media marketing done well is a great way to stand out, develop new relationships and create a following.

Unfortunately, most accountants use a "spray and pray" approach which is anti-social and spam oriented. That's right, some accounting website providers post the exact same article onto Facebook, blogs and elsewhere. And while they feel the social media proverbial box is checked (done!), the quality lacks and is closer to spam. That's right, social media posting done poorly is really spam and your clients/prospects will see right through this.

Getting flagged as a spammer (literally or figuratively) is the easiest way to lose your credibility and online following. No one likes to receive spam on Facebook, LinkedIn, or see the exact same posts on your blog as your direct competitors.

To be effective with social media marketing, your content needs to be unique and have a "hand crafted" feel (rather than mass produced). For example, your social media postings should match what your firm stands for and use combinations of written articles, short videos and longer videos around topics that interest small business owners.

To break through the clutter, here's how we approach social media marketing with the Content Marketing in a Box service.

1. Focus on your target audience's pain points (what they struggle with) and frequently asked questions.

Since most our accounting clients want to acquire small business owners, most of our social media marketing topics evolve around small business tax planning, accounting, payroll, best practice tips for business owners, risk management and staffing.

2. Post a variety of content formats.

In addition to prewritten articles, Build Your Firm also posts short and longer videos. The shorter videos do well on Facebook and longer topics do better with email marketing.

Also, the videos are developed using video footage as well as animated graphics. Using a varied approach to articles and videos helps your firm stand out.

3. Use story telling to convey your message.

Story telling is more persuasive and engaging. It is also more memorable.

4. Use a call to action near the end guiding prospects to take the next step.

Clear call to actions near the end of your articles and videos generates more inquiries. Whether these are calls, encouraging visitors to sign up, or complete a form.

5. Use compelling visuals.

Visual graphics and images cut through the clutter because 65% of adults learn visually. The idiom a picture is worth a thousand words means that a single image can convey a complex idea more effectively than many words.

6. Use a variety of platforms.

Build Your Firm's Content Marketing in a Box sends out two email newsletters per month. One is articles based and the other is video based.

In addition, we also post four times per month onto Facebook and LinkedIn. Three articles and one video in each platform. We also "hand post" one unique article per month onto your blog.

7. Post at the right times.

All of our social media posts are done during business hours. Business owners are most receptive to business topics during normal working hours and want to check out during the off hours.

8. Post regularly but not too much.

According to our research, most small business owners do not want to hear from their accountants daily. Once a week social media posts (during business hours) is more than adequate. And receiving two email newsletters per month (one article based, one video based) is fine.

Posting daily is way over the top and closer to auto-generated spam.

All told, BYF's Content Marketing in a Box posts 10-12 times per month across a variety of platforms, content and images.

We also optimize the following to improve your search engine optimization:

Local Listings (aka - Local Search) - We ensure that your local listings is consistent and accurate on hundreds of websites.

Google Reviews - We manage your reputation locally so you have lots of reviews, improve your average star rating, and recent reviews (people look at the dates of your reviews too).

Optimize your website for SEO - We optimize your website around the type of practice you have and geographically. In other words, one size does not fit all types of accounting and tax practice. We understand that some websites are focused on IRS tax resolution, others focus on accounting and bookkeeping, some are tax practices, some on cannabis, and others target restaurants. That's why we support over fourty (40+) accounting niches. Your message needs to paint a clear message for prospects as well as search engine spiders.