One question we get a lot here at RelaNet is, “Does my accounting website really need a blog?” Our answer is, “Yes,” because having a blog on your accounting website can be an invaluable marketing tool. It neatly solves two key problems associated with attracting and signing prospective clients.
Demonstrate Expertise
A prospective client researching your accounting firm probably knows little about you and your firm. If you’re lucky, you might have been recommended by someone the prospect trusts. But more likely, the prospective client came upon your website after searching for accountants in their area. However they got to your website, one of the first questions a prospective client is trying to answer is, “Can I trust this accounting firm?”
A blog gives you an easy way to demonstrate your expertise and convince prospective clients that your advice can be trusted. Articles about changes to the tax code, strategies for minimizing income tax, and other tax topics help establish you as an expert in your field. By sharing your expertise in a general way through your accounting firm’s blog, your gain credibility and make it easier for prospective clients to believe that the advice you give regarding their specific situations will prove just as useful.
Attract Your Target Market
Once prospective clients are satisfied about your expertise, the next thing they want to know is if your firm is for people like them. Individuals don’t want an accountant that specializes in the construction industry, and small business owners don’t want an accountant that specializes in international corporations. Your prospective clients are looking for evidence that your firm will be a good fit for their needs, and the blog on your accounting website gives you the opportunity to provide that evidence.
Does your firm focus on a particular industry like construction or real estate? If so, articles on your firm’s blog might discuss tax topics that are particular to those fields. Do you cater mostly to individuals? Then you might publish articles about maximizing charitable deductions, or about different individual tax credits. You get the idea. And don’t be afraid to get even more targeted with your content. For example, if you live in a factory town, you might consider publishing an article about the deductibility of union dues. By publishing content on your accounting firm’s blog that addresses the needs, concerns, and desires of your target market, your website advertises that you understand your prospective clients and that you and they would be a good fit.
“But I Don’t Have Time!”
Even if you understand and accept the benefits of a blog, you might still find yourself without the time to create one. Writing good content does take time, after all. If you would like a blog for your business, but don’t want to manage one, there are some options.
There are some services that will provide content for your blog. So you could set up your blog and then post articles that you have purchased from elsewhere. In this scenario, however, you still have to take the time to find, edit, and post the articles you purchase.
Another option is to use a managed website service like RelaNet that provides not only your website, but also articles and content for your blog. Services like these are typically require less effort on your part than managing all the content yourself. RelaNet, for example, not only manages your website, it creates articles about taxation and personal finance, and automatically posts them to your blog. If you would like, you can also supplement this content with your own articles.
Get a Blog
A blog can be a powerful marketing tool for your accounting firm when used strategically. By establishing your expertise and your fit, you turn your accounting website into a lead generator that makes it easier to attract prospective clients in your target market and book their engagements.
Image courtesy of The Hamster Factor.