Do Small Accounting Practices Need Social Media?
When it comes to some types of business (or nonprofit) enterprises, marketing via social media simply makes sense. The medium offers an effective and easy way to interact with existing clients and even to attract more. This is rather logical when it's a cinema that needs to keep patrons updated when it comes to special events, or a restaurant that frequently offers a new menu. What about some other industries where "special events" do not often occur? What about accounting? Certainly in this day and age it's necessary to have some sort of online presence, but does social media bring any tangible benefits for your accounting company and your clients?
Learn from Your Competitors
Larger accounting practices will probably have a dedicated marketing department, possibly with several team members whose sole responsibility is the management of the company's various social media profiles. When you run a small practice or are a sole trader, the responsibility becomes yours. These larger competitors are a good place to start. Look at their social media output. Read their blogs and updates and then look at it in relation to your own business. Does their social media do anything to inform their existing client base of pertinent developments? Could it be effective when it comes to attracting new clients?
Consistency Is Key
The trick is to not overstretch yourself. Social media takes time, even if you're updating a blog or sending microblogs, or simply adding a small amount of content to a page. Don't treat it like a new toy that you will soon become bored with, and start as you mean to go on. Update and send notifications with consistency. If you only wish to update three times a week, then do so, and keep doing so.
Special Deals and Marketing
Even accounting practices have the occasional special, particularly towards the end of the financial year. You might wish to offer a discount via social media only (perhaps in exchange for a free subscription to a monthly email newsletter). This allows you to collect data that can be used at a later stage if you should ever decide to refocus your online marketing. Once you activate social media accounts in your company name, you need to remember that clients (both existing and potential) will view it as a viable way of contacting you. As such, you need to check the messaging facilities on these profiles on a very regular basis--as much as you check your email.
Going Entirely Online
There's also the other option. There are some sole-trader accountants who have utilised social media and gone entirely online, removing the need for a physical practice. They use accounting programs that allow their clients to share necessary information with them in real time, at any time. Communication that is primarily via social media also allows clients to communicate with their accountant on their terms, whether it's via an online messaging system or videoconference. The drawback to this reliance on social media in an accounting practice is that you would often need to available at odd hours.
So while you might not want to rely entirely on social media, it can have its benefits. These benefits exist in industries where they might not be immediately evident, such as accounting.