Instagram for Accounting Firms, who would have thought this blog would be written 5 years ago? Accounting has often been thought of as a dry industry, built on face to face relationships, with trust instilled only from referrals offline. The problem with this rationale, is that asides from being an old out-dated thought process, is that people are becoming more and more open to engaging with businesses they love in the spaces of banking, law firms, accounting and other areas previously seen as too boring to be on social media.
This does not give right of passage for pointless memes or staff walking around on snapchat all day. That’s not the point of this blog.
If you have the resources, Instagram can be a powerful tool for your business.
While it is true that firms with visually appealing products have an easier time on Instagram, there is plenty that you can do on Instagram as an Accounting Firm. Check out below some of our top tips for Instagram for Accounting Firms.
Instagram for Accounting Firms: Our Top Tips
#1 Be human
At Social Media Marketing World 2016, Mark Schaefer pushed for brands and businesses to “BE MORE HUMAN”. We love this sentiment – but often the actuality of this statement is hard to implement if you are unsure on social media in the first place!
Humans are connected and dependant creatures. We need interaction and are built upon the ability to recognise. The trick for being more human on social media is not only about showing some fun, easy-going copy; but to also show your faces and give your audience the ability to go behind the scenes.
Show your employees hard at work or having fun… even taking a break to show the great environment you have! Clients can see who is doing the work, put a face to a name and it just breaks down the barriers between being merely a supplier of a service, to a partner.
Oh, and one more thing…don’t be a poser! Offline or online, people don’t like a fake.
Accodex Partners are a worthwhile crew to follow if you are wanting to know about showing the human side of a firm. Check out one of their recent posts below
#2 Show off new offerings
Are taking a new certification? Is your team up-skilling? Adding auditing to your business? Instagram is the ideal tool to present any new feature of your business. Instagram is a great place to try and build a bit of hype around a new offering, and here is why:
- Low interaction rate, which is ideal, as too many questions spoil the surprise.
- It hangs around, which allows your teasing campaign to reach a wider audience.
- Instagram is visual, which allows tons of creativity!
- New certification? Add a picture of you with your new certification
- Taking a course? Show a photo of you with your study docs to show what you are getting accredited in
- New service offering? Post a photo of an empty part of the office or some new team members, ready to receive your growing team
- New staff? A friendly face to attach to a service is always a great way to show your clients that you are approachable and still their best choice
#3 Don’t forget about your existing clientelle
Whilst it’s not the main reason why you would use Instagram, I still see this as being a very valid idea. Engage your current clientelle on Instagram. Liking a post when you see a business clients shop open up thanks to some advice you gave them, or perhaps a client on holidays with their tax return…believe it or not but your advice that you give to your clients allows them to do wonderful things!
A couple of other things that you might consider doing to involve your clients in your social media
– Spread good news about one of your clients with a simple congratulation message (if of course, they are happy for you to mention it). Don’t forget to tag them on the picture.
– Thank them for their business through “client of the day” posts.
– Promote or repost their own Instagram pictures with an enthusiastic caption (better off for business clients not personal).
They will notice your efforts, know you care about them and you will provide an inexpensive value added service by connecting them with one another.
NOTE: Be careful in regards to confidentiality laws regarding your relationship, for obvious reasons.
#4 Make sure your content is great
Instagram has a relatively simple format. Images and videos, text areas and some filters to enhance photos. So choosing the right format to say something isn’t the hard part, in fact it’s quite straightforward. As a result, this gives you more flexibility and time to think about the WHAT, not the how.
- If you are taking an image of a new staff member, make it fun and interesting! Their professional shot may not be the best one for Instagram.
- If you are promoting about the office culture, try and look at it in an interesting way, or try to get a better image than a half-assed quick picture from an awkward angle. It’s about making your Instagram account interesting, fun and worth being involved with for your current and prospective clients.
Be helpful, engaging and personal….fun as well if that works for you!
Here is an example of a group who clearly understand what there audience wants to see – well done Arkounting!
#5 Be found #socialaccountant
Hashtags are important for a couple of reasons; but I’d say the two biggest reasons are:
- To show that people are interested in what you are posting
- To be found by people
As more and more content is produced, the importance of hashtags to help people find you is going to escalate dramatically. Put some time aside to brainstorm what hashtags are popular in your industry and which ones are relevant for each post.
Using relevant and better known hashtags can also introduce a wider audience to your content.
So there you have it – a couple of tips to help you as an Accountant or Accounting firm start to utilise Instagram for your business! Have any additional tips? Let us know in the comments below!
