Social Media 101 for CPAs & Accounting Firms

If you want your accounting business to stay relevant and reach its goals, establishing a good social media presence is absolutely crucial. The right social media strategy will help your business maintain an enduring relationship with its client base and drive consistent growth both online and in the real world. 

While finances and money management might not immediately seem trendy or as culturally marketable, the key to striking a connection online is knowing which angle to take and which audience you’re targeting. 

CPAs and accounting firms have plenty of interesting content to share with the world if they deliver it in the right way. A comprehensive knowledge of how various social media platforms work will help facilitate a better reach for that content. 

We’ll show you how to ensure your social media strategy for your accounting firm gets you noticed in a simple and attainable way. 

[Ready to connect with your audience? Our webinar teaches you how to maximize your brand’s share of voice using social media.]

Why CPAs and accounting firms should learn how to use social media

The most popular brands on social media right now vary in terms of product, service, and brand personality. But all of them have two things in common: 

  • An understanding of and connection to their audience
  • A keen knowledge of how to manage social media platforms 

Not only do globally renowned brands like GoPro, Spotify, and Nike cultivate and maintain strong relationships with their target audience, but they also utilize the social media tools available to them in an extremely comprehensive and adaptable way. 

The lesson here is this: it doesn’t matter whether you sell financial services or designer sneakers; knowing how to use social media as a marketing tool can help your business reach its professional goals and maintain a strong, growth-oriented relationship with clients. 

How to use different platforms for peak CPA social media performance 

When it comes to using social media for accounting firms and similar businesses, you have a few different channels to choose from. Social media is a vast playground for those who want to harness its marketing and brand-building potential fully. However, each platform requires a slightly different strategy and approach to attain success. 

1. LinkedIn

LinkedIn, naturally, is the social media platform best fit for accounting firms. Because it’s a B2B-geared platform that focuses on networking, job research, and professional connections, accounting businesses will thrive here best.  

There are a few ways to use LinkedIn for the benefit of your firm’s social media reach. These include posting links to blog posts, building credibility via updates, and forming professional relationships with other industry entities. Post consistently 1-3 times a week for the best results, and keep your content strictly business-related. 

[Watch our webinar: LinkedIn 2024: Navigating the future of B2B social media marketing for more tips.]

2. Facebook

Facebook is one of the longest-standing social media platforms to date. When used well, it can be a great place to build community, meet and engage with clients, and share updates with followers. 

One of the best ways to utilize Facebook for CPA and accountant marketing is to use Facebook’s group feature to connect with others in your sphere and find clients in need of your services. The only real downside to Facebook is that it can be oversaturated, making standing out somewhat challenging. 

3. Instagram

Instagram is a visually-dominated social media site, but that doesn’t mean you have to post pictures and videos of people all the time. 

With its bustling social algorithm and a vast array of hungry consumers, providing relevant information to your audience by way of immersive infographics can be very effective. It’s really important to be consistent on Instagram, as well as having high standards for the quality of what you post. Hire a content developer if you aren’t sure how to create content that works on this platform. 

4. X (formally Twitter)

X has undergone some huge changes over the past two years, but it’s still a very active social media site humming with potential for connection and reach. 

With its short-form written content style, X is the perfect place to inform your audience with live updates and quick tips that are relevant to your followers. It also encourages sharing (retweeting) and has a large audience of users in the business sector, making it ideal for social media marketing. 

5. TikTok

TikTok might seem like a platform exclusively designed for teenagers and funny dance challenges. But don’t be too quick to dismiss this app as a serious tool for B2B influencing and accounting-related posts. In 2022, TikTok overtook Google as the new search engine for Gen Z, with 34% of them learning personal finance from the platform.

While it’s true that TikTok is more popular with younger generations, it has a very active older demographic. 22.4% of users are between 20 and 29 years old, and 21.7% are between 30 and 39 – two relevant demographics. If you’re looking to drive awareness for your business with practical, educational content, it’s worth exploring.  

Social media best practices for financial brands and businesses 

Every business can benefit from adopting best practices for mastering social media management, and CPA businesses are no different. Here are a few tips to help you promote growth and visibility online:

1. Be specific about what you offer

Don’t waste people’s time. Be highly specific and relevant about your posts to incentivize people to see your account as a serious source of consistently quality information. 

2. Use education as your angle

Accounting firms may not be super glamorous, but they are essential to the economy, and many businesses and people from this industry are actively seeking useful information to help their company with money matters. Choose education to heroize your content. 

3. Unlock employee advocacy

Sometimes, your best content creators are right under your nose. Use your employees to drive awareness about your products and services, driving reputability and relatability. That being said, it’s not always easy to implement or control. It helps to use employee advocacy software like Clearview Social, streamlining things from the get-go. 

4. Be consistent

Make it easy for consumers to know what to expect from you. The more consistent you are, the better your posts will perform and the easier it’ll be for followers to appreciate what you do. 

5. Utilize paid ads

Paid ads on social media are one of the best ways to get information about your brand out there. Don’t be afraid of using paid media to spread the word about everything you do. 

Clearview Social simplifies social media marketing for CPAs

Knowing how to navigate the complex, ever-changing world of social media can be difficult, especially when you are not a business with mainstream cultural appeal. But by embracing some best practices, you can establish and maintain an online presence that engages and attracts views. 

CPAs and accounting firms need to leverage modern social media marketing strategies like employee advocacy and integrate software programs like Clearview Social into their marketing efforts. This will help them build stronger, more effective marketing campaigns. By utilizing employees as brand advocates, financial services become more accessible to everyone, and social media posts encourage interaction and build trust.

Book a free demo with Clearview Social to see how our software can help your accounting firm create a content calendar, publish posts, and harness the power of employee advocacy online.