How are accountants getting the word out about their services?

You need to know your demographics and who is your market. Many of us get into the "anybody" trap. You know when asked who you serve, "Oh I serve anybody that needs accounting or tax work done". Really? Think about that for a moment. You really want "anybody".

My target market is individuals and families under $300,000 per year in income. My other target is small businesses with a gross revenue under $500,000. Yes there is lots of folks who make more, businesses with more, but there is also a huge market where I live (Spring Hill, Florida) that is under served or being way over charged for these services.

Then I analyzed what forms of media they frequent. I have found that Facebook is their major social media, along with a few local publications. I also do lots of networking throughout the year. This generates lots of referrals. But the key is know who your audience is, and identify your target market.

I had a 20% growth last year. Almost all of it came from two sources. Referrals accounted for about 50% and the balance from adverting. So you most likely will need to use at least two avenues to bring in the customers. Most of all, provide great service.

For God Sake, don't forget to ask for a referral from the customer on Yelp, Google or whatever. Those referrals go a long long way. Better than any money spent on advertising.

I hope this will help you out and good luck this year.

I rely entirely on word of mouth and I'm not ashamed to ask for referrals. I try to treat my clients well and in turn they tend to mention me when their friends, family, etc are looking.

I post Face Book Ads. I do maybe one of two a month. It's not just about being on Face Book, I post ads, then I pay to reach my friends and their friends. I am running a ad now that I just started, it has already reached 3000 people. The ad will run for 14 days. You can start with a $5 ad, or a $100 ad, and run it for as many days as you like. I learned this in my Marketing Class at University of Mary Washington. I had no clue on how to post a ad. I have gotten a lot of clients through my ads. I started with 5 clients in 2011, now I have over 400. It's how bad you want to be successful and grow your business. I hope this helps. Thanks

In my experience accounting firm's of 5 or more accountants do advertise some. However, the vast majority of small and solo firm accountants tend to generate their work through word of mouth advertising. This may occur from current clients, trade groups, or civic groups (i.e. Rotary, BNI, etc.). I know that I have two lists of accountants in my office: (1) CPA's that prepare returns and handle routine issues; and (2) forensic accountants that are useful expert witnesses. I routinely hire and refer people to both types.

I think social media like LinkedIn, Facebook ,Tweeter also by word of mouth works and if you have website that would be perfect

Referrals are the best way to promote this service. If your client base is small, get referrals from other activities you have been involved with

I have been doing this for 35 years. Best advertising is your existing client base. It may be hard to do, but ask them to give your name to their friends. Next, volunteer. When I started, I served on several Boards of Directors for non-profit organizations. Do Meals on Wheels. If you have time on your hands because you are not busy, this is a good way to build your business and do some good in the community.

Hi Fred - The type of clients you're looking to attract will change the way you should present yourself. The methods you're using are going to attract individuals. All of them, aside for the newspaper ad, are already your clients that are getting your cards. It's nice to put your card there, but if they love your services, they'll remember your name during a conversation about taxes.

Based on a quick search of your business, you're profile suggests that you're interested in more than just individual accounting. To be frank, business owners aren't going to look to the newspaper for a new accountant. The exception would be if you're in a business-centric publication.

Realistically, you need to set up a web presence if you want to attract new businesses and individuals that aren't an extension of your existing network. It doesn't have to be a grandiose website, even a landing page that explains who you are and captures leads would be suffice. That would be step one. That would even help your fringe network connections feel a trust factor for the lead you received by word-of-mouth.

The next step would depend on what you're looking to achieve. What your growth goals are, the ROI you expect and the amount you're willing to invest will dictate the mediums to use and how aggressive your marketing consultant can be on your behalf.

Advertising on a local radio station that is geared towards business people and high net worth individuals (think of your estate tax and tax planning abilities) would be a good start. The ability to mix a consistent presence, plus the ability to network through their events has been quite success for the financial businesses that work with Salem Radio here in Chicago.

I'd also consider a digital approach that ties this together. Promoting your landing page, you can even have a fun URL like "ItsMillerTaxTime.com" will make it easy to remember, engaging with the content created and you can target your desired demographic by geography. This would be a great approach if you're looking to be aggressive or cautious because of the seemingly endless ways to carve a digital strategy.

Just FYI, for this answer digital encompasses everything from target marketing, emails, social media, etc.

There's also something to be said for direct mail when combined with a digital approach. That's something at my disposal that even leverages some guarantees that I'd be happy to talk to you offline about.

Send me a message and we can connect if you want to talk in more detail.

If you provided a good work and inform the client consequences for not planning a head of time, I am sure they will refer you to thier friends and family. I think honesty is the best policy and being accountable when they needed you the most! You are the product and if you feel good about yourself and what you stand and represent, people will come..

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