Importance of Social Media for Accountants

In today’s increasingly interconnected world, social media has become as important tool as any, if not more, to reach potential clients and help businesses grow.

But while small businesses and niche sectors have embraced the social platform for all that it can provide, accounting like other more traditional occupations has seemingly maintained a distance. Many accountants and most firms continue to maintain a limited social presence, missing out on the number of benefits that the platform can provide.

So for all those of you who are yet to branch out on the web, here are reasons why you should:

1. An enormous pool of potential clients

With virtually every person on the web – be it on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and any of the myriad social networks out there – a wider social presence allows you to get in touch with a much larger set of people who might be interested in your services than the reach most conventional approaches can provide.

2. Opportunity to interact directly with people

By allowing direct access to people and their businesses, social media provides you with the opportunity to change negative perceptions and can help you come to be seen as more involved and relevant while reducing the ideas that 'accounting is too technical' and 'accountants are boring' that are often automatically associated with the job!

3. Constantly be in touch

An updated presence can allow your business to be a valuable source of information. Updates in regulations, changes in policies or introduction of a new service – whatever it may be, by being socially active, you can provide your clients with all the latest news as it happens and in the process come to be seen as a dependable and trustworthy business.

4. Solicit and promote referrals

Word-of-mouth and referrals from friends and acquaintances are increasingly becoming important factors for clients when it comes to deciding companies and professionals to work with. This has been a direct consequence of the rise of social networks and so tapping into these can allow you and your company to seek and promote positive responses from clients that can then serve to attract other potential customers.

5. Opportunity to connect and establish professional relationships

 Finally, while the social platform can provide great benefits with regards to your client base, it can also be extremely useful in building and expanding your list of professional contacts. Whether it is accountants looking for a job or firms seeking to hire or collaborate, having updated information available on several platforms increases your chances of finding the right fit.

So, for those of you in your offices without an online presence, get out there and get social!

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