Among the various business service providers who use the Internet as a platform for marketing and advertising, bookkeepers stand to benefit the most. Unfortunately, few bookkeepers actually take advantage of the full potential that the Internet offers in terms of getting new prospects and keeping their existing clients engaged.
The following three tips can greatly help small business bookkeepers boost their online presence for the purpose of attracting more prospects and staying in touch with their clientele:
Put Real Effort Into Your Website
Unfortunately, many bookkeepers think that a simple template with their contact information and some placeholder text is all it takes to establish their presence on the Web. If anything, prospects who see a very generic website are not going to be very interested in that bookkeeper, and existing clients will not have a reason to return to that site other than perhaps looking up a telephone number.
An ideal website for a bookkeeper should include attractive design, a summary of professional affiliations and major achievements, an engaging blog, and testimonials if they are available.
Use Social Media Accordingly
Some small business owners who are attuned to the world of online social networking skip the website portion of their online presence and choose to run their business from a Facebook or Twitter profile. This is not recommended for bookkeepers; however, being active on social media can go a long way to boost your online reputation.
A good social media practice consists of building a Twitter audience by searching for open questions about bookkeeping topics. For example, searching for the term “single entry” followed by a “?” question mark will return conversations about that topic. If the original question has not been answered, that’s an opportunity to introduce yourself, be of service, link to your website, and gain a new Twitter follower. The best social network for bookkeepers, however, is LinkedIn.
Don’t Forget About Email Marketing
For all the talk about how social media is becoming the Internet as we know it, millions of people still use email daily, particularly for business purposes. Building an email list can be as easy as offering a monthly newsletter that features content that your prospects and clients will not find in your blog or elsewhere.
The key to produce a successful email marketing newsletter is to pick one or two great topics that you know your audience can use and enjoy. For example, one article can be about bank reconciliation, which is not the most entertaining topic to read; however, this is an article that can be made friendlier if it mentions how a celebrity actor or athlete went broke because of poor accounting practices.
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