[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ custom_padding_last_edited=”on|phone” _builder_version=”4.23″ custom_padding_tablet=”” custom_padding_phone=”0px||||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}” da_is_popup=”off” da_exit_intent=”off” da_has_close=”on” da_alt_close=”off” da_dark_close=”off” da_not_modal=”on” da_is_singular=”off” da_with_loader=”off” da_has_shadow=”on” da_disable_devices=”off|off|off”][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_3,2_3″ _builder_version=”4.23″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” width=”100%” custom_padding=”||0px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ module_class=”table-contents” _builder_version=”4.23″ background_color=”#f3f2f6″ custom_padding=”25px||25px||true|false” sticky_position=”top” sticky_limit_bottom=”section” sticky_position_tablet=”top” sticky_position_phone=”none” sticky_position_last_edited=”on|desktop” pac_dcm_carousel_specific_module_num=”0″ border_radii=”on|24px|24px|24px|24px” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.23″ text_font=”||||||||” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}” background__hover_enabled=”on|desktop”][\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”2_3″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” pac_dcm_carousel_specific_module_num=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Copy paste body text here” _builder_version=”4.21.0″ header_2_font_size=”32px” header_2_font_size_tablet=”30px” header_2_font_size_phone=”26px” header_2_font_size_last_edited=”on|tablet” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
Ok, so you\u2019ve started up a bookkeeping business! You\u2019ve nailed down a business plan and you\u2019re now at the stage of getting off the ground and pulling in some clients to get your cash flowing.<\/p>\n
But how will you be found? How will you both attract and retain clients? First things first: you\u2019re going to need a marketing strategy<\/a><\/span> to properly get the word of your bookkeeping services out there. Let\u2019s begin\u2026<\/p>\n To be on the front foot with your marketing, you\u2019re going to need a basic set of brand guidelines. These are important as the moment you begin creating content<\/a><\/span>\u2014whether you\u2019re building your website, or setting up business social media accounts, you\u2019re building brand awareness and recognition.<\/p>\n You need to have a stable and recognisable visual brand<\/a><\/span>, or you\u2019ll end up lost in the mix and people won\u2019t know who you are.<\/p>\n The look and feel of your brand will evolve over time, and it doesn\u2019t need to be perfect or incredibly detailed when you\u2019re just beginning in business, but to start with you at least need:<\/p>\n Once you\u2019ve established basic brand guidelines for your bookkeeping business, it\u2019s time to figure out who<\/em> you\u2019re marketing to so you can provide relevant content.<\/p>\n If you don\u2019t consider carefully whom you\u2019re looking to target, all your efforts will be \u2018scattergun\u2019 and will likely miss the mark for most people.<\/p>\n Look back to your bookkeeping business plan where you undertook market research and a competitive analysis. If you haven\u2019t done these yet \u2013 do them now.<\/p>\n You need to have a proper profile of your target market, including:<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”Copy paste body text here” _builder_version=”4.21.0″ header_2_font_size=”32px” header_2_font_size_tablet=”30px” header_2_font_size_phone=”26px” header_2_font_size_last_edited=”on|tablet” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Target market knowledge becomes very important with online advertising such as through Google and Facebook \u2013 as they allow you to target certain people to better aim your ads.<\/p>\n The home base for your bookkeeping business will of course be your website. This will be where people find you online, discover your services, and hopefully book an appointment or make contact. Marketing without a website is futile, but the good news is, you can easily get your business online<\/a> by building a simple and attractive in Wix or WordPress<\/p>\n In creating your website, there are a few key things you\u2019ll need to consider straight off the bat:<\/p>\n Make sure you keep it tight and clean \u2013 a cluttered and long-winded website will repel potential clients and won’t be ranked well on search engines.<\/p>\n Your Google My Business profile will be a cornerstone of your online presence<\/a><\/span> outside of your website, so don\u2019t skip it. To be easily found online, you must be sure to fill out your profile in full \u2013 don\u2019t forget to add logos and pictures.<\/p>\n Once you have one, you can collect reviews, show up in search engines, have your contact details visible, and do things like advertise and collect data through Google Analytics.<\/p>\n Now you need to get your socials going. Don\u2019t stretch yourself too thin in the beginning, as managing several pages can take valuable time away from your primary business tasks.<\/p>\n It\u2019s best to start with the most useful and popular social platforms for businesses, such as LinkedIn and Facebook. If you like, you can always add Instagram, Twitter, or TikTok.<\/p>\n Once you have business pages set up, you can use these pages to run ads, add content, and link back to the blog on your website. You can also link back to CTAs that take people straight to your booking or contact page.<\/p>\n To increase your following, you can boost your posts with a bit of coin to make them more visible in people\u2019s feeds.<\/p>\n Your social media should provide useful, informative, and appealing content that matches your services and industry. Make sure you post as regularly as possible to remain relevant. Remember to check your accounts frequently in case a potential client comments or contacts on your feed.<\/p>\n The best content (especially on social media) is aimed squarely at your intended clients and provides value. In your communications, you\u2019ll want to become somewhat of \u2018bookkeeping thought leader\u2019, meaning you are a trusted subject matter expert<\/a><\/span> who gives out sage advice.<\/p>\n Think about creating regular blogs<\/a><\/span> on basic bookkeeping skills or little-known tax strategies. You can also create videos on how to better use accounting software<\/a><\/span>, or make simple image posts with useful titbits on compliance or running a business<\/a><\/span>. Indeed, relevant content is essential to almost all your marketing efforts!<\/p>\n Having taken these steps so far, you should look to cement your online reputation. Once you have a few clients, the simplest way is to do this is to simply ask them to leave you a review or score on your Google profile. Customer reviews will add serious clout to your business when people search for you online.<\/p>\n You can also incentivise reviews but don\u2019t fall into the trap of bribing or unethical practices. Do a diligent job, offer great value, and take care of customer service; favourable reviews will come in time.<\/p>\nGetting started with branding<\/h2>\n
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Know your market<\/h2>\n
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Set up a solid website<\/h2>\n
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Create a Google My Business account<\/h2>\n
Promote your business on social media<\/h2>\n
Create content that is informative for your ideal customer<\/h2>\n
Start collecting reviews<\/h2>\n
Keep working on SEO (Search Engine Optimisation)<\/h2>\n