Do Accountants Need to Know Marketing?

A few decades ago, professionals like accountants relied on referrals, word of mouth, and local advertising—newspaper ads, commercials, and classifieds. Those methods still work, but they are outdated, and considering there are 1.4 million accountants in the US, they’re no longer an effective way to get noticed.

Marketing is essential, but whether or not you need to know about marketing yourself is a different story.

Do Accountants Need to Know about Marketing?

If you’re an accountant who also knows about marketing—an SEO expert, a social media guru, a paid ads specialist—then you have the skill set to succeed on your own.

You probably won’t be getting a lot of sleep, but you certainly have the knowledge to acquire new clients, retarget existing ones, and grow your brand.

If you don’t have those skills, and you don’t have the time or desire to learn, you don’t need to learn marketing.

There are companies and individuals out there who will do the work for you.

Why You Should Hire Marketers as an Accountant

Every professional likes to think they can do everything themselves.

They’re used to managing their time and resources. Whether they’re dealing with a problem client, tackling a dispute, or chasing an invoice, it’s all on them.

They can’t simply hand the problem to another department and then get back to work.

When it comes to marketing, they often adopt the same approach, only to wonder why things aren’t working several months down the line.

Look at it this way: You wouldn’t expect a professional marketer to do their own taxes. If they approached you with such a suggestion, you’d advise them to hire an accountant and remind them that it doesn’t need to be expensive, the accountant doesn’t need to work full-time, and there is a sliding scale for cost.

It’s the same with accountants and marketing. You’re not an expert marketer. You’re an accountant. So, hire someone else to do your marketing and focus on using your skills where they are best utilized.

Should Accountants Do Their Own SEO?

SEO is a form of marketing. It’s content marketing, as it’s all about publishing content that increases your search engine rankings and puts more clients on your books.

However, SEO is complex and varied. You could get some meager results, for instance, simply by posting a few blogs, staying active on social media, and posting videos where possible.

You could technically do these things in your spare time, but true and effective SEO goes much deeper than that and includes aspects you may not consider and definitely don’t have time to implement:

• Technical SEO: Everything from the ease of navigating to mobile optimization and page speed counts toward your search rankings. Throwing together a quick portfolio site on WordPress is rarely enough, especially when you’re competing against accountants who use experienced SEO teams.
• On-Page SEO: This is where those blogs come in, but there’s more to it than that. A good SEO consultant will check which keywords are best for your business before producing consistent, original, high-quality content that is relevant to you and your customers. They’ll also consider guides, FAQs, service pages, and anything else that gets indexed by the search engines.
• Off-Page SEO: This is an aspect that many SEO DIYers overlook. Search engines like Google will trust you more if your site is linked on a site they already trust, but getting those links isn’t easy. There are other aspects as well—effective SEO doesn’t just occur on your website.

The Best Approach to Marketing for Accountants

The best thing you can do as an accountant is use you skills and knowledge where it’s required and then leave the rest to the experts.

For instance, you’re probably limited in what you can do with regard to SEO. You might be able to write a few articles on accountancy, but they won’t be as good or as extensive as those penned by a writer with an SEO consultant.

Technical and off-page aspects may also be out of the question, so it pays to hire an SEO consultant or agency. But there are other areas where you can run your own ads:

• Social Media Marketing: You will definitely get the best results working with an agency that knows what it’s doing, but platforms like Meta Ads make it very easy to launch your own campaigns and target relevant individuals.
• Google Ads: If you create a Google Ads account, you may be offered your own Google Ads consultant who will guide you through the process of creating effective campaigns for free. There is a minimum budget before the consultant option is triggered, but it varies by industry. We know of a very small business that targeted an obscure keyword (no more than 10 clicks a day) and set a high budget. It was enough for them to get personal assistance, even though that campaign amounted to a spend of less than $10 a day.
• Print Ads: Call your local newspaper, find relevant magazines, and contact companies with a view to sponsoring events. They all have dedicated marketing teams who will guide you through the process and help you track your campaigns.
• Hire a Freelancer: You can use sites like Fiverr and Upwork to find freelancers who will manage paid ad campaigns. They’re experienced and have the skills you need, and if you focus on freelancers from countries like India, it may be a cheap option. This is more difficult with SEO, as you need quality content and there are many varied skills involved, but if you need someone with a specific skill set, it’s a good, low-cost option.

Summary: Marketing for Accountants

To summarize, you don’t need to know marketing if you’re an accountant. Having a little knowledge can go a long way and may take some strain off your budget, but if you want the best services, you need to hire experts.

You wouldn’t expect a marketing or SEO consultant to do all of their own taxes while also finding time to work and acquire new clients, and you shouldn’t expect the same of yourself.

Contact us today to get started with a comprehensive SEO campaign, one that accounts for your needs and goals while also considering your budget. We have something for everyone and have experience with sole proprietors, small businesses, and big organizations, so get in touch for a quote.