Acquiring new customers is essential to the survival of every company. The tax office is no exception. Read here how you can attract a steady stream of new inquiries from clients.
Table of contents:
- Who are your dream clients?
- Law firm website
- Using knowledge for marketing
- Entries in directories
- Online advertising with professional help
- Social media and business networks
- Let clients advertise
Frequently asked questions and answers about attracting new clients for tax advisors
Yes, that is allowed. However, the professional rules apply, which includes, among other things, the ban on comparative advertising or advertising for specific mandates. It is also possible to place ads in search engines.
If an article simply explains a fact or is an expression of opinion, this is possible without any problems. Tax advisors are allowed to publicly express their name and job title. However, if it is a purchased item (sponsored post), the chamber’s rules apply.
Yes, as long as the names of companies for which a tax firm has demonstrably worked are only mentioned. However, it is better to avoid detailed case descriptions, even if there are no conclusive judgments on these questions.
When a new retail store opens, bargains and discounts, accompanied by advertisements or flyers, are among the first on-site advertising measures. Advertising is not that easy for tax advisors. After all, they are part of the chamber professions - and are therefore subject to stricter guidelines than other trades.
Arguments such as the price or the superiority of one’s own law firm and methods over others inevitably lead to a court. So these advertising statements are canceled. However, it is still possible to advertise on your own behalf.
Who are your dream clients?
Before you start planning and implementing specific measures, first think about what your dream client looks like. Because in your marketing campaigns it is important to address their needs and wishes. The better the content is tailored to this target group, the higher the chances of success for all measures.
Target groups can also result from your main areas of activity and advice. Ideas would be for example:
- Wealth planning
- Tax planning
- Advice on starting a business or restructuring cases
- Accounting advice
- Support with controlling
The topic areas can then become the focus of real campaigns. If you’re just starting out on your own, you shouldn’t be too picky.
The description of the law firm should definitely include the note that new clients are also welcome if they have questions outside of the main focus.
The basis for everything: the law firm website
If you can’t be found online, you won’t be in the minds of your customers. This insight from the trading world also applies to today’s tax offices. Anyone looking for help with tax issues will probably start their search with Google. The law firm website forms the basis for being discoverable at all. And it can serve as a basis for further measures.
You have countless options when choosing content:
- Present yourself, your work priorities and your team.
- Use photos to provide insight into the atmosphere that awaits new clients on site.
- Don’t forget office hours, contact options and directions.
Not only since the pandemic has a possibility of contact via video call been a differentiating feature.
Many self-employed people tend to overestimate their abilities when it comes to designing online presences. It’s better to invest some money in professional texts and photos. Maybe there are already marketing specialists among your clients?
You should also take advantage of the opportunities that arise from optimizing your content for search engines. If the law firm website occupies one of the top positions on Google’s results pages, inquiries will reach you free of charge. Search engine optimization is a small science in itself. There can also be legal pitfalls here. Here too, professionals have their advantages.
This basic information will probably not alone be the deciding factor for a potential client to have an initial meeting. However, they are a good basis for all further acquisition measures.
Use content and knowledge for your marketing
Try to offer added value. Because highlighting expertise is a powerful tool for convincing new clients and creating trust. With “content marketing” you get yourself into the conversation. The content produced can be used in a variety of ways.
Examples include:
- Offer checklists for download, for example which documents and data belong to the tax return or how corporate customers prepare their discussions with a bank.
- Put together link collections.
- Present judgments relating to tax law.
You can then use this content on other channels:
- Book an ad space in a local newspaper and present a short text there that provides information about deadlines or explains what has to be taken into account for tax purposes in the event of an inheritance. By the way, local editorial offices are always understaffed. You might get free advertising if you offer factual text on a current topic.
- You could also integrate a blog on the law firm website in which you describe topics from your practice areas in more detail.
- The content can also be published in a freely available newsletter. Or you can point out that clients regularly receive such a newsletter exclusively.
There are no limits to your ingenuity here. Chamber law only stipulates that the advertising must be related to the material.
Entries in directories
By searching online you will quickly find many directories and rating portals. You should at least be represented there with a free basic entry in order to make it easier for other people to recommend you and increase your visibility on the Internet. This category also includes creating and maintaining an entry on Google My Business. Google also uses the information stored there in its map service Google Maps, for example.
This makes it easier for users who search for “tax advisor near me” to become aware of you.
Online advertising – best with professional help
A tax office is also allowed to advertise on search engines. The placement of ads as part of search engine marketing is possible in self-service. However, collaboration with specialists seems to make sense. They have the necessary knowledge about which terms people are searching for, how an ad should best be designed and the advertising budget is best invested.
Use social media and business networks
Digital communication channels such as business networks (e.g. LinkedIn) or other social media platforms are also becoming more important for tax firms. You should at least have an attractive profile on Xing and LinkedIn.
However, you will only achieve greater attention on the platforms if you start talking to others or if your posts generate greater interest. This requires a certain amount of imagination, sensitivity, but also regularity and a plan. Take a look around there, get inspiration from other tax advisors and try to find your own gap with your topics.
Let clients advertise
Once you have acquired an initial base of clients, you can build on that. Because satisfied customers are the best advertising for any company. If people seeking advice are enthusiastic about your service and your work, they will certainly be happy to provide your contact details to other people who are looking for a tax advisor. This can only be actively controlled to a limited extent. However, it doesn’t hurt to say in the client newsletter or elsewhere that you would be happy to receive an active recommendation.
