Anastasia Belyh April 1, 2021 The toughest part of freelancing is getting clients. As a freelance accountant, your ability to attract clients is what makes you a successful freelance account. You can have better accounting skills than your competitors, but if they know how to attract clients while you struggle with it, they will experience a more successful freelance career than you.
Are you a freelance accountant struggling with attracting clients? Have you done everything you can but had only little success in return? Perhaps, you want to quit freelancing and get a regular paying job because of your frustrations. Do you want to increase your current clientage? Then this article is for you.
In this article, you will learn the quick and proven ways you can attract clients as a freelance accountant.
Let’s get started.
1. Word of Mouth
Word of mouth (WOM) is the most powerful yet massively underrated way to attract clients for any business. It is cost-effective and does not require you to spend a kobo. Most of the jobs that freelancers get are from client referrals.
Many freelance accountants are not leveraging on their existing pool of customers. Word of mouth may seem effortless but it is not. Asking your clients for referrals in exchange for free work is a win-win situation that your clients will most likely take.
If you have long-term clients that are happy with the quality of your work, there is no harm in asking for referrals. They will be more than happy to do that for you without you asking.
Another way to get word of mouth referral is to simply deliver consistent services that exceed the expectations of your clients. Keeping your clients happy will result in referrals from them. Since they trust you, they will easily recommend you to others who need your services.
Never underestimate the power of a glowing recommendation from a client. It cuts short the onboarding process since they know you can do the job they want. We find ourselves using the services of certain professionals not because we found them ourselves, but based on recommendations of others in our cycle.
If you do not have any clients, you can spread the word about your business on your social media platforms and in conversations with friends and families. They can easily refer you when someone else needs the services of an accountant or hire you when they need your services.
2. Create or Revamp Your Website
Having a website can put you ahead of other freelance accountants that do not have one. However, it is not just enough to have a website. Is your website loading speed fast? Does it have all the information about your services including testimonials and social proof?
If you do not have a website, you need to get a domain name, website builder, and web hosting services. Some website builders you can use include Wix and Squarespace.
Investing in a world-class website is a quick way to attract clients. It is a powerful lead generation tool that you can use to convert the most skeptical of clients.
One advantage of owning a website is that you can optimize your page to rank for SEO. If someone googles ‘best freelance accounts’ in your local area, and your site is well-optimized for SEO, Google will produce your page as one of its search results.
You can check your SEO rank by googling the keywords you used for your website and seeing if you rank for them. If you do not rank on the first page, you can adopt SEO trends to boost your SEO rank.
3. Perform an Ideal Client Analysis
Identifying your ideal client can help you know how best to position yourself for your target audience. Study your ideal clients, find out what their problems are, and what benefits appeal to them. Position yourself as an authority or as the go-to freelance accountant to deliver these results.
Avoid generalizing your services as it makes you appeal to almost no one. Specializing in an area has lots of perks. You can command higher fees for your services compared to what other freelancers can charge.
Ask yourself what type of clients you want to work with. Once you have identified them, build your offer around what they want.
4. Start Networking
Networking is another powerful and quick way to attract clients as a freelance accountant. Networking with your local community can open many doors for you.
Some clients also involve themselves in these networking programs or clubs to find freelance accountants they can use. As you grow your sphere of influence, you can get referrals from colleagues or get offers to work with them on some projects.
When joining a networking platform, ensure that you let everyone know the services you offer. Keep an open eye for opportunities to work with clients.
Networking at industry and business events can be a game-changer for you. Attending these events and building relationships with other attendants can open doors for referrals and gigs.
5. Utilize Social Media
Social media is a goldmine for finding and attracting clients quickly as a freelance accountant. You can utilize the various social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn to attract the patronage of clients for your freelance accounting services
An easy way to increase your visibility on social media platforms and let your clients know you are a freelance accountant is to optimize your profile. Put the services you offer clearly in your bio so that your clients can easily find you.
Another way to use social media to attract clients is to join relevant online communities for freelance accountants and stay active. Your increased visibility will make it easier for others to refer you to those who need your services, and make it easy for clients to find you.
LinkedIn is a powerful social media platform for finding clients. Learn how to send LinkedIn prospecting messages and use the platform for lead generation.
6. Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Advertising and Social Media Ads
PPC advertising and social media ads when done properly will help you attract clients quickly. They help you generate leads which you can convert into clients.
Social media ads such as Facebook Ads, Instagram Ads, and Twitter Ads can put you in front of your target audience. When clients click your ad, it will direct them to your landing page where you can collect their emails and better pitch your services. Facebook Ads leads generation is the most popular option.
With PPC advertising, you have to do keyword research to find out the words that your clients are searching for when they want to hire freelance accountants. Create adverts in Google Adwords for those keywords so that when someone searches for it, your website or landing page will be the first result they see.
You pay Google each time someone clicks on your website link in the Ad space. If you do not know how to use PPC advertising, you can hire an expert to handle it on your behalf.
Combining your SEO strategy with PPC advertising is a powerful method for attracting clients. It is an opportunity for your website to rank twice on the first page of the Google Search Engine Result Page (SERP).
7. Author an Ebook
Authoring an ebook gives you a huge bargaining chip in the market. You do not need to have over 10 years of experience in your field to author an ebook. A simple ebook for beginners is enough to allow you to use the prestigious title of published author.
Publishing an ebook will make you an authority in your field. You can even create a short and valuable ebook that you can give to your clients or prospects. Such a gift will keep you in your prospect’s consideration and make you the first name they remember for hire when they need the services of a freelance accountant.
8. Build an Email Marketing List
Every freelance accountant should have a system for generating leads, building their email list, and sending regular messages to prospects. Email marketing is a powerful way to convert cold prospects into active clients.
If you do not have an email marketing strategy, create a system that helps you collect emails and send out targeted emails to your contacts. Some of the best mass email services include MailChimp, GetResponse, ActiveCampaign and AWeber.
Avoid sending regular sales emails unless your prospects will unsubscribe from your email list or not open your email. Send out engaging emails that provide value for your readers. When you offer so much value via email and cultivate a relationship with your prospects, they will be open to the idea of hiring you.
The next time your prospects need a freelance accountant, you will be one of the first names they remember on account of your valuable emails.
Next Step: Managing Your Clients and Finding New Ones
After implementing these eight ways to attract clients for your freelance accounting business, you will find it easy to attract clients. Sometimes you can attract more than you can handle, and you now have to deal with managing them.
The problem of managing your clients is a good one to have compared to dealing with zero or a few clients. There are several ways you can manage your growing client list.
You can use accounting software such as QuickBooks, Freshbooks, and Xero to automate your accounting tasks. Accounting software saves you time and helps you to be more productive.
Another way to manage your growing client list is to partner with other freelance accountants to handle the workload. You can find freelance accountants on freelance job sites such as Upwork and Guru. If you manage your growing client list property, you can even find time to find new ones.
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