10 Easy Ways To Advertise Your Bookkeeping Service For Free
A few people in the bookkeeping business have asked us where they could advertise their businesses for free.
It's a great question. Business owners should always do everything within their power to maximize exposure for their business.
In this post, we will share some of the best platforms you can use to market your bookkeeping company. Many of the services we recommend are free to use, but there's one we suggest you pay a small fee for.
1. Join Facebook Groups
Do you want to advertise your bookkeeping business on Facebook but don't want to spend a fortune? It's possible to get free advertising for your small business by joining relevant groups and posting content that appeals to their members.
Here's how to do it:
Join relevant Facebook groups. You can find these by searching for keywords related to your industry (like "accounting," "bookkeeping," or "numbers") in the Groups section of the Facebook search bar.
Join any that seem relevant, and read through the group description before posting anything. If you're unsure which ones are relevant, check out this list of small business owner groups on Facebook. Many of them are open to anyone who wants to join, so there's no need to filter out irrelevant ones.
Post useful content. Once you've joined some groups, please post a link to one of your blog posts or other pieces of content that can help people in those groups with their business challenges or questions. This is especially important if you ask people to respond directly to you in the comments section. Otherwise, your post will get lost among dozens or hundreds of other comments.
Specifically, look for Facebook groups geared towards small business owners in your community. You can join because you are also a small business owner in your town. It's an excellent forum for you because your ideal customers are also other local small business owners.
2. Use Google Business Profile
Use Google Business Profile to advertise your bookkeeping business for free. You can manage your profile with updates and relevant information about your business.
There are many ways to advertise your bookkeeping business, and one of them is through Google My Business. This tool is a free way to promote your business, and it's easy to set up.
We'll explain what Google Business Profile is and how it can help your business. Also, we'll discuss how to set up an account and how you can use it to promote your bookkeeping services.
What Is Google Business Profile?
Google My Business is a free tool from Google that allows you to manage your business listing Google. It gives you access to analytics about how people view your website and helps you get more traffic from search engines by showing up in the right places.
How Does Google Business Profile Help Your Bookkeeping Business?
Two main ways using this platform will help you with your online marketing:
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It can help increase your visibility on search engines like Google so that more people find out about your services through their searches. This will lead to more calls from potential clients looking for someone like you who can help with their financials or taxes.
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It provides tools so that users can leave reviews about your company online (both good and bad). These reviews will help others find out how effective your services are. Gaining positive reviews on your Google Business Profile is an excellent way to attract new clients. Your online reputation will speak for itself.
Your Google Business Profile page appears in search results when someone searches for your business name. It also shows up on local maps, so it's a good idea to claim your business on the platform.
You can edit the information you want people to see, such as:
- your full company name
- your address and phone number
- the hours of operation
- your website URL
If you don't have a Google My Business account, you can create one here.
After you've created your account, follow these steps:
To add a new location, click on the Add a location button. Then enter your business name and address and select the type of business you operate (for example, "Bookkeeping"). If you want to add more locations, click the Add another location link at the bottom of the page.
To add photos to your business listing, click on the photo icon on your business page. Then select an image from your computer or social media sites like Facebook or Instagram. You can also upload pictures directly from your computer by clicking on Upload photo/video and selecting an image file from your computer's hard drive.
3. Create a Simple Website For Your Bookkeeping Service
Create a simple website to help market your bookkeeping business. It doesn't have to be expensive but don't use a free option. Most free options will make your business look unprofessional. Use an inexpensive paid platform to have a simple but professional-looking website for your bookkeeping business.
You should have at least three sections on your website:
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Type of Business - This is the default section people see when they come to your site. It should include an image or logo of your company and a brief description of what you do (i.e., bookkeeping services for small businesses).
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About - This section should include information about who you are, why you started this business, and where you went to school. You can also include any awards or recognition your company has received in the past year (if applicable).
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Services: This page should list all the different services you offer and provide more details about each service, including pricing, how long it takes, what technology you use, etc.
Mighty Sites is the fastest, easiest, and most affordable way to accomplish a simple bookkeeping business website. Create a one-page website for your business for only $9/month.
4. Find Online Forums and Answer Questions
Find online forums and answer questions. It will help get your name out there as a bookkeeper and attract new clients for free.
If you don't know where to start, try answering some questions on the following sites:
Quora: This is an excellent site for finding topics relevant to your industry. Other users usually vote up the top answers, so it's easy to see what people are looking for in their responses. You can also use Quora to find people who ask questions about topics related to bookkeeping and accounting.
Reddit: Reddit has many subreddits dedicated to different topics, including one called /r/smallbusiness (which has over 30k subscribers). You may also be able to find some relevant subReddits by searching for keywords related to your business (such as "bookkeeper" or "accounting").
After answering bookkeeping questions, you can link to your website so people can contact you if they want to hire you to help them.
5. Contribute to Local Publications
Networking with local reporters and publishers is the best way to gain exposure for your bookkeeping business.
Here's how to get started:
Find out who covers the type of business you're in. For example, if you're a small business owner, find out who covers small businesses in your area.
Contact them and let them know you'd like to be a resource if they ever need quotes from a local small business owner for one of their articles. It's a great free way to gain some exposure for your bookkeeping business.
6. Maintain an Active Facebook Presence
You don't have to be a social media expert to maintain an active Facebook presence for your bookkeeping business. It is a great way to get advertising for free.
The key is that you need to post regularly and make sure that it is relevant and exciting to your customers.
You should also post on other social media sites like Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram, as well as Youtube and LinkedIn. All of these sites will help you reach out to people who may need your services in the future.
Here are some ways you can use Facebook to promote your bookkeeping business:
- Post regular updates about your business and what's going on in your life. The more you post, the more people will see it and be interested in following along with what you have going on each day or week.
This will also help increase your online visibility so that potential clients can find you easier when they search online for local businesses like yours.
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Share interesting articles and blog posts related to accounting or bookkeeping that may interest your target audience (people who are likely to hire a bookkeeper).
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And remember to join groups related to local small businesses, accounting, or bookkeeping. There you can share information related to these topics with other professionals who may be looking for the same services your company provides.
7. Maintain an Active LinkedIn Presence
As a bookkeeper, you know that word of mouth is the best way to grow your business. You constantly seek ways to expand your reach and get more clients. One of the best ways to do this is by personally maintaining an active LinkedIn presence for your bookkeeping business and yourself. It is a great way to get advertising for free.
Here are some tips on how to use LinkedIn effectively:
- Update your profile. Don't just set up your profile and leave it at that! Update it regularly to reflect changes in your status (i.e., promotions, new job titles). Also, add a professional headshot so people can see what you look like when they search for you.
- Connect with colleagues and potential clients by searching for them by name or company name in the search bar at the top of their page or using the advanced search function on the right side of their page.
- Engage with posts. Comment, like and share posts on a consistent basis. This will help create exposure for you and your bookkeeping service.
LinkedIn is one of the most powerful social media sites for your business and personal life. It's a great way to network with other companies and professionals, find new leads, and even get free advertising.
8. Attend Local Business Events - Grand Openings, etc
Attending local business events like grand openings and anniversaries is a great way to show your face in the community and network with potential customers for your bookkeeping services.
You can also get involved with local networking groups, chamber of commerce meetings, and even help with charity events.
If you are a bookkeeper, this is one of the best ways to get your name out there. You'll not only be making connections but also establishing yourself as a viable option for businesses looking for someone to do their bookkeeping.
9. Join Upwork
Join Upwork, the world's largest outsourcing website, bidding on bookkeeping contracts. It is free to create a profile, and you can win new business through the platform.
Upwork is a platform for freelancers to find projects and clients to hire freelancers. The company was founded in 2005 and, as of 2018, has more than 13 million freelancers and 5 million businesses registered on its platform.
Upwork's business model is based on a transaction fee for each project a freelancer or client accepts. It also charges an additional fee for premium services like team management tools and job postings for specific industry verticals. Upwork offers free training courses to help new employers and freelancers learn how to use the service.
You can use your profile as a free advertising resource for your services. The best part is that you only pay when you book new clients through the platform.
10. List Your Business in Local Business Directories
You can create a profile for your bookkeeping service in local online business directories. This is a great way to advertise your bookkeeping service for free.
Local business directories are a great way to get your name out there and grow your client base. They will also help you rank higher in search engines, which means more people will see your profile and potentially contact you.
The first thing you need to do is set up a listing on Google Business Profile. This will put your business on Google Maps and other Google properties (such as Search). You can also include photos, videos, and more information about your business.
Once you've created a listing on Google Business Profile, it's time to add yourself to other local directories relevant to your business. For example, if you're a bookkeeper who works with small businesses, then adding yourself to websites like Yelp or Thumbtack would be helpful. Those sites are frequented by potential clients who may be looking for someone like you.
Here are some popular online directors where you can list your bookkeeping service business for free:
Conclusion
The good news is that there are many easy ways to advertise your bookkeeping services for free. So, when you feel it's time to start a marketing campaign to strengthen your brand and gain new clients, don't hesitate to try out some of these ideas.
You'll find many of them to be not only free but easy too!