Does using Twitter make sense to an accounting firm? Yup.

In this digital age, leaving out social media in your growth and expansion plans would be an unwise move. According to a 2015 CMO survey, the share of marketing budgets spent on social media is likely to double from 10.7% to 23.8% in the next five years.

As only 17.1% of B2B service providing companies have been able to prove the impact of social media quantitatively, there is still a long way to go. When it comes to ONLY Twitter, 77% of CPAs boasted about having over 100 followers on the platform – which is a good start.

In our previous article, we discussed how CPA professionals are realizing the potential of Twitter, and how they see it as a tool to connect with industry peers and influencers, to keep up with the industry news and to establish themselves as authority leaders.

It’s all good individually, but are accounting firms taking note of this social media channel? There may be no definite answer but its use is on the rise, and it depends on many factors such as size, industry, employee size, etc., etc.

But here are four reasons why all accounting firms should start using Twitter, if they aren’t already:

1. To promote the accountancy practiceThe main aim of getting on any social media channel is to promote self or the business. Likewise, Twitter is an excellent channel to promote the services of your accounting firm. Whether it is tax planning and compliance services or audit services and business valuations – get the word across about your company on this channel. If you run a company blog as well, tweet about a new blog!
2. To provide tax tips and inform about rapidly changing lawsThe accounting industry is dynamic; and the corporate and personal tax laws seem to be constantly changing. It is not possible for all business owners and clients to keep up with the news! Therefore, tweet about such rapidly changing laws.Your target market is looking for a company who can keep up with this ever-evolving profession. They are looking for someone who knows what they are doing; and what better than Twitter to showcase just that about your firm?
3. To educate the followers on the latest industry newsTwitter is a great platform for sharing all kinds of news. So don’t restrict your tweets to just corporate and personal tax laws. Educate your followers about the new technologies being used in the accounting industry, the tightened corporate audit regulations, health and safety laws affecting the businesses, etc.Share information and provide industry-related opinions. Showcase your company as an authority figure in the industry. It’s a great way to attract potential clients!
4. To interact with the target market on a personal levelHave you noticed how easy Twitter has made for fans to connect with their favorite movie stars, authority figures and brands? It is so simple to get a message across to them! All you need to do is just write a tweet that sparks enough interested in the person it’s directed at.Similarly, it is easier for your accounting firm to showcase a positive image of itself to your target market. With your tax tips and industry news, you can establish your company as an authority figure. By promoting your services on Twitter, you can let the people know exactly what you do for business.Over to youSo what do you think of this social platform? Can you think of any other reasons for why your accounting firm needs to get on Twitter? Is your firm maintaining an active Twitter account? How well is it doing?