Accounting Firm Marketing Ideas That Cost Nothing

Accounting firm marketing has one big advantage over most businesses: your clients trust you with their most private numbers, and when they are happy, they say so to the people closest to them. A business owner asks another business owner "who does your books?" A family asks their lawyer "do you know a good accountant?" Your job is to make sure your name comes up, and that it is easy to pass along.

This guide is about marketing only. It covers who to ask, when, with what words, and how to share client experiences while keeping client details private. Every firm should also follow its own profession's rules on advertising, testimonials and confidentiality, which differ by country and by professional body.

Why do most accounting clients come by recommendation?

Because choosing an accountant is a trust decision, not a shopping decision. People are handing over bank statements, payroll, family matters and sometimes problems they are embarrassed about. They want someone a person they know has already trusted.

• They arrive ready. A referred client has heard you are responsive and clear before the first call.
• They fit. Friends recommend you to people like themselves, so referrals tend to look like your best clients.
• They stay. A client who came through someone they trust starts the relationship on good footing.

The challenge is that clients rarely think to recommend you unless prompted, and most accountants feel awkward asking. Both are fixable. The general approach for any service business is in how to grow a service business without paying for ads.

When is the best time for an accountant to ask for a referral?

Right after you deliver something the client is relieved about. For most firms that is the end of a busy season or the finish of a big piece of work: year-end done, a messy set of books cleaned up, a letter from the authorities answered, a new business set up properly. Relief is when people feel most grateful, and most likely to say yes.

Avoid asking in the middle of the crunch. You are rushed, they are anxious, and any request feels like one more thing. A two-line message a day or two after the work is finished lands much better.

What should an accountant say when asking for referrals?

Keep it about helping people they care about, and be specific about who you help. "Send us anyone" gives the client nothing to work with. "If a friend runs a small business and is drowning in receipts" puts a face in their head.

More wording for different situations is in how to ask for referrals without feeling pushy.

Which professionals refer clients to accountants?

The ones who serve the same people at a different moment. A lawyer setting up a company, a planner meeting a family, a banker reviewing a loan: each of them is regularly asked "who should do my accounts?"

Make it two-way. Refer your clients to the partners you trust when they need a lawyer or a planner, and tell partners exactly who you serve best. Keep each relationship about looking after the client well. Some professions have rules about referral arrangements and rewards, so check what applies to your field. How to set up a small, steady group is in referral partner program: how to build a crew that sends you clients.

How can an accounting firm use testimonials and keep clients' privacy?

Ask about the experience of working with you, never about figures or private matters. A future client does not need to know what anyone owed or saved. They want to know you answer the phone, explain things in plain words and take the worry away.

• Check your rules first. Whether and how you can use testimonials depends on where you practice and your professional body.
• Always ask permission. Clearly, in writing, for each use.
• Let the client choose their name. Full name, first name only, or "a business owner in [town]".
• Ask the right question. "What was it like before you worked with us, and what is it like now?" gets answers about peace of mind, not numbers.
• Leave out anything identifying that the client did not choose to share.

Words like "I finally sleep in April" (an example) say more about you than a list of services. For timing and wording, see how to get testimonials from clients.

How do you tell a client story without client details?

Describe the kind of client and the kind of problem, not the person or the numbers. "A family-owned restaurant with two locations whose books were six months behind" is specific enough to be believable and general enough to protect the client. Ask permission even for an anonymous story, because clients may still recognize themselves.

Three or four stories like this, each about a different kind of client, show new prospects that you have helped people like them. The full method is in how to write a case study for a small business.

What else works for accounting firm marketing without spending money?

Being easy to recommend. A few habits make that happen:

• Be clear about who you serve best. "We work with trades and restaurants" is easier to pass on than "we do accounting". Clients and partners can picture exactly who to send.
• Stay in touch in quiet months. A short, friendly check-in outside the busy season reminds clients you are there all year.
• Show up where your clients are. A local business group or a trade association lunch, where you listen more than you pitch.
• Thank every referral. Tell the person who sent a client that you are looking after them (without sharing details).

Frequently asked questions