There are many different ways in which you can use Facebook to connect with high value clients for your accounting, bookkeeping or outsourced CFO practice. However, when you are first starting to market your practice this can be overwhelming – particularly if you don’t yet have the resources to focus on multiple methods. Let’s take a closer look at the ways in which you can use Facebook to get clients so that you can figure out which is right for your practice.
Your Ideal Client and Goals
The best way for you to use Facebook ultimately depends on your ideal client, and what your goals are.
For the sake of this article, I am going to assume that you’re already clear on your ideal client and know that they predominantly hang out on Facebook.
Facebook is a great tool to build relationships, create a community and advertise your practice, as long as your ideal clients actually use it. There are four ways to use Facebook to market your practice:
- Personal profile
- Facebook groups
- Personal business page
- Business page
The best way for you to use Facebook depends on which of these goals are most important to you.
Personal Profile
You don’t have to use your personal Facebook page to share family photos and pictures of your dog. Setting up a professional personal page is an effective way of building relationships with prospective clients.
On my personal profile, I use professional-looking images for my profile and cover picture, and all of the updates I share are centered around business. I also share my live videos on my personal profile as well as in my Facebook group.
I do this because, ultimately, people buy people. I use my personal profile to reach out to prospects, stay in touch with business contacts and engage in my Facebook group because the best way to grow your practice is through human-to-human marketing.
Facebook Group
A Facebook group is a powerful tool that allows you to build a community around your mission. Facebook groups foster interaction and connection, which allows you to build relationships with prospects and generate organic leads.
The caveat is that you can’t just create a Facebook group and be done with it. You need to carefully monitor who you let into your group, make sure that your members are following the rules and consistently use it to deliver value. The best Facebook groups are a place to learn, as well as connect.
In my Facebook group, I show up as myself. I go live four times a week, post daily updates and frequently ask questions or use polls to foster engagement. Your prospects won’t use your group unless you make a concentrated effort to both help and get to know them, and allow them to get to know you.
Personal Business Page
A personal business page is a business page that you create under your own name, rather than your business branding. For example, I have an Amanda C. Watts business page and an Oompf Global page.
Personal business pages are very different from personal profiles because you can’t add friends but you can gain followers. It’s more a place to broadcast information than to interact. However, I still show up as myself. The updates that I post are more personal than the ones on the Oompf Global page.
Business Page
If you want to do Facebook advertising then you need a page that uses your brand or business name. However, you don’t necessarily have to post daily updates in the same way that you would in your Facebook group or personal profile.
You need to ensure that your business page looks professional so that prospects know you’re legit. You should include as much of your business information as possible and all of your updates should be professional rather than personal.
Which Should You Use?
When you are first starting out, trying to cover the four different sections of Facebook can feel overwhelming.
If your goals are to get leads and build relationships, then I recommend using your personal profile to do so or creating a group. These are the best tools for fostering engagement and making connections with your prospects.
People aren’t going to come looking for your business pages, but you can use your personal profile to reach out and get to know your prospects better. A personal profile also marries well with a Facebook group and allows you to build an authentic community.
However, if you want to give your online presence a kick start and grow your audience via Facebook advertising, a business page is the way to do this.
Ultimately, however, when it comes to filling your practice with high value clients, creating a community and building relationships are the most effective ways of doing so. Business pages are nice to have but it is a more personal Facebook presence that will work best for you. A freedom practice is built around your specific expertise because when it comes to investing in advisory services, people buy people.
