Attracting clients in the new world of social distancing

For many accountants, if not all, a physical shop front and attending meetings and networking events in person are critical parts of growing the client base.

That was the old ‘normal’, but what now?

The challenges

As accountants adapt to the ‘next normal’, how can they overcome the challenges posed by social distancing and:

• the lack of organised events like business breakfasts and local chambers of trade gatherings
• reduced footfall in the towns where their premises are based
• anxiety around face to face meetings

Arguably, online and digital platforms are more important than ever – essential, in fact. If you can’t operate as effectively in the physical space, then you must be able to do so in the virtual world. What do you need? A modern, effective website.

In other words – your digital shop front. Just like your offices, you want it to look good and be appealing to increase the chance they’ll approach you for your services. Aside from appearance, there are many factors to consider to ensure your website is enticing and effective.

One-stop-shop for clients

Is your website a one-stop-shop for clients, giving them all they need all in a single location? Can they connect to a self-service portal to send you key documents and exchange information securely? Can they login to their online bookkeeping package? And get all the latest news?

Client newsletters

A regular, well-informed email newsletter can be a powerful tool. It will demonstrate your knowledge, provide useful tips, and keep clients updated in a friendly and useful way. There are tools that will help you built attractive newsletters that can be sent automatically at scheduled times.

Google ranking

A critical part for any business when assessing their online presence is how you rank on search engines – primarily the biggest player in the market, Google. There are tools that can be embedded in your website to make sure you’re optimising your placing as much as possible.

Integration with social media

Whether you’re using LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, or one of the many other platforms, there’s no doubt that when used well, social media can be very helpful in enticing prospects. An effective website will integrate a business’ social channels to ensure they work together seamlessly.

Notifications

When the COVID crisis kicked in, you probably will have noticed firms placing a notification on their sites to explain to customers how they were operating – opening hours, support, and so on. This functionality is important for any emergency situation.

Back to normal?

Ultimately, even if you think things will go back to the old ‘normal’ at some stage – something that’s hard to see right now -improving your online presence will help take the strain away from relying on word of mouth, referrals, and networking in future.

How can IRIS help?

We make great, modern websites for accountants through our IRIS WebPortal service, helping to support with all of the points above. We take care of the difficult side of creating, managing, and updating a website so you can concentrate on your business. We enable the one stop shop, meaning clients can:
1- Connect to OpenSpace and share information with you securely
2- Log in to KashFlow
3- Find out the latest on COVID-19 and more.

Want to know more? Call us on 0344 844 9644 or email hello@iris.co.uk