PPC for Accounting Firms — Which Paid Advertising Channel is Best?

Paid advertising is the fastest way to share your services with prospective clients and provides a strategic opportunity to expand the firm's target audience while increasing brand visibility. 

However, knowing where to invest marketing dollars for your accounting firm can be challenging in a competitive market. 

Organizations can showcase their expertise and generate high-quality leads by leveraging platforms like Google Ads, Facebook Ads, and LinkedIn Ads. With the right approach, paid advertising can be a powerful tool for driving growth and maximizing return on investment for a CPA firm of any size. 

What is PPC for Accounting Firms?

Generally, PPC, or Pay-Per-Click, is a type of advertising strategy accounting businesses use to drive leads to a dedicated page on their website. Depending on which platform the company uses, a small fee is associated with each click the advertisement generates.

Compared to search engine optimization, PPC campaigns tend to drive more leads to the top of the sales funnel. While only some leads will generate a new client, it can still be a cost-effective way to generate customer lists and future potential clients.

Should Accounting Firms Invest in Paid Advertising?

Investing in paid advertising can create significant returns for accounting firms, especially in the digital landscape, where online marketing and social media engagement are crucial to success. 

Unlike SEO, paid advertising strategies often generate leads quicker and can be a great way to get visitors to a specific landing page.  PPC campaigns are also great if your team's marketing efforts are stretched across several channels.

Does Ad Spend Effect Lead Generation Results for PPC Advertising?

Many business owners and CPAs worry about the capital investment needed for a paid advertisement campaign. If you don't spend enough on placements, you could miss opportunities to acquire new customers. However, spending too much on ads where the ROI isn't justifiable is also possible.

When establishing your ad spend budget, it's vital to track performance metrics on an ongoing basis. Without optimizing the campaign, it can be challenging to clearly understand whether your ad spend is too low, too high, or on target.

What are the Best Paid Advertising Strategies for Accounting Firms?

While multiple paid advertising channels exist, the most effective tend to be  Google, Facebook, and LinkedIn. 

Google Paid Ads: 

Google Ads is an excellent choice for lead generation. Accounting firms can capture high-intent leads and maximize their advertising budget by bidding on relevant keywords and crafting compelling ad copy. 

Google Ads might have a lower conversion rate, but this platform is a great way to promote an upcoming webinar, drive client acquisition, or advertise new case studies.

What are the Different Types of Google Ads for CPAs?

While there are several Google Ad options to choose from, there are four that make the most sense for a small business or accounting firm. These ads include:

• Search Ads

• Display Ads

• Performance Max Ads

• Retargeting Ads

How Long Does it Take to See Results from a Google Ads Campaign?

There is a common misconception that paid ads generate leads immediately. While some companies may get lucky and have a few digital marketing leads from their PPC campaign within the first week, expecting leads within two to four weeks of the launch date is more realistic.

For many of our accounting business partners, we like to use the first 30 days of a Google Ad campaign to collect data instead of worrying about leads. Once the ads run for a month, there's usually enough information to optimize and drive high-quality leads in months two and three.

Facebook Paid Ads:

Facebook's platform makes it an accessible and compelling platform for accounting firms to broaden their reach. Facebook Paid Ads offers detailed audience targeting options that can be tailored based on demographics, interests, and behaviors, ensuring that the company targets individuals likely to need accounting services. 

Facebook ads can appear in users' news feeds or on Instagram, increasing website traffic and brand awareness while generating leads to boost sales. 

What are the Different Types of Facebook Ads for CPAs?

Similar to Google Ads, there are numerous ways to advertise on Facebook. However, image and video ads are the two most common types of Facebook Ads. Both advertising options perform well when combined with a thorough target market.

Another Facebook ad that has been climbing in popularity rankings is carousel ads. These ads use up to 10 images or videos to highlight your company's service offerings.

Do Facebook Ads Work for Accounting Firms?

Facebook ads are often one of the top social media platforms for generating leads for service companies like accounting firms. Thanks to the platform's audience targeting capabilities, potential customers who could use services like bookkeeping or small business accounting can be easily identified.

LinkedIn Paid Ads:

Accounting firms can use LinkedIn Paid Ads to target businesses and professionals. With the platform's focus on B2B networking, LinkedIn allows accounting firms to reach working professionals within their target industries. 

From sponsored content to InMail campaigns, accounting firms can demonstrate their expertise and services to a receptive audience. Ultimately, LinkedIn Paid Ads can drive quality leads and potential business opportunities.  

 What are the Different Types of LinkedIn Ads for CPAs?

Similar to Facebook, LinkedIn offers several ways to advertise on the platform. Smart marketing teams often rely on single-image or video ads to generate leads through the platform. However, LinkedIn also allows accounting businesses to run thought leadership ads.

Utilizing a Marketing Agency to Manage Paid Advertising 

Understanding the nuances and intricacies of paid advertising requires research, expertise, and access to helpful resources. Partnering with a marketing agency can only enhance an accounting firm's digital advertising strategy to maximize your ROI. 

Marketing agencies offer additional insight and expertise while providing campaign management services, performance tracking, and data analytics. With these aspects managed by a marketing agency, your accounting firm can focus on your core business offerings.

No matter the platform, paid advertising for accountants offers advantages for lead generation and client growth. To explore solutions that best support marketing strategies for your accounting firm, schedule a meeting with our team today.