Social media has become a powerful force within many of our lives, altering our relationship with others, how we view the world and they way in which we choose new products and services.
While its use as a marketing tool in many sectors is well known, even ubiquitous, even now doubt remains amongst some professional service firms, such as accountants and solicitors, about its true impact on their organisations.
Seen by some as a fad and misunderstood by other firms that have not previously invested much into their promotion on the various platforms out there, a question often asked is – Can it really help my practice grow and flourish?
The facts
It is estimated that there are more than 53 million social media users in the UK alone – a figure that continues to grow daily.
In fact, the number of social media users in the United Kingdom increased by a estimated 2.3 million people between 2020 and 2021.
Once seen as the reserve of younger digital natives, in recent years a wider range of people, of all ages and ability, have taken to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, WhatsApp and the newest platforms, such as TikTok.
But let’s break that down further and look at some interesting findings from the various platforms:
- Instagram believes that 53 per cent of the UK population can be reached with advertising via its feeds
- 727 million people worldwide use LinkedIn on a regular basis
- There are 16.5 million Twitter users in the UK
- The number of UK TikTok users has grown from 3.7 million in the UK to more than 10 million between 2020 and 2021
- More than 60 billion messages are sent through WhatsApp every single day.
As you can see, the potential audience for social media is massive, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that it is appropriate for professional service firms, right?
Results
I am sure every partner or director will have spoken to their peers about social media campaigns that either did or didn’t yield results, and unsurprisingly many focus more on the lost time and resources, rather than the real success stories.
Not every social media campaign is created equal, or delivered as well as the next. Sometimes it comes down to the oddest factors, but one consistent element in every successful social media campaign is the expertise behind it.
We have been delivering effective social media campaigns to clients up and down the UK for more than a decade now – in fact we were one of the earliest proponents of this form of marketing for professional service firms before it began to emerge as a dominant force many years ago.
Since then, we have run a wide variety of campaigns for firms of different sizes, offering different services to a whole host of sectors and clients. However, a consistent theme is the success we enjoy.
Here are some recent examples.
Webinar – We were recently involved in the promotion of a property webinar for a mid-sized Midlands accountancy practice at the start of 2022. Through the use of a dedicated Facebook campaign, targeting key players in the property industry, we were able to get more than 250 property investors and landlords to register – way beyond our clients’ expectations. This has not only resulted in raising our clients’ reputation within the industry but actually delivered new work.
Recruitment – Finding the right person for the job has become extremely challenging in today’s competitive job market. However, through the clever use of several social media platforms, the creation of interesting videos and animations, as well as dedicated recruitment landing pages, we have helped several clients to fill key roles that they had struggled to recruit for using traditional methods and advertising.
Growth – One of our most recent clients, a popular accountancy podcast, engaged us to build their social media following, increase impressions and drive engagement. In our first month, we have:
- More than doubled their following on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook
- Increased their Twitter profile visits by almost 75 per cent
- Helped the number of people seeing their posts on LinkedIn grow by over 11,000 per cent!
These are just three examples from the start of this year that demonstrate how powerful social media can be in the right hands.
We have a history of helping firms to build a stronger online following, improve their reputation online and promote their aims, values and events.
What’s more, our dedicated PR team has used the force of social media to secure dozens of new opportunities, based on the strength of our client’s expertise and influence online.
Making campaigns count
We know that at times investing in digital marketing can seem uncertain or costly, and we have spoken to many firms who have tried it, got the wrong advice and given up – but with the right approach social media could unlock the potential of your practice.
As well as creating engaging content, our social media services go further. We take the time to monitor and react to engagements and analyse the various metrics to find topics and times that secure you the most impressions.
Supported by the skills and knowledge of our copywriters, graphic designers and talented web team, we can create unrivalled campaigns that make use of the latest trends and technology.
