LinkedIn Tips Just for Accountants

The average web viewer now researches possible services and products on 4.3 sites. It’s a web-based world, and it’s time to take advantage of it. For tax pros, accountants and other professionals, their LinkedIn profiles are one of the top sites used to research their services, so it’s important to have these key LinkedIn profile aspects in tip-top shape! I also think it’s worth noting that people are increasingly using LinkedIn to search for accountants, so make sure you use relevant keywords throughout your profile, as nearly every text field will allow your profile to come up in search results.

Profile Picture

You’ve probably heard this before, but seriously, make sure you have a professional picture. If it aligns with your brand, you can be laughing and/or striking an unusual pose, but make sure it’s a high quality photo!

Sections

Add a special section to your profile for your certifications and associations. These make for highly professional, trustworthy profiles. Also, include a section for how to contact you, and write a call to action, such as “interested businesses should email me at ___ to receive a one-on-one consultation and evaluation.”

Posts

Summarize a few of your most popular or favorite blog posts here. It’s a great way to demonstrate your expertise and areas of specialty. LinkedIn favors posts over “updates,” so your content will get more eyeballs via this channel.

Skills

These terms will allow your profile to come up in LinkedIn search results, so fill them in to not only match the services described on your website, but also, to capture new clients from LinkedIn searches.

Groups & Following

Demonstrate your professionalism by joining high quality, relevant groups. These are also great places to distribute your blog content. Also, make sure you “follow” some of the leading Accounting brands. Not only will this make your news feed more interesting, but you can also pick up plenty of great LinkedIn ideas and tactics by observing how they use this medium.

Recommendations

Recommendations, or reviews, are key, as they are the new word of mouth! BrightLocal found that 79 percent of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations! This is GREAT news for you since one review online can go much further than all the word-of-mouth recommendations that a single person could make, in-person.

Think of LinkedIn as a digital resume, something that demonstrates the quality of your services and your expertise. It’s important to stay up-to-date with the latest online habits of potential new clients, and researching professionals on LinkedIn is definitely one of them.