When you think of CPA social media marketing, Instagram may not be the first platform that comes to mind. But with more than 1 billion users across the globe, this social media behemoth can’t be ignored. In addition, more than 90% of users follow a business on Instagram, so if you’ve yet to create an account, you’re missing out on leads and clients.

Creating an account is just the first step. How do you actually succeed with social media marketing on Instagram? How does CPA branding work on this platform?

5 Tips for CPA Social Media Marketing on Instagram

Tip Number One: Be Consistent and Be Engaging

If you want to succeed with social media marketing and branding, then you have to post consistently. Whether it’s Instagram or another social platform, posting regularly will keep your followers engaged and attract new ones.

Aim to publish a post 2-3 times a week or up to one time per day. The more often you post (without going overboard), the more your brand stays on the minds of your followers. On the other hand, if you only post once in a blue moon, your followers may forget who you are and what your brand is about.

Being active on Instagram is a great start, but you shouldn’t post content for the sake of posting. If you want to succeed, you need engaging posts that draw your followers in. Instagram is a visual platform. You may not think that your accounting or CPA firm has much to offer in this department, but videos, Stories and live feeds perform surprisingly well on Instagram.

• Create Q&A-style videos to answer common client questions.
• Provide timely tips for tax season.
• Take your followers behind the scenes at your office.
• Interview staff to help your followers get to know the faces behind your brand.

Don’t be afraid to think outside of the box when brainstorming content ideas. Just make sure that your posts will appeal to your target audience.

Tip Number Two: Optimize Your Profile’s Bio

It’s easy to get caught up in content creation that you forget your Instagram bio. But your bio is one of the most critical parts of your account. It can help your followers connect with you off the Instagram platform and provide visitors with important information about your brand.

An optimized Instagram bio should include:

• A brief description of your brand or your slogan.
• A link to your homepage or a landing page. 

If you want to track your Instagram traffic, you can use a bio-specific link or a URL tracker. Having this data can help you assess the performance of your Instagram marketing strategy.

Don’t forget to include a profile picture. As a CPA, you are the face of your brand. So, rather than using your logo, use a professional headshot for your profile picture. Your followers want to see and get to know the faces behind your firm. 

Bigger firms with bigger teams can use their logo as a profile picture, but it’s important to find a way to humanize your brand if you want to appeal to clients.

Tip Number Three: Post Stories

Want to engage your followers? Post Stories. An estimated 500 million people use Instagram Stories every day. 

Why is Stories such a high-engagement feature? Because they appear at the top of the app (it’s the first thing your followers see), but users also get previews of stories while scrolling through their Instagram feed. 

Stories are short blips of content, and because they’re only available for 24 hours, followers feel more compelled to check out your content before it disappears for good.

There are plenty of ways to Stories in your branding and marketing on Instagram. 

• If you’re at an event or hosting one, post short video clips or photos with location tags. Not only will this build brand awareness, but it will also attract more people to the event.
• Post short video clips or photos that link to your longer video content or blog posts.
• Explain tax changes or new grants/loan opportunities for businesses.

The more informative and relevant your Stories are, the better. Unlike with Feed posts, you can post to your Stories as often as you want. If something pops up that you feel may be relevant to your followers, post it. Be sure to check the number of views your Stories receive to assess whether your content engages your audience.

Tip Number Four: Know Your Audience

It’s difficult to create relevant and engaging content when you don’t know your audience. Who is your target customer? What kind of content do they enjoy? Are you speaking their language?

To succeed with marketing and branding on Instagram, you need to know your audience’s:

• Age
• Language
• Location
• Interests
• Spending power
• Pain points
• Life stage

If you’re B2B, you need to know:

• The size of businesses in your target audience.
• Who makes the decisions.

Understanding your audience will help you create content that’s appealing and relevant.

Tip Number Five: Use Social Listening Tools

Even when you know your audience, finding fresh content ideas for Instagram can be challenging. This is where social listening tools can be helpful.

Social listening is all about discovering the conversations people have about your industry, your services, and even your brand. The best way to do this is by monitoring hashtags and keywords. 

Along with helping you find new content ideas, you can also use these tools to find opportunities for engagement. For example, reach out and post a comment with relevant or useful information – even if that person or business isn’t following you. Becoming part of the conversation will put your brand in front of more eyes and help establish authority.

Social listening tools can also help you discover new hashtags and keywords to focus on as you progress with your social media marketing.

The Takeaway

If your CPA firm isn’t already on Instagram, you should be. Building and growing a following on this platform can be challenging, but the rewards are worth the effort.

Consider hiring professionals (like us!) to handle your Instagram marketing to save yourself time and frustration.

Need help with your firm’s Instagram marketing? Book a free consultation with us today to get started.