“How do you get new clients?”
“Word-of-mouth.” “Referrals.”
This is what I hear from tax professionals all the time. And it makes sense. The authority you carry with your current clients just naturally carries over. There’s trust established between you and them. Your clients have seen you go to bat for them and take care of the hard things with their taxes.
So, it’s only natural that the majority of your business comes through them spreading the word to their friends.
But, I have to say this today: Referrals can’t be the only way you get leads.
Why?
They dry up.
They don’t always produce the right kind of client.
They’re unpredictable.
When you’re trying to grow your tax business, you want to target the right kind of people. You’re not just out there serving taxpayers willy-nilly, at least not if you actually want to build a business that’s profitable and enjoyable.
That means you need to discover other avenues for getting new clients. In today’s world, that means going digital.
But to effectively grow your online presence, you need to make sure that you are using the right tools that will get you ranked on Google.
And that’s where your Google Business Profile comes in. As a free local listing platform, it offers incredible potential for organic growth. By strategically outfitting your profile with keywords that people are actually searching, you can get seen by the clients you’re really looking for.
Believe me when I say, if you ignore your GBP, you’re purposefully letting your most powerful digital tool for organic growth GO TO WASTE. And that limits your potential as a business owner.
Your entire digital marketing presence rests on your Google Business Profile. It’s like a digital storefront on Google Maps and other products, showcasing your business information and driving traffic.
Right now, this little box on a Google Search page is as crucial as any website you own.
So, you have to ask yourself…
Are you reaching your market area? You’ve got to learn how to optimize your Google Business Profile so you can rank on Google and actually get found by the customers who need your services right now.
Are you getting reviews (good and bad)? The worry that one or two negative reviews will make your business look bad is a common one. But, GOOD reviews will boost your GBP exponentially. Which means you have to prioritize getting happy customers to leave positive reviews. Further, negative reviews can actually be an opportunity for people to see how you respond. And that interaction builds trust and authenticity in a way that can often surpass a generalized “They’re awesome!” good review.
Is your non-referral source of client growth drying up? If you’re not using local SEO for your business, your ability to reach people outside of referrals will absolutely diminish. You can have the best website there is and even work with some great people, but if you don’t have a source of growth that gets you noticed online and that doesn’t depend on the whims of client referrals, you’re putting the future of your business at risk.
By leveraging the power of your company’s Google Business Profile, you can thrive in today’s digital landscape.
And I can show you how. In fact, I did a webinar on it last Fall, and it’s worth taking an hour to listen to:
https://taxpromarketer.com/webinar/get-ranked-on-the-map-search-pages/
It’s also on CPA Academy where you can get CPE for it. I’ve got some other courses on there you might want to tap into as well.
As you face tax season, and your bevy of client returns, you might put off doing any kind of optimization.
But, if you leverage it now, at the beginning of the season, you could get reviews from happy clients and attract new ones that could be better suited to the kind of work you want to do.
Here’s to a better tax season and better clients.
