Save content
Have you found this content useful? Use the button above to save it to your profile.
AIA

Accountancy firms' digital usage on the rise

by
18th Feb 2013
Save content
Have you found this content useful? Use the button above to save it to your profile.

More than half of accountancy firms have gained a return on investment (ROI) in their websites, while many more - around 83% - are engaging in social media, according to a new report.

The PracticeWEB benchmarking report into online engagement in the profession was launched last week, providing a snapshot of how the internet and its wide digital landscape is affecting 268 accountancy firms.

In addition to the PracticeWEB team, analysis and insight was provided by chairman of the Tax Advice Network Mark Lee. 

“I think it’s probably fair to note that the results reflect a higher level of engagement than would have emerged from surveying a random selection of accountants around the UK,” he said.

Of the half of accountancy firms that gained ROI on their website, 92% used website analytics, which the majority say improved their results. The key to getting ROI on your firm website, according to the report, is analytic usage and regular review of information (the majority reviewed monthly).

More than half of accountancy firms who spend more than 10 hours per week on social media see a return on investment, according to the report,  although 44% of firms who don't use social media admitted not doing so because they don't understand it.

The most popular websites for accountants being LinkedIn and Twitter. While the least popular is Google+, the report shows that it's the most "planned to be used" social media platform by accountants and due to its nature requires the least amount of time to see an ROI. 

"Google+, which is in its relative infancy, has already attracted a healthy percentage of the profession almost entirely from early adopters of other channels that are looking to retain or extend competitive advantages gained by the use of those other channels," the report reads.

While social media usage is on the rise by accountancy firms, so are various forms of digital marketing. 

The report shows that 44% of firms engage in search engine marketing, which most say provides ROI. A further 62% of firms already engage in content marketing, including blogs, articles and whitepapers. 

On the cloud accounting front, there appeared to be pretty divided opinions, with more than 40% saying they had no plans to use cloud computing and a further 35% saying they already do. 

The 72-page report, including expert analysis, advice and insight is available to buy here for £499.

For further reading, see: 

Tags:

Replies (2)

Please login or register to join the discussion.

By BrightPay
18th Feb 2013 16:13

Social media

There's some interesting figures there.

I think the fact that RTI has been on the horizon for the past number of months has increased the value of engaging from the accountants point of view. 

Building a good knowledge driven community on Linkedin is a good way for accountants to network, even if they don't have a website developed. It's not an ideal situation but definitely a good way to start. 

 

 

Thanks (0)
Replying to Moonbeam:
avatar
By jscanlan
20th Feb 2013 12:13

Couldn’t agree more – or less

Great point BrightPay about building a good knowledge driven community, but when researching and writing the report we found where firms were being the most successful they used LinkedIn and something else (usually a mixture of channels).

The profession is full of fantastic knowledge, time for us now, on mass, to start marketing and engaging with clients and prospects using it.

Thanks (0)