The pandemic has skyrocketed the need for accounting firms to build more meaningful relationships with their current and prospective clients. And what underpins every strong relationship? Trust.
Trust, credibility and relevance are key to winning and retaining clients for your accountancy company. Why? Because the world is full of accountants, each one claiming they can offer the best services and greatest support to their clients, so to stand out, you need to prove your worth. Easier said than done, though? In most cases, no. Provided you aren’t making any false claims, you should have everything you need to show your audience exactly why they should work with your accounting firm.
Why your accounting firm needs to use case studies
Confused? Don’t worry. We will explain everything. The key to successful sales and the answer to (some of) your prayers is case studies. Yes: the piece of content that demonstrates how you have helped your clients solve their problems, meet their goals and achieve impactful results.
When described as above, it becomes clearer as to why case studies are so effective. But in case you need further reassurance, here are three reasons why your accounting firm needs them.
1. Prove your value to your clients – not yourself
All too often, accountants will fall into the trap of listing the features and benefits of their services in a way that they believe sounds good. And guess what: hiding behind jargon won’t help sell your services. You need to show that your accounting firm is worth working with by showing how you can bring value to your clients. Turn those features into benefits that are relevant to your audience and then demonstrate them in action using your case studies.
Another significant benefit of case studies is that they are niche-specific, meaning if you write them effectively, they will really resonate with your target audience.
2. Build trust and credibility for your brand
As an accountant, you will understand the importance of numbers and recognise that very few will argue with data and statistics – this is why case studies are so important. They combine results with an emotional narrative which helps to demonstrate your value and build a positive reputation for your accounting firm. The more evidence you can provide to support your claims of success, the more trusted and respected your accounting firm will be!
3. Offer social proof
Before making a purchase, people like to get reassurance that they are making the right choice. Particularly in the world of B2B, where purchase decisions are influenced more by risk mitigation than anything else. Case studies can help remove that uncertainty by providing proof to support your claims using relevant real-world examples. And if you really want to push the boat out, why not include a testimonial from your client themselves so your audience can hear about the impact of your work first-hand – people trust the word of their peers far more than business owners try to sell them a service!
Tips for writing compelling case studies
Whilst case studies are highly effective, if you want to maximise the impact they have on your business, you need to ensure you are writing them correctly. And here are 5 tips to help you do just that.
1. Start with a clear objective
By outlining your client’s objective and needs at the very beginning, you will be able to highlight the impact of your results with reference to each and emphasise the effectiveness of your services. It also helps to portray your accounting firm as a solution by demonstrating how your offerings have directly benefited businesses similar to that of your target audience.
2. Take your audience on a journey
Immerse your audience and allow them to feel part of your journey. This will help them to picture themselves working with your accounting firm by demonstrating how you have helped a business with similar needs to theirs.
Don’t be afraid to use images, graphs and data to illustrate your points; this can be really impactful and further emphasise your success to your audience.
3. Keep it succinct
Whilst it may be tempting to share every detail of your hard work, it’s not what your audience wants to see. Be sure to outline any key processes and results, but don’t go overboard – they can always ask for more information if they are interested.
4. Let the numbers do the talking
As we mentioned earlier, people often rely on numbers to judge the effectiveness of a strategy, so be sure to highlight your achievements from the very beginning.
5. Make it relevant
One of the reasons case studies are so effective is that they are relevant to your target audience – or at least they should be. Ensure you categorise your case studies by industry or service (or whatever you feel appropriate) so your audience can easily find the proof they are looking for before making a purchase.
We rest our case. There is no denying the value of case studies for accounting firms looking to stand out in a crowded market and drive sales, so don’t get left behind. Check out our case studies page to discover how we have helped accounting firms like yours to achieve big with digital marketing.
