Becoming a “FinFluencer”
Social media has given rise to a new breed of financial gurus known as "finfluencers.” Stay with me before you scroll away horrified. These are individuals who have built large followings by making finance relatable and fun through entertaining videos, posts, and more.
Finfluencers often earn an income through advertisements, sponsorships, premium content, and affiliate commissions. While I am not advocating for you to start sponsored TikTok page, understanding how this particular form of advertising can help you grow your business, is not a waste of time.
The influencer world is saturated with individuals trying to push sponsored content and the latest products, but there is still an unfilled niche for knowledgeable accounting and tax professionals to claim. Becoming a finfluencer can help position your firm as a trusted authority, attract ideal clients, and possibly supplement income streams if done responsibly.
Most accounting firm owners stick to traditional marketing tactics like direct mailers, seminars, or event sponsorships to promote services. Developing an engaging social media presence as a finfluencer lets you stand out from competitors in a crowded industry. You can share tax, investing, retirement planning, and other money tips that establish expertise and credibility.
Licensed CPA tax preparers should be aware that social media posts fall under the Circular 230 rules, which means giving advice in an Instagram video needs a disclaimer. The challenge with this can often be that boiler plate disclaimers are lengthy and not conducive to short social media posts.
If you’re going to pursue social media in this way, consider making the disclaimer available on your overall social media page and then make it a habit to reference it in every video so that listeners understand where to find it.
Starting your finfluencer journey can be easier than you think. Consider hopping on your favorite form of social media and searching for hashtags like #accounting or #tax and see what comes up in order to gain some inspiration. The best part about social videos right now is that they are more popular when they are short. Filming a video less than a minute is ideal, they will be more popular on social media and give you just enough time to tease potential clients into asking for more information.
If you need ideas for content, think about your client FAQs or most common issues. Business use of home comes up a lot, so a 1-minute video that says something along the lines of “If you own a small business and run your business from home you MAY be able to benefit from a business use of home deduction. Certain requirements must be met, such as having a dedicated office space in the house that is not used for other purposes, meaning not your kitchen table. If this is you and you’d like more help to potentially benefit from this deduction, direct message us.”
This type of message is simple, short, gives viewers some information regarding their commonly asked questions but not enough to get customized answers. The video then serves as a lead generation tool for potential clients.
While this concept may seem a little out of the box, the world of social media and fast, short content being fed to us throughout the day is not going anywhere any time soon. Dedicating a short amount of time to posting a video even three times a week can help you gain noticeable traction with new followers and new potential clients to your practice.
Christine Gervais
Christine Gervais is a licensed CPA, using her skills to help businesses grow and achieve their fullest potential. Christine has a Master’s degree in accounting from Southern New Hampshire University in addition to holding her CPA license for over a decade. Notably, Christine is a nationally recognized speaker providing education to other CPAs on how to best serve clients as well as instruction on a wide variety of topics for business owners on how to maximize success. Christine prides herself on the value she can bring to clients with her extensive tax knowledge and providing strategic, forward-thinking financial strategies to help clients grow. When not behind her desk, you can find Christine spending quality time with her daughter and stepson or tending to the family’s excessively loved farm animals.