James Dooley: Hi so today I'm joined with Kazra Dash and we're talking about lead generation for accounting firms. So Kazra if you're an accountant and you're looking to grow daily leads what do you think the main ways are to try and build more leads for your accountancy firm?

Kazra Dash: I think one of the main ways is doing local SEO so ranking within your local area. So if somebody is searching for accountants London or accountants or chartered accountant Edinburgh you're actually showing up within the map pack and also in your local area as well.

James Dooley: Yes so obviously within the map pack that used to be called GMB SEO now it's changed to Google Business Profile. So with regards to that does it generate some inquiries and some leads?

Kazra Dash: Yes for sure that typically generates a lot of phone call inquiries because a lot of people are on their mobile. If you're searching on desktop it links through to your website so you'll probably get more web form submissions as well. Doing that definitely does help. There are a lot of accountants that we've helped doing that exact same method.

James Dooley: So that's local SEO leads. Then what about SEO leads using organic SEO from your website not from your Google Business Profile?

Kazra Dash: Yes so when it comes to ranking organically there's a variety of different ways to do that. For example you can go after keywords like payroll accountant in Bolton or R&D tax specialist accountant in Manchester. These keywords get maybe 20 or 30 searches a month but when you start going after each of these services individually you're going to scale out your website a lot and you're going to get traffic every month.

James Dooley: Which sounds great but as we know search engine optimisation isn't quick. So if someone wants leads tomorrow and they're saying SEO is too long term there are too many agencies out there that promise the world and don't deliver so they don't want SEO. They want pay per click. So what's your thoughts on PPC for lead generation specifically for accounting firms?

Kazra Dash: Yes so every strategy has its pros and cons. SEO is long term. PPC is quicker. You can literally set up a campaign in an afternoon and very quickly you should be able to start generating inquiries. The downside is you can overspend. You might not have a good PPC agency keeping your negative keyword list up to date. You also have click fraud where competitors click on your ads and that can burn your budget because every click charges you whether it's a competitor or a potential customer.

James Dooley: So PPC leads cost more but come in faster. The downside is the minute you stop paying your listing is gone. SEO is long-term sustainable. What about social media ads like YouTube, Twitter or Facebook for growing accountancy leads?

Kazra Dash: Again if you're trying to do it yourself it's going to be very hard so I would recommend hiring someone. A lot of accountancy firms offer a free company tax audit as their hook to win a company tax refund. You could go down that route. The issue is Facebook ads like PPC is getting expensive because more people are advertising. It can work but you need to spend time on it.

James Dooley: Yes and with social media ads for accountancy firms you need a hook. A great offer that catches a business owner's attention. If you're just saying we can do your year end accounts you’re competing with thousands of others. You need something special.
Then the last one. Lead generation companies like Bark. What’s your thoughts on the cost per lead model?

Kazra Dash: It can work but the bigger platforms sell the same lead to four or five firms. So if you and I and Steve down the road all buy it for £25 Bark has made £75 and we're all fighting over the same lead. It pushes prices down. With FatRank it's completely different because the leads are exclusive. So the cost per lead model works only if the leads are exclusive which most aren't.

James Dooley: For sure. For anyone who doesn’t know if you head over to FatRank.com they've got a lead generation model with zero risk. We do a blended mix of SEO, PPC, Google Ads, social media ads whatever works in your area. We cover the cost. We send the leads. You don’t pay unless you convert the jobs. But we are selective with who we choose.
So should people throw all their eggs into one basket and just use FatRank?

Kazra Dash: No definitely not. You should test a few different lead generation companies. Look at ROI and KPIs. Maybe you start with five and end up keeping two.

James Dooley: For sure. In my opinion if you're an accountancy company you should set budgets across everything. Long-term SEO. Improve your brand online. PPC even if only for brand terms. Social media. Retargeting pixels. And then one or two lead generation companies. If you get accepted by FatRank that can be a strong source of quality enquiries for your accountancy firm.