Tax season: a dreaded time of year for millions of everyday Americans. Complicated forms and gathering a year's worth of documents can be too much for the average household. No surprise, then, that every year, a new crop of scams rises, promising to cut corners for eager would-be taxpayers. The IRS has even warned people to avoid shady tax preparers who promise massive returns and refuse to sign them. Meanwhile, misinformation floods social media as influencers court follows and likes promoting incorrect forms.
In a landscape littered with scams, shady preparers, and misinformation, reputable tax preparers can struggle to break through to taxpayers. People want to make their lives easier at tax time, but the space taken up by less scrupulous 'professionals' makes many hesitant to reach out for help. That may explain why 43% of electronic filers didn't use any help this past year.
But there are ways to cut through the noise and bring in business. It starts with building trust between you and your potential clients, and building trust begins with sound marketing. The need is particularly significant when only 30% of consumers trust businesses. But how to market tax services? Get started with SEO, Email, and Broadcast.
Use SEO to Become a Reliable Tax Source
When people search for tax help, how can you ensure that search leads them back to you? Investing in Search Engine Optimization can give you a coveted spot near the top of Google's search rankings. SEO can establish trust between you and potential clients in multiple ways. Showing up near the top of the search rankings will give you instant credibility before they even click. Once they do, your work on your site will only grow that trust.
If optimizing your website sounds as complicated as Form 1040, one place to start is with technical SEO. Going through your web pages to ensure each page loads smoothly, all the features are working, and all the links are still working is a great way to begin optimizing your website. A must for optimizing your website is optimizing for mobile users. Nearly 65% of internet traffic is on mobile phones, so your website must be smooth regardless of how users find it.
Google Maps SEO
Sometimes, when people run searches on their phones, they add the "near me" tag to pull in results they can act on that minute. Tapping into the power of Google Maps SEO can position your tax prep services for people on the go.
They're looking for a local tax preparer for more than convenience—they believe they can trust a preparer in their community. Seeing reviews in results is a major advantage they have when searching on Google Maps because it's an immediate gauge of trust. Looking at reviews accounts for almost 66% of interactions when users evaluate companies.
If you're feeling like your reviews are a bit lacking or lackluster, don't worry. Start by creating your Google My Business page if you haven't already done so. This is a great way to optimize for Google Maps searches while positioning you to build trust.
You can use your profile to address negative reviews and thank customers for positive reviews. Also, having a GMB presence should encourage you to reach out for more testimonials and reviews to populate on your GMB page and your website.
Managing your GMB page will make it more likely that when people go to search for "tax preparers near me," they find you. But it's not the only way to build trust with your online presence.
Content Marketing
As mentioned, the tax preparation space is cluttered with unsavory and unscrupulous interlopers looking to cash in on others' ignorance. You can combat the misinformation while establishing your services as a reputable alternative with content marketing.
Content marketing is part of an overall SEO strategy and a reliable complement. Reviewing your current website and landing pages to ensure you're using searched-for keywords makes sure people can find you.
But you can take things a step further with a clear-eyed content marketing strategy. You can explain complicated tax procedures and guidelines using blogs, infographics, and videos while making an affirmative case for using your services. The results could tap into the average ROI of $2.77 for every dollar invested in content marketing.
But before you pop open a document and start writing, consider your target audience. In this case, the target audience should be your customer base. But who are they, and what are some common problems they face during tax time?
Asking these questions will keep your content laser-focused on the people you want to read it and give you a few ideas to get started. With some ideas in mind, you can put pen to paper with your content marketing. Addressing common problems your target customers face will demonstrate that you're a reliable knowledge source worth taking your taxes to.
One of the best parts about embracing a content marketing strategy is that you can recycle the content across other marketing channels. You can repurpose an infographic into a social media post, cut a snippet of a blog for LinkedIn, or convert a bit of both into an email campaign.
In an ideal world, your tax-preparing business has collected past client emails. Without it, it'd be hard to communicate with clients in the 21st century. You can use these emails for more than just clarification on filing status. With an email marketing campaign, you can maintain trust with past clients, encourage repeat business, and get quality leads.
Email campaigns are return on investment engines. Recent studies show that for every dollar invested in an email campaign, you see $36 in return. It's not easy to understand why. There are billions of email accounts, and we check ours daily, often multiple times each day. When marketing your tax preparation services, you have a distinct advantage over everyone else in your client's inbox: you have valuable information to share.
Considering the needs and pain points of your past and target clients, you can develop an email campaign that keeps them updated on relevant IRS rule changes, federal, state, and local legislation, and important filing deadlines. Your clients won't just come to thank you for sharing important information; they'll see you as an invaluable resource beyond tax season. Even better, you can encourage them to forward your emails to interested potential clients.
Broadcast
Digital marketing channels are a great way to ramp up your tax season marketing efforts, but there's still something to be said about traditional broadcast marketing. While you might be able to cut through the clutter with well-crafted social media content, there's no denying how prolific misinformation is on those channels.
It could lead to your posts, however well made, getting lost in a sea of untrustworthy content. But going back to traditional channels can break you out of the scam-scrolling on social media.
Television and Radio
Linear Television and Radio are some of the oldest marketing channels available, yet they're indispensable for tax preparation services looking for a
banner 2025 tax season. Why the draw of broadcast channels? They come built-in with trust. 80% of Americans trust television advertising, second only to print. Radio comes in fourth, with 71% of Americans finding it trustworthy. As regulated industries, Americans know that not everyone can get a TV or Radio ad buzzing through their airwaves.
Using already trusted media makes tax firm marketing a lighter load. You can get around social media scams while addressing them head-on in a television or radio spot. And with broadcasts' hyper-focused audiences, you can target the exact demographics most likely to reach out for assistance this tax season.
With the average household watching TV for two and half hours each day and listening to the radio for another 99 minutes, you have plenty of opportunities to reach potential clients before those filing deadlines. If your message addresses your niche's problems, highlights your expertise in solving them, and includes a clear call to action, you'll have a spot that resonates.
Build Trust Beyond Tax Season With CMG
Building a consistent tax firm marketing schedule isn't something you should start in the middle of tax season. It can take some to get off the ground, but the investment will pay off for tax seasons to come. Fret not if you feel it's just a bit out of your wheelhouse. Like taxes, sometimes it's best to take your marketing to a professional.
With support from CMG Local Solutions, you can ramp up your tax firm marketing long before the dog days of tax season. We'll sit down with you to learn about your firm, needs, and goals. With CMG, you can get your tax firm's services in front of the exact people who need them most. Put our decades managing broadcast radio and television stations to work for your firm today.
Contact us today to get started.
