Want to expand the reach of your accountancy firm’s brand? There are a variety of marketing strategies that you can try out to try and boost your firms visibility. But one of them that you may not always immediately think of is guest blogging.

Guest blogging is effective, yet underused aspect of marketing. It’s tough but if you crack the nut it will get you some brilliant exposure by helping position you as an authority figure, drive traffic back to your site and get those all-important backlinks. And backlinks help with SEO and in turn ranking your website more favourably on a Google Search.

So, think that you would like to try guest blogging for your accountancy firm? I have put together a guide to how to catch yourself a guest spot.

Guest blogging: think small and you will achieve big for your accountancy firm

The best place to start is with the smaller, more targeted blogs. These types of blogs won’t give you the huge number of followers that you are looking for but you have to start small and establish yourself as a guest blogger. You’re not going to land a spot in the Huffington Post without having to prove yourself first!

Try some Google searches and start compiling a list of potential websites and editors that you would like to approach. Keep tabs on who you have contacted, whether they have responded and whether they would like to you to do a guest blogging spot. Bear in mind that this is no easy feat and you may get rejected multiple times from a publication before you hear a yes. Don’t be deterred keep pushing on and make sure you make a note of what the outcome was and when you need to circle back round to them.

Once you have a number of these types of blogs under your hat, the time has come to move outwards and upwards. Work your way up to the large national publications, they will want to see other places that you have published, and that is where the blogs that you have already have posted will really help you.

Keep your own accountancy blog looking great

If you are planning to make guest blog posts, then you will want to make sure that your own blog is in tip-top condition. This is because those other sites will take a look at your blog, and see what type of content you have been creating.

If the blog is sparse or doesn’t contain good quality posts, then there is much less of a chance that they will want you to write for their blog.

First impressions count so make sure that your blog and insights page give people a reason to want you to write for their website.

What to include in your guest blogging pitch

There is a good chance that you will need to write a pitch in order to secure a guest post.

Before you even start putting your pitch to paper, have a look at the types of content they cover on their website– make sure they haven’t already covered your idea. Or take a look at their popular blogs and do something that is similar but still different.  Also, they may have guest blogging guidelines, make sure you read them and are happy to abide by their rules.

Things to include:

• Get personal: Include the editor’s name if you know it and say what you like about their blog. Show them you know them and you’re not just cutting and pasting.
• It’s all about you: Tell the editor why your post is important and their audience will love it.
• Get to the point: Include a link to your site/portfolio/samples and why you’re qualified to write the guest post, move straight into your pitch and how your guest post can help them. Don’t bore the pants off them. Less is more and all that.
• Credible email: Make sure you send your pitch from a credible email address, this is especially important for the big publications.

These are just some of my top tips for making sure that you secure a guest post on a blog. Not only does it help to expand your network, but you may even find that your own blog or website gets more traffic from it too. So, explore the different blogs that are out there in your industry and see if you can lend your expertise to one or two of them.

Some of my services: 

Marketing Plans for Accountants 

Outsourced Marketing for Accountants

Need help?

If you would like help with your marketing then bringing on a marketing consultant with a fresh pair of eyes can make all the difference. I work with B2B businesses and professional service firms in London, Kent, UK and Europe as well as specialising as a Legal Marketing Consultant. Please get in touch or book a free 30-minute consultation.