Checklist
Marketing checklist for accountants and bookkeepers
9 tasks to win more clients and reduce churn, ranked by return.
- 9 tasks
- First win in week 1
- Free to read
Marketing checklist for accountants and bookkeepers: what goes on the list?
An accounting firm marketing checklist has 9 tasks: publish deadline-driven content ahead of tax dates, ask every satisfied client for a referral at year-end, and build a simple fixed-fee pricing page. Firms that publish content timed to filing deadlines typically see their biggest traffic and enquiry spikes 4-6 weeks before each deadline.
Last updated 3 August 2026
| Factor | Detail |
|---|---|
| Best first channel | Deadline-driven content + client referrals |
| Typical monthly cost | £50-£150 in tools |
| Time to first result | 2-4 weeks (or by next filing deadline) |
| Biggest leak | No pricing transparency, so leads never enquire |
Most people choose an accountant or bookkeeper based on trust and clarity, not marketing polish. Firms lose potential clients not because they lack expertise, but because pricing is hidden, referrals are never asked for, and content only gets published once deadlines have already passed.
This checklist is for small accounting and bookkeeping practices with 1-10 staff serving sole traders, small businesses, or both. Every task can be run by a practice owner or office manager without hiring a marketing agency.
The checklist
Work down the list, top to bottom.
Ordered by return. Each task names the first step and how you know it's done.
- 01
Publish a fixed-fee pricing page
Most accounting sites hide pricing behind 'contact us,' which filters out a large share of small-business owners who won't enquire without a rough idea of cost first.
First step: Write 3 simple packages (e.g. sole trader, small limited company, VAT-registered) with a fixed monthly fee for each.
- Done when
- Pricing page is live and at least one enquiry references a specific package.
- Effort
- 3 hours
- Cost
- £0
- 02
Publish content timed to filing deadlines, 4-6 weeks early
Search traffic for tax deadline questions spikes in the weeks before the deadline, not on the day; publishing early captures people who are planning ahead rather than panicking.
First step: Write one guide answering the most common question for your next filing deadline (e.g. 'what expenses can I claim as a sole trader').
- Done when
- Guide is published at least 4 weeks before the relevant deadline and appears in Search Console.
- Effort
- 4 hours
- Cost
- £0
- 03
Ask every client for a referral at year-end review
The annual review meeting is a natural, non-awkward moment to ask a satisfied client if they know another business owner who needs an accountant, but it's almost never built into the meeting agenda.
First step: Add a standard line to your year-end review script: 'Do you know anyone else who might need help with their accounts?'
- Done when
- You've asked at least 5 clients this quarter and logged one referral.
- Effort
- 30 minutes/week
- Cost
- £0
- 04
Set up automated deadline reminder emails for clients
Clients who miss a filing deadline because they forgot create urgent, stressful work for your team; automated reminders reduce late submissions and the frantic last-minute scramble.
First step: Set up 3 reminder emails (6 weeks, 2 weeks, 3 days before deadline) in your practice management or email tool.
- Done when
- Reminders are firing automatically and late submissions have dropped compared to last cycle.
- Effort
- 2 hours setup
- Cost
- £0-£30/mo (email tool)
- 05
Get Google reviews after each successful year-end filing
Small-business owners searching for a new accountant rely heavily on reviews since the relationship is high-trust and long-term; a firm with recent reviews outranks and outconverts one with none.
First step: Send a review request text or email with a direct Google link right after each successful filing.
- Done when
- Profile shows at least 15 reviews from the last 12 months.
- Effort
- 30 minutes/week
- Cost
- £0
- 06
Offer a free 20-minute consultation for new business owners
New business owners often don't know what they need from an accountant yet; a short free call removes the risk of committing before understanding the value, and converts a meaningful share to paying clients.
First step: Add a 'book a free 20-minute call' button to your homepage linked to a calendar tool.
- Done when
- Booking link is live and has generated at least 3 calls in a month.
- Effort
- 2 hours
- Cost
- £0-£15/mo (calendar tool)
- 07
Build a referral relationship with 3 complementary local businesses
Solicitors, financial advisors, and business coaches serve the same clients at different points and regularly get asked 'do you know a good accountant,' making them a strong ongoing referral source.
First step: Reach out to 3 local complementary businesses and propose an informal two-way referral arrangement.
- Done when
- You've met with at least 2 of the 3 and received one referral from either.
- Effort
- 3 hours
- Cost
- £0
- 08
Write one client case study showing a specific saving or outcome
A case study naming a specific tax saving or process improvement ('saved £3,200 by restructuring as a limited company') is more persuasive to a hesitant prospect than generic claims of expertise.
First step: Ask one client if you can publish a short, anonymised case study naming a specific result you achieved for them.
- Done when
- Case study is live on your site and referenced in at least one sales conversation.
- Effort
- 2 hours
- Cost
- £0
- 09
Track enquiry-to-client conversion rate by source
Without knowing whether enquiries come from referrals, search content, or reviews, you can't tell which activity is actually worth repeating versus which is just busywork.
First step: Add a 'how did you hear about us' field to your enquiry form and review the results monthly.
- Done when
- You have 2 consecutive months of tracked enquiry-source data.
- Effort
- 1 hour/month
- Cost
- £0
Mistakes
What goes wrong most often.
Hiding pricing behind a 'contact us' form
Small-business owners comparing accountants often skip firms with no pricing at all. A simple fixed-fee page for common packages filters in serious enquiries without a lengthy sales call.
Publishing deadline content after the deadline has passed
Search traffic for filing questions peaks 4-6 weeks before a deadline, not on the day. Publish early enough to catch people who are planning ahead, not scrambling.
Never formally asking for referrals
Happy clients rarely refer unprompted, even when they'd gladly do it if asked. Build the referral question into your standard year-end review meeting so it happens with every client, every year.
Questions
The things people ask about this list.
What's the first marketing task for an accounting practice?
Publish a fixed-fee pricing page for your common client types. It costs nothing, takes about 3 hours, and filters in serious enquiries from small-business owners who won't contact a firm with no visible pricing.
When should accountants publish deadline-related content?
4-6 weeks before the relevant filing deadline, not on or after it. Search traffic for deadline questions peaks while people are still planning, and content published too late misses that window entirely.
Do referral partnerships with solicitors or advisors actually work?
Yes, when the arrangement is genuinely two-way. Solicitors and financial advisors are regularly asked by clients for accountant recommendations, making them a steady, low-cost referral source once a relationship is established.
How long until these marketing tasks generate new clients?
Referral asks and free consultation offers can generate leads within 2-4 weeks. Deadline-driven content usually needs to be published ahead of the relevant filing date to show a traffic and enquiry spike in that window.
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