If you’re an accountant trying to establish your niche, serving Amazon sellers is a great way to get your name out there.
In 2021, there are 1.9 million active Amazon sellers, with the site selling around 4000 items per minute!
That’s a sizeable pool of potential clients for an accountant. And currently, around 34% of them are looking for new opportunities, so that’s a good indication that they’ll be able to outsource their accounting and bookkeeping to a professional such as yourself.
Now, here’s the million-dollar question: How do you grow your Amazon FBA client base, and reach more Amazon sellers?
In this article, the second part of our hub series for accountants, we’ll walk you through 10 strategies that you can use to do just that.
Table of Contents
- Step 1: Setup a Dedicated Ecommerce Accountant Website
- Don’t have a website?
- Wondering how much all this will cost?
- Already have a website?
- Step 2: Collect Testimonials
- Step 3: Run PPC (Pay Per Click) Ads on Google
- Research and use target keywords
- Set up a landing page
- For those of you who are new to Google Ads
- Step 4: Join Ecommerce Accounting Directories
- Join the Fiflow Ecommerce Accountant Directory
- Step 5: Contact Your Local Chamber of Commerce
- Joining a Chamber of Commerce
- Step 6: Partner with an Ecommerce Accounting Firm
- Build up your portfolio
- Step 7: Join Amazon Sellers Group(s)
- Know the rules of the seller group
- Participate in conversations, get to know some of the other members, and then promote your business
- Step 8: Attend Amazon Seller Conferences
- Come with a ‘carrot’
- Live conferences
- Virtual conferences
- Step 9: Remember that Amazon Sellers Don’t Just Sell on Amazon
- Step 10: Come to Fiflow’s Amazon Accounting Meetups
- A final word to accountants looking to expand their ecommerce clientele…
- Next in the Series…
Learn how to attract more ecommerce clients to your accounting business
Ecommerce is one of the fastest growing industries worldwide. Discover the latest trends, how to reliably attract the right customers, and what you need to know to grow your practice.
Step 1: Setup a Dedicated Ecommerce Accountant Website
As a professional trying to gain a larger client base in an online industry, if you don’t have a website or webpage dedicated to those clients, you’re signaling that you’re inexperienced in dealing with online accounting needs.
Having a web presence helps potential clients to verify who you are, and trust that you know what you’re doing.
Don’t have a website?
On the bright side, setting up a website is pretty straightforward.
There is a multitude of website building platforms out there. All you need to do is purchase a domain name, get a hosting plan, set up your site with a free theme, and finally, customize your site.
Some website builders come with drag-and-drop editors so you can tweak the look and feel of your site easily. Alternatively you can pay a website professional to build and manage your website for you.
Wondering how much all this will cost?
If you really bootstrap it, you can set up a website yourself for $50 or so. Costs stack up quickly if you purchase a premium theme for your website, buy expensive plugins to use, or are paying a professional to build and manage your website.
It’s worth investing in getting your website done right. If you aren’t confident, or don’t have the time to figure it out, it’s best to hand it over. The only thing worse than not having a website in this scenario is having one that doesn’t make any sense.
Having said that, it doesn’t need to be complicated. As long as your site displays your portfolio and testimonials, and allows potential customers to contact you easily, you’re good to go!
Already have a website?
Great! By adding a page to your website dedicated towards ecommerce clientele, you’ll show potential clients that you know what you’re doing and you’re prepared to offer your services for an online forum.
Step 2: Collect Testimonials
Word of mouth, and advertising a job well done is still one of the best ways to gain the confidence of prospective clients.
Having a dedicated place on your website for past and existing ecommerce clients to talk you up adds points in your favor. A reviews or testimonials page might be just the thing that prospective clients need to convert them from a lead into a client.
Step 3: Run PPC (Pay Per Click) Ads on Google
If you want to grow your Amazon FBA client base quickly, one of the most effective ways you can do this is to run ads on Google.
Sure, there are plenty of other ways in which you could market your business. But running ads will bring you the most potential clients, in the shortest amount of time.
Research and use target keywords
Google Ads target keywords that are relevant to your business (such as: “Amazon accounting services”). Your ads will be seen by people who are actively searching for Amazon-savvy accountants, meaning that these people will be more likely to convert to customers.
Set up a landing page
Instead of directing the traffic you get from your Google Ads to your website homepage, set up a landing page focused on encouraging website visitors to do the one thing that you want them to do (e.g.: sign up for a consultation, or request a quote).
Make sure that your landing page is relevant to the content of the ad. If a prospective client clicks on the ad, it means that something about it got their attention. It’s important that wherever they land responds, in a useful way, to the reason they clicked in the first place.
For those of you who are new to Google Ads
You can sign up for a Google Ads account here.
Once your account has been approved, and you’ve input your billing information, you’ll be able to create your very first ad campaign.
Google operates on a bidding system. What you spend on Google depends on what keywords you target. Keywords that are highly competitive (and are bid on by a ton of advertisers) are more expensive, while keywords that are non-competitive (and are bid on by less advertisers) are less expensive. It’s good practice to include a mix of both.
Google also offers support to its advertisers. You’ll get a call from a Google agent after the first month, where they will help ensure that your ads are performing well and are optimized. Make sure you note down any difficulties you have, so that you can bring them up during the call.
Of course, you can also pay a professional to run your ads. To learn more about Google Ads, read Google’s guide.
Step 4: Join Ecommerce Accounting Directories
Looking for a place to promote your ecommerce accounting services? Try joining some ecommerce accounting directories.
Join the Fiflow Ecommerce Accountant Directory
Fiflow has a directory designed to connect accountants with ecommerce clients.
By becoming an Fiflow partner, you can list your accounting firm in our directory. The complexities you may encounter with Amazon activity summaries are nullified by allowing you to sync Amazon seller data into your preferred accounting software.
This prevents skews in sale numbers, and ensures reliable data for you and your client.
Step 5: Contact Your Local Chamber of Commerce
Ecommerce is still pretty new compared to how long business and trade have been around. Chambers of commerce have facilitated networking avenues and business opportunities for 421 years!
Your Chamber of Commerce is an amazing publicity resource right at your fingertips. What’s more, chambers of commerce operate on local, national, and international levels, making them an excellent way to reach international ecommerce sellers.
Joining a Chamber of Commerce
The process of joining differs for each chamber.
The best way to start is by contacting your local chamber, and asking for a membership packet. This should include information on fees associated with joining, networking opportunities, benefits and a membership list.
Most chambers have an AGM, where you can make your services available and known to prospective clients.
Step 6: Partner with an Ecommerce Accounting Firm
If you’re struggling to close clients on your own, try partnering with an ecommerce accounting firm, and working for them as an independent contractor.
Build up your portfolio
Many accounting firms will need support from contracted freelancers from time to time. This is a great way to build long-lasting relationships and increase your workload.
Plus, if clients approach a firm that is not quite the right fit for them, you may find referrals sent your way.
Building bridges is a smart step for a resilient business.
Step 7: Join Amazon Sellers Group(s)
An easy way to grow your ecommerce clients is to look for and join Amazon seller groups, and engage with the members in these groups.
For instance, you can find Amazon seller groups from all over the world on Meetup.com. Plus: here’s a list of 300+ Facebook Groups for Amazon Sellers.
Know the rules of the seller group
Some of these groups might have strict rules that prohibit members from soliciting or advertising their services.
Before you post about your services within a group, be sure to check the rules governing the group. If these aren’t clearly worded, message the admins and ask if advertising is allowed.
Participate in conversations, get to know some of the other members, and then promote your business
In the case that advertising is allowed, a good approach would be to become an active member of the group before plugging your business. This increases the chances of other members being receptive to you.
Offer help and advice to members within the group, and throw in a quick one-liner at the bottom of your post to plug your services.
You could compile a list of FAQs that Amazon sellers typically have about accounting and bookkeeping. You can ask the admins of the group to pin your post at the top, so members can refer to it easily. At the end of the post, mention that you’ve been helping Amazon sellers take care of their accounting for X years and counting.
Link your website, or attach your email so prospective clients can contact you easily. Remember to keep track of the post and reply to any comments and questions that you get. You can also private message the members who have commented on your post, and pitch your services to them.
Either way, just tread carefully. You don’t want to come across as spammy and risk being removed from the group. Offer value so that it feels like an obvious move for a seller to contact you – rather than the other way around.
Step 8: Attend Amazon Seller Conferences
Even with a worldwide pandemic, Amazon sellers are still finding ways to meet and network.
Technology and the capacity to have virtual conferences can expand your potential client basis.
Here is a list of conferences scheduled for 2021.
Come with a ‘carrot’
For instance: you can mention that you’re hosting a free webinar that discusses the top 5 accounting mistakes that Amazon sellers make, and that you’d love to offer them a spot.
This way, you can get their contact information and add them to your list of “potentials”. Once the conference is over, follow-up with everyone you met. You can simply email these people to confirm their attendance for your webinar.
Take this opportunity to build a relationship, so that it’s easier for you to up-sell them when the time comes.
Live conferences
Amazon seller conferences are the perfect opportunity for you to network and meet new clients. Once you’re at a conference, work the floor, and speak to as many Amazon sellers as possible.
Virtual conferences
Many of the live conferences that were scheduled for the latter half of 2020 were canceled due to COVID-19 regulations (varied by country). Virtual conferences and webinars are a solution that expands your potential client base by offering you the opportunity to attend worldwide Amazon Seller Conferences without the hassle of travel.
Step 9: Remember that Amazon Sellers Don’t Just Sell on Amazon
Although Amazon is the largest ecommerce selling platform on the market, third-party sellers and small businesses make up 53% of Amazon’s retail.
80% of those Amazon sellers also use other platforms like Shopify, Walmart, eBay, and their own websites to promote the sale of their products. Competition from Amazon itself is a strong reason for sellers not wanting to put all their products in the Amazon checkout cart.
Keep in mind that small businesses who would benefit from your expertise may be selling their products on other platforms. If you’re not having any luck retaining clients from Amazon, try searching for clients within other ecommerce platforms using some of the methods you’ve learned here.
Step 10: Come to Fiflow’s Amazon Accounting Meetups
At Fiflow’s Amazon accounting meetups, you can meet and mingle with potential clients.
We work with plenty of accounting and bookkeeping firms, and we serve a huge database of Amazon sellers who are in need of accounting services.
You never know – you might just meet an ecommerce accounting firm to partner with, or your next client, at one of our meetups!
A final word to accountants looking to expand their ecommerce clientele…
For all the freelancers and business owners out there: the hustle never ends.
You have to keep working to grow your client base, and keep meeting and talking to new people. The good news is that it will get easier over time.
As time passes, you’ll refine your pitch. You’ll get a feel for which leads you’ll be able to convert into reliable clients, and which aren’t ready to buy yet. Here’s to growing your Amazon seller client base, and reaching greater heights in 2021!
Next in the Series…
Next up, we discuss how Fiflow has helped accountants across the world with their ecommerce clients’ businesses.