Social media for tax professionals: getting started with Facebook

Discover how to use Facebook to build your business and generate leads.


What is Facebook?

Facebook is the most popular social networking service on the internet, with over one billion active users. It allows users to create a personal profile, upload images and videos, share their thoughts through status updates, and connect and keep in touch with friends and family.

Unlike other social networking sites like Twitter and LinkedIn, Facebook is more personal and the platform makes it easier to deliver many different types of content, including videos and images.

Why get involved?

Chances are you have a personal account on Facebook. While you may or may not use this for networking related to your business, taking the next step and creating a page (as opposed to a profile) for your business will help gain you visibility, help build relationships and develop new ones, and make your services more accessible for your clients.

According to Facebook for Business, over one billion people “like” and comment an average of 3.2 billion times every day. Having a presence means becoming part of the conversation and functions as free advertising — by the strength of word-of-mouth recommendations.

How to get started

Creating a Facebook page is free, and the only requirement is that you have a personal profile set up. You should use your logo as your profile picture, and your cover photo should clearly represent your brand and the products and services you offer.

Once you’ve set up your profile, you’re ready to create your first post. Upload images or videos, add links to your company website, and use your page to keep your followers in the loop with what’s new or interesting in your field. Users who “like” your page will see these updates in their news feed when they log in to Facebook, so be mindful of keeping things short and sweet.

Build your network

Build your network by inviting people you know to “like” your page. Link to your Facebook page from your company’s website, and include the address on your business cards, in your email signature and in other marketing collateral. And if you’re serious about increasing your following, consider investing in Facebook ads for a short period.

Engage your audience

Uploading content to your Facebook page and interacting with your followers by answering their questions and prompting engagement helps to further build your network, encourage loyalty among your clients, and can help create leads in order to generate sales.

To keep your audience engaged, post on your page regularly. Upload events and post links that would be relevant to your followers. Encourage people to “like” your posts by asking questions.

Don’t forget to keep an eye on Facebook insights — these are metrics for your page that allow you to see what’s working and will give you an overview of who is engaging with your content.

For an in-depth guide on building a successful Facebook page for your business, download Facebook Pages Product Guide for more information.


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