Accounting can feel like an entirely different language for those outside the profession. While in a meeting with a client, you may be wondering, “Are they really getting this?” and “Are they just nodding along?”
Your instincts may be right. They may be pretending to follow you. But it’s only because your client is too embarrassed to speak up and let you know that you lost them a long time ago. They want to understand, but they don’t want to look dumb by saying it all sounds like gibberish.
The information you’re trying to get across is essential to your clients’ financial well-being. Educational content can bridge this communication gap, helping clients not only understand, but appreciate the complexities of accounting. Let’s explore how you can create content that resonates with your clients and makes these crucial topics clearer.
Why Clients Struggle with Tax and Audit Topics
Terms like “tax compliance” and “audit preparation” may seem foreign to your clients. And that’s the problem. Many clients struggle because they aren’t fluent in the financial lingo. Plus, tax deadlines, financial reporting standards, and audit processes aren’t part of your client’s daily experience like they are for you.
The Benefits of Simplifying Financial Concepts
Simplifying isn’t about dumbing things down; it’s about improving understanding. By breaking concepts down and presenting them in accessible, easy-to-understand ways, you can help clients meet their financial obligations and make informed decisions.
Clients who understand the importance of tax obligations or audit prep become more engaged and proactive, improving their overall experience. And, as we all know, satisfied clients stick around longer.
Top Strategies for Creating Educational Content on Tax, Audit, and Financial Reporting
Creating client education content that hits the mark requires empathy and creativity. Here’s what you need to know to translate complex accounting concepts into digestible nuggets of knowledge.
1. Identifying Key Client Pain Points
Knowing where your clients struggle is essential for developing relevant content. You can use predictive analytics and sentiment analysis to spot hidden client pain points. Segmenting clients, mapping their journeys, and tracking how they interact with content are other ways to get to know the top frustrations.
You can then continuously refine strategies through A/B testing and machine learning, ensuring your educational content evolves as your clients do.
There are several tools that can help here, including:
- Google Analytics 360: Power up with custom dimensions and advanced segmentation to track client behaviors beyond basic metrics. Use data-driven attribution to see which content drives real conversions and optimize based on high-value interactions.
- HubSpot: Advanced users can tap into multi-touch attribution for tracking content influence throughout the buyer’s journey, while predictive lead scoring helps you prioritize clients most likely to convert based on engagement.
- Qualtrics: Use custom text analytics for in-depth sentiment analysis and leverage predictive modeling to forecast future client behavior, ensuring your strategy stays ahead of the curve.
- Tableau: Tableau Prep cleans your data, while Python and R integration lets you conduct sophisticated predictive modeling to refine content strategies and spot trends before they escalate.
2. Breaking Down Complex Topics
Remember the Geico commercials with the slogan, “So easy a caveman can do it”? Take a page from Geico’s marketing and make your content so easy to understand that even a caveman gets it.
How?
Use step-by-step guides, real-life examples, or analogies to break down hard concepts. For example, you can explain tax credits as being like a gift card. You can write something like, “Imagine you’re at a store with a bill to pay. Instead of handing over cash for the full amount, you pull out a gift card, and the amount on the card gets subtracted from your total. You only pay what’s left after the gift card is applied.”
Keep the language simple and to the point to make it easier for clients to grasp important concepts. Above all, avoid jargon, such as “capital expenditure” and “variable costs,” when explaining things. Instead, choose simpler words and descriptions.
The 3 Best Content Formats for Client Education
Now that you’ve identified client pain points and simplified your content, it’s time to choose the best delivery method.
1. Blogs and Articles for In-Depth Explanations
When it comes to complex topics, long-form content like blogs and articles is ideal for diving deep. They allow you to explore subjects such as tax compliance and financial reporting with nuance and detail.
For example, a blog post titled “How to Prepare for an Audit: A Step-by-Step Guide” could walk clients through the audit preparation process, providing clear actions they can take.
Be sure to break the content into subheadings and use lists and bullet points for clarity. You’ll want to keep your paragraphs and sections short, such as two to four sentences per paragraph and one to three paragraphs per section.
2. Visual Content for Quick and Engaging Learning
Infographics, explainer videos, and flowcharts are powerful tools for simplifying complex accounting topics. A flowchart walking small business owners through quarterly tax filing can make the process more approachable. Visual content is especially effective for clients who prefer quick, at-a-glance learning.
For instance, PwC Belgium created an explainer video to show how their SAP services help clients improve tax compliance through tech and expertise. Using dynamic motion graphics and sleek typography, PwC made something typically overwhelming way easier to grasp — and engaging
3. Interactive Tools for Personalized Learning
Clients love personalized experiences. By offering interactive tools like calculators, quizzes, or forms, you allow them to apply the concepts directly to their own financial situation. Imagine a tax deduction calculator that shows clients how much they could save.
You can create these tools using platforms like:
- Outgrow: Use conditional logic to tailor questions based on client input, making tools like calculators feel personalized and relevant.
- Typeform: Take advantage of conversational flows to guide clients through complex topics while integrating responses with your CRM for follow-up.
- SurveyMonkey: Go beyond feedback by using logic branching in quizzes to customize the client learning journey and track understanding.
You’ll not only make the content more engaging but also give clients practical, real-world applications for the concepts they’re learning.
How to Tailor Educational Content to Different Clients
One size does not fit all. Small businesses and corporate finance teams have vastly different needs, so the content you create for them should reflect that.
Small Business Owners
For small businesses, practical, easy-to-understand content in areas like tax filing guides, cash flow management tips, and audit checklists can be invaluable. Providing step-by-step instructions for common challenges like preparing tax documents or managing expenses can significantly ease their burden.
Corporate Finance Teams
Corporate clients need more in-depth content that tackles complex accounting standards and regulatory compliance. Think white papers, webinars, and comprehensive guides. Topics like international accounting regulations or audit readiness resonate better with these teams as they deal with more intricate financial operations.
How to Gauge if Your Content Is Resonating with Clients
Creating educational content is just the first step. To truly gauge its effectiveness, you need to track how it impacts client satisfaction and retention.
Tracking Engagement with Educational Content
Track KPIs like time spent on articles, tool completion rates, and client feedback. You can also look at heatmaps and scroll tracking. Heatmaps show where users click, hover, or engage with interactive elements, while scroll tracking indicates how far down the page they go. This can help you refine your educational content’s structure so critical information isn’t overlooked.
Linking Client Education to Satisfaction and Retention
Educational content is a powerful tool for building lasting relationships. Accounting firms that prioritize client education should see significant improvements in client satisfaction and retention. The metrics to look for include:
- Client surveys and feedback, like regular satisfaction surveys for direct client feedback and net promoter scores (NPS), show how likely clients are to recommend you.
- Retention and churn rate tracking to see how long customers are sticking with you and how many are leaving.
- Clients using additional products and services mentioned in your content.
Education as a Key to Client Success
Simplifying complex accounting concepts through clear, engaging content helps clients confidently navigate their financial obligations. Whether small business owners or corporate finance teams, providing tailored educational resources can enhance client satisfaction, retention, and trust.
Looking for ways to create educational content that sticks? Connect with a ClearVoice content specialist to discuss your content goals and needs.
