Grow Your Accounting Practice: 9 Email Marketing Must-Dos

If you’re running an accounting business, email marketing is one of the best ways to connect with your prospective clients.

Whether you’re sharing tips, promoting your accounting services, or launching an email marketing campaign, these strategies will help you make the most of every email you send. Check out the top tips below!

#1) Use Lead Magnets to Build Your Email List

Growing your accounting practice starts with a quality email list. Instead of purchasing lists (which violates regulations and yields poor results), create valuable lead magnets that attract your ideal clients.

Effective lead magnets for accountants include:

• Tax preparation checklists customized for different business types
• Financial calculators that help prospects understand potential tax savings
• Free webinars addressing common accounting pain points
• Industry news and guides on financial regulations and compliance

P.S. Our Custom Form Builder lets you create responsive signup forms, landing pages, and subscribe buttons, all fully branded to match your style. No development work needed—just drag, drop, and go!

Try Free Now

#2) Ensure Your Emails are Optimized for Mobile

With most people checking emails on mobile devices, optimizing for smartphones isn’t optional—it’s essential for accounting firms that want their expertise to reach clients wherever they are.

Mobile optimization best practices:

• Use single-column layouts that adapt to smaller screens
• Increase font size to 14px minimum for body text
• Make CTAs thumb-friendly (at least 44×44 pixels)
• Keep the subject line short – 7 words or 41 characters are recommended
• Test your emails across multiple devices before sending

Side Note: Our Drag-and-Drop Email Builder lets you design professional emails in no time, with a simple, no-code interface. Plus, you can also choose from a library of Responsive Templates that are mobile-optimized for everything from promotions to newsletters!

#3) Use Advanced Segmentation for Highly Targeted Campaigns

Segmentation is where accounting firms can truly shine with their email marketing efforts. By dividing your list strategically, you can deliver hyper-relevant content that speaks directly to each client’s needs.

Effective segmentation strategies for accountants:

• By client type: Individual taxpayers vs. small businesses vs. corporations
• By service needs: Tax preparation, audit, advisory, bookkeeping
• By industry: Construction, healthcare, retail, etc.
• By lifecycle stage: Prospect, new client, established client
• By engagement level: Active vs. dormant clients

Example segmentation approach:

BTW, with our Advanced Segmentation feature, you can build audience segments using any subscriber data, making your campaigns more relevant and higher-performing.

#4) Personalize Your Emails (Non-Negotiable)

For accounting firms, personalization means delivering valuable content that addresses specific financial concerns and demonstrates your understanding of their unique situation.

Personalization strategies that work:

• Address recipients by name and reference their business
• Include industry-specific insights relevant to their sector
• Reference past interactions or services provided
• Tailor content based on business size and complexity
• Use dynamic content blocks that change based on subscriber data

Our personalization features allow you to automatically insert custom fields like client name, business type, or last meeting date—creating emails that feel individually crafted while saving you valuable time.

#5) Ensure Your Content Answers Subscribers’ Questions

The most effective accounting emails anticipate and address client questions before they’re asked. This positions your firm as proactive and attentive to client needs.

Content strategies that build trust:

• Explain complex tax changes in simple, actionable language
• Provide timely reminders about upcoming financial deadlines
• Share case studies demonstrating how you’ve helped similar clients
• Offer actionable tips clients can implement immediately
• Address FAQs you commonly receive during tax season

For example, instead of simply stating “new tax legislation has passed,” explain specifically how it impacts different client segments and what actions they should take now.

#6) Make Your CTAs and Subject Lines Urgent, Personalized, and Actionable

Your subject lines determine whether emails get opened, while CTAs drive the actions you want clients to take. Both need careful crafting to maximize effectiveness.

Subject line best practices:

• Include benefit-driven language
• Add urgency when appropriate (especially around tax deadlines)
• Personalize with recipient information when possible
• A/B test different approaches

Examples of effective accounting email subject lines:

• “[First Name]: Your 2025 Tax Strategy Is Missing This Key Element”
• “3 Days Left: Secure Your April 15th Appointment”
• “Q3 Tax Planning: 5 Opportunities for [Company Name]”

CTA best practices:

• Use action-oriented verbs (Schedule, Download, Secure)
• Create a sense of urgency or exclusivity
• Make the benefit immediately clear
• Ensure buttons stand out visually
• Limit to one primary CTA per email

BTW, With Campaign Monitor’s A/B Testing Engine, you can easily test subject lines, content blocks, or CTAs, optimizing your emails based on real user behavior for better performance. Additionally, Inbox & Spam Testing lets you preview emails across devices and check for spam risks before sending, ensuring your messages hit inboxes, not spam folders.

#7 Automate Your Email Marketing Campaigns

Automation allows accounting firms to maintain consistent client communication without consuming valuable staff time. Strategic automation workflows ensure you stay top-of-mind throughout the year, not just during tax season.

Key automation sequences to implement:

• Welcome sequence for new subscribers or clients
• Tax deadline reminder series with escalating urgency
• Quarterly check-in emails with relevant financial tips
• Service anniversary acknowledgments with loyalty offers
• Re-engagement campaigns for dormant clients

Campaign Monitor’s automation features make it easy to set up these sequences once and let them run automatically, triggering based on specific dates, client actions, or custom fields in your database.

Try Free Now

#8) Regularly Test & Optimize

The most successful accounting business treat email marketing as an ongoing optimization process, continuously testing and refining their approach based on performance data.

Elements to test regularly:

• Subject lines (length, personalization, question vs. statement)
• Send times (day of week, time of day)
• Email length and content format
• CTA placement and wording
• Design elements and layout

Improvement strategies for key metrics:

With our Live Performance Dashboards, you can monitor the results of your campaigns, automations, and transactional emails in real time.

Plus, our Full Engagement Reports give you detailed metrics on opens, clicks, bounces, shares, and unsubscribes across all email types!

Read Next:

• How to Grow Your Business with Email Marketing Automation
• The Power of Email Personalization to Reach Humans (Not Just Inboxes)
• What are good open rates, CTRs, & CTORs for email campaigns?

To run a successful email marketing campaign, you need more than just a few occasional emails. The key is consistency and strategy. These 4 essential email campaigns will help accounting firms stay connected with clients, nurture leads, and drive conversions.

#1) Welcome Sequences

The first emails you send set the tone for your client relationship. A well-crafted welcome sequence introduces your firm, establishes expectations, and guides new contacts toward becoming clients.

Welcome sequences should be triggered immediately after someone joins your list, with subsequent emails spaced 2-3 days apart to maintain engagement without overwhelming.

By the way, with our Visual Journey Builder, you can create behavior-triggered workflows and deliver timely, personalized messages automatically, streamlining your entire customer journey!

#2) Educational and Advisory Emails

Educational content positions your firm as a trusted advisor rather than just a tax preparer. These emails demonstrate your expertise while providing genuine value to clients.

Regular educational emails keep your firm top-of-mind throughout the year and give clients a reason to engage beyond tax season.

Just so you know, with Dynamic Content Blocks, you can show different content based on subscriber data within the same email—no cloning needed.

Plus, the Subscriber Preference Center lets contacts update their preferences and details, helping you improve data accuracy and targeting!

#3) Seasonal and Timely Campaigns

Accounting has natural cycles that create perfect opportunities for targeted email campaigns. Planning these campaigns in advance ensures you’re reaching clients at the moments when they need your expertise most.

With Campaign Monitor’s Time Zone Sending, your time-sensitive messages will always arrive at the perfect moment, no matter where your recipients are.

Plus, Send Time Optimization uses machine learning to ensure each email is sent when your subscribers are most likely to engage!

#4) Client Retention and Reactivation Campaigns

Retaining existing clients is far more cost-effective than acquiring new ones. Strategic customer retention and reactivation campaigns help maintain strong client relationships and recover dormant accounts.

These campaigns should focus on demonstrating continued value and reinforcing the benefits of your ongoing relationship.

Read Next:

• How to Run an Effective Re-Engagement Campaign
• 11 Incredible Welcome Email Examples (and Why They Work)
• How Do You Create A Lead Nurturing Campaign?

Note: This content is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, regulatory, or financial advice. Campaign Monitor is not intended for the storage or transmission of sensitive financial information, and users are responsible for ensuring compliance with applicable laws and regulations.

Accounting firms must navigate both email marketing regulations and professional ethics requirements. Compliance isn’t just about avoiding penalties—it’s about maintaining trust.

Key compliance areas to address:

• Anti-spam laws (CAN-SPAM, CASL, GDPR) requiring consent and unsubscribe options
• Data protection requirements for handling sensitive financial information
• Professional ethics considerations regarding solicitation and claims
• Client confidentiality in all communications, even marketing

Ready to kickstart your email marketing strategy? This 30-day plan is designed specifically for accountants looking to build stronger client relationships, attract new leads, and make the most of their email campaigns. Let’s break it down step-by-step to help you get started and see results quickly.

Week 1: Audit current client communication and set up your email marketing platform

• Evaluate existing client email communication
• Segment your client base
• Set up Campaign Monitor account and import contacts
• Create branded email templates

Week 2: Build your first segmented lists and create templates

• Define 3-4 key client segments
• Develop content themes for each segment
• Create and test mobile-responsive templates
• Set up tracking for key metrics

Week 3: Develop your first automated sequence

• Build a welcome sequence for new subscribers
• Create a re-engagement campaign for dormant accounting clients
• Set up tax deadline reminder automation
• Test all sequences before activation

Week 4: Launch, measure, and refine your strategy

• Send your first segmented campaign
• Analyze open and click-through rates
• Gather feedback from a small client sample
• Refine approach based on initial results