Should accountants post from a personal profile or a company page? Both, for different jobs

The short answer

Use both, for different jobs. The company page is the firm's permanent shop window, and it stays when people change. A personal profile is where a named person talks, explains and builds trust.

A firm that only does one of them leaves something missing. With only a company page, the firm looks real but faceless. With only one partner's profile, the firm's reputation sits on one person's account, and it leaves when they do.

This guide assumes your firm has already decided to be on social media. If you are still deciding that, start with our guide on whether accountants need social media, which also covers the minimum presence worth setting up.

What each account is for

The company page speaks for the firm. A personal profile speaks for a person. Give each one the job it does best.

The company page: the firm's record

• Firm news. New partners, new hires, office moves, awards and changes to opening hours.
• Services. What the firm does, who for, and how to get in touch.
• Deadlines and reminders.Dates every client needs to know, posted in the firm's name.
• Proof the firm is active. A steady run of recent, correct posts tells a prospect the firm is trading and taking clients.

The personal profile: a named person's voice

• Views. What a partner thinks about a change and who it affects.
• Explanations. A short, plain account of a question clients keep asking.
• Conversations.Replies, comments on other people's posts, and connections with clients, referrers and local businesses.

On LinkedIn this split matters most, because that is where business owners and referrers tend to look up both firms and people. Our guide to LinkedIn for accountantscovers how the firm page and partner profiles share the work on that channel. On Facebook and Instagram, the firm's page or business account usually does most of the work, and many partners keep their personal Facebook for friends and family. That is a sensible choice.

What goes where, in practice

Ask one question of every post: is this the firm speaking, or a person? Firm facts go on the company page. Opinions, explanations and stories in someone's own words go on their profile.

Here is the same topic, written for each account.

Both examples are ours, written to show the shape. Fill in your own dates. The company page post is a fact anyone at the firm could have written. The partner's post is one person's experience, and it only works in their voice.

Some things belong only on the company page: contact details, the firm's services and anything a client needs to rely on, such as closures or changes to how you work. Some things belong only on a personal profile: a partner's own view, or a story from their working week. For what is safe to share personally, read our guide on whether accountants should post personal content.

Who posts, and who approves

Decide who can post as the firm, and agree what partners and staff may say about the firm on their own profiles. Write both down before anyone starts.

The firm is answerable for what goes out in its name. ICAEW's social media helpsheetsays firms are ultimately responsible for anything published in their own name, even if it is outsourced. It also notes that others may be able to connect a person's personal and business accounts, so a partner's profile reflects on the firm too.

When a partner leaves

The firm keeps the company page and its followers. The person keeps their profile and their connections. Plan for that before it happens.

• Keep firm-critical information on the company page.Contact details, services and announcements clients rely on should live on the company page, not only on one person's profile.
• Give page access to more than one person. On LinkedIn, the LinkedIn Page admin roleshelp page explains that a super admin can add and remove admins, edit the page and deactivate it, while a content admin can create and manage posts. Make sure at least two people at the firm hold the top role, so the page never depends on one login. ICAEW's helpsheet also says practice owners should understand the access controls available for the practice's social media accounts.
• Remove access on the day someone leaves. Add it to your leavers checklist alongside email and software logins.
• Expect their profile to change.ICAEW's helpsheet asks individuals to keep their current role and employer accurate on networking sites. A departing partner will update theirs, and their old posts stay with them.

This is the strongest argument for keeping the company page active even when a partner's posts draw more comments. The partner's audience is theirs. The company page's audience is the firm's.

Consistent, not copied

The company page and the people in the firm should sound like the same firm, without posting the same words twice.

• Same voice, different posts. If the company page posts a deadline reminder, a partner can add their own angle on it. Pasting the identical text in both places looks automated and gives followers of both nothing new.
• No contradictions.Opening hours, prices, services and deadlines must match everywhere. A partner should not promise something the firm's page does not offer.
• Matching basics.The firm name, logo and website link should be the same on every company page, and partners' profiles should name the firm correctly.

One way to keep the voice steady is to draft from the same source. Pillr drafts a month of LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram posts from your firm's website, in your firm's voice, and nothing is scheduled until a partner approves it. It connects one account per channel, so you choose which account each channel posts from. A partner who wants to make the same point on their own profile can rewrite a draft in their own words, rather than starting from a blank page.

How much to take on

One well-kept company page plus one or two active personal profiles beats five half-empty accounts. Take on only what the firm will keep up.

An empty company page is worse than a correct, quiet one. If nobody will post on a channel for now, keep the page's details right and point it at your website, as our guide on whether accountants need social media explains. Do not ask every partner to post. Ask the one or two who will actually do it, and let the rest keep their profiles accurate and comment when they have something to add.

Deciding for a small firm starting out

Set up the company page correctly first, then pick the one or two people who will post personally, then review after a few months.

1. Get the company page right

Firm name, logo, a short description of who you help, the website link and contact details, all matching your website. Give admin access to at least two people.

2. Choose who posts personally

Pick the partner or adviser who already explains things well to clients and is willing to post. One person posting regularly is enough to start.

3. Split the topics

Firm news, services and deadlines go on the company page. That person's views and explanations go on their profile. Agree who checks what before it goes out.

4. Review by enquiries, not likes

After a few months, look at what actually happened: new enquiries, introductions, questions from clients and conversations that started from a post. Likes alone tell you very little. Our guide on how accountants measure marketing covers what to track. To see a month of posts drafted from your own website, paste your firm's address on the home page.

Questions accountants ask about profiles and pages