If you run an accounting firm, you already know what the first few months of the year look like. Marketing isn’t on the list, and honestly, it shouldn’t have to be. I’ve worked closely with accounting firms, and I’ve seen how quickly it drops off once the season starts.

That’s exactly why the next couple of months matter. What you set up in November and December keeps working while you’re buried in returns. Here’s what’s worth doing now, and why each piece pays off later.

Is your Google profile ready for busy-season searches?

Plenty of people go looking for an accountant, or a new one, right around the start of the year. Many of them start with a search and land on a Google Business Profile.

• Hours. If you add evenings or Saturdays during the season, set them as special hours ahead of time.
• Services. List what you actually offer: individual returns, business returns, bookkeeping, payroll, planning.
• New clients. If you’re taking them, say so in your description or a post.
• Photos. A few recent ones of your office and team.

Why it matters: someone searching for a tax preparer in February is ready to act. If your profile doesn’t mention the service they need, or your hours look wrong, they move on to the next listing.

Does your website answer the questions clients ask every year?

You probably answer the same questions every season. What documents do I need? When do you need them? How do I get them to you? How does pricing work? Are you taking new clients?

Put those answers on your website, in one clear place. A document checklist and a simple “how to work with us this season” page save your team a lot of phone calls, and they help new clients feel confident choosing you.

Why it matters: clear answers to real questions also help you get found. When someone asks Google or an AI tool something like “what do I need to bring to my accountant,” a page that answers it directly has a much better shot at showing up.

Have you told current clients what to expect?

Send your existing clients one clear email before the year ends. Cover anything that’s changing at the firm, how and when to send documents, your own internal deadlines and how to reach you during the busy months.

Why it matters: the clients you already have are usually your best source of new ones. An organized, helpful message reminds them why they trust you, makes the season smoother for everyone and gives them something easy to forward to a friend who needs an accountant.

If your email list hasn’t been cleaned up in a while, give it a quick check before you send.

Have you asked last season’s clients for reviews?

If you never got around to asking for reviews after last season, now is a good time. Things are calmer, the work is done and people remember that you got them through it.

Ask every client the same way, with a short note and your direct review link. Don’t offer anything in return, and don’t ask only the clients you’re sure were happy. Both go against Google’s review policies.

Why it matters: reviews you get now will be the most recent ones on your profile right when the most people are looking at it.

Can your social media run without you?

Nobody at your firm is going to be writing posts in March. So don’t plan on it. Before January, schedule a simple set of posts to carry you through: deadline reminders, a document checklist, a note that you’re accepting new clients if you are, and a few that remind people there’s a real team behind the firm.

Why it matters: going completely silent for months can look like no one’s home, right when people are deciding who to trust with their finances. A light, steady presence is enough.

Are you clear on who you’re taking on?

Decide now whether you’re accepting new clients this season, and which kinds. Then say so clearly on your website and your Google profile.

Why it matters: it saves you from fielding calls you’ll have to turn down in the middle of February, and it helps the right new clients reach out early, before your calendar fills up.

Where to start

If you only get to two things before January, update your Google profile with your season hours and services, and send current clients one clear email about how this season will work. Add the website FAQ page when you have a free afternoon. Each of those keeps working for you long after you’ve stopped thinking about marketing for the year.