How Accounting Firms Can Use B-Roll Footage for Marketing
Accounting firms looking to engage their audience, establish trust, and demonstrate expertise now rely heavily on video marketing. B-roll footage—supplemental clips that enhance storytelling—can significantly enhance video effectiveness, despite the prevalence of talking-head videos and webinars. 89% of businesses use video as a marketing tool, and 93% of marketers claim that video marketing has resulted in a positive return on investment (ROI). If you want to remain competitive, leveraging video is key to creating engaging and professional content.
The Importance of B-Roll in Accounting Firm Videos
1. Enhances Storytelling and Engagement
A talking-head video alone can become monotonous. B-roll footage helps break up the content, making it visually engaging. It keeps the viewer interested by providing context for the topic at hand. But rather than a CPA talking about tax planning, show clips of staff working on financial reports, meeting with clients, or reviewing documents.
2. Builds Credibility and Professionalism
Video quality impacts how potential clients perceive an accounting firm. B-roll adds a polished and professional feel, making the firm appear more established and trustworthy. According to Forbes, “Video can be a great way to educate current clients and prospects, establishing you as an expert in your field.”
3. Enhances Brand Recognition A company's workspace, teamwork, and interactions with clients can all be shown in B-roll footage, which helps create an authentic brand image. This allows prospective clients to connect with the firm before speaking with an accountant. It also humanizes the brand, highlights the company culture, and reinforces expertise in a non-salesy way.
4. Supports Different Video Formats
Using B-roll footage, accounting firms that produce a variety of videos, including FAQs, case studies, service overviews, and educational content, can make them more compelling, for example by using: Demonstrate clips of delighted clients greeting an accountant with a handshake. Explainer videos: Cut to visuals of tax forms, spreadsheets, or financial charts while discussing complex topics.
Videos for recruitment include footage of the company's office and team activities shot from behind the scenes. 5. Boosts Performance on Social Media Platforms like LinkedIn and Instagram favor high-quality, visually engaging content in their algorithms. According to HubSpot, of all the video formats, short-form has the highest ROI and is also number one driver for lead generation and engagement.
How to Find B-Roll Video Accounting firms can access B-roll in several ways:
Filming in-house: Capture authentic clips of the team working, office walkthroughs, and client interactions.
Stock footage: Use platforms like Pexels or Storyblocks for finance-related B-roll.
Hiring a videographer: A videographer can create bespoke footage for businesses that invest in a high-end video strategy. An example of hypothetical B-Roll in action for an accounting firm Let’s say Smith & Partners CPAs, a mid-sized accounting firm specializing in construction clients, wants to create a LinkedIn video explaining how they help contractors maximize tax deductions.
Scenario: The firm’s managing partner, James, records a short, talking-head video discussing common tax write-offs for construction businesses. But instead of just showing James speaking the entire time, they integrate B-roll footage to make it visually engaging.
Intro Scene (B-roll): A slow-motion clip of a construction worker reviewing blueprints on-site, overlayed with the firm’s logo and tagline: “Helping Construction Businesses Build Stronger Finances.”
During Crucial Moments: The screen shows a contractor using heavy machinery as James talks about equipment deductions. When discussing business vehicle write-offs, the footage cuts to a pickup truck with company branding driving to a job site.
While explaining bookkeeping best practices, the video shows a CPA reviewing financial reports on a tablet.
Closing Scene (B-roll): The video ends with a handshake between an accountant and a construction client at the firm’s office, reinforcing the firm’s expertise and personal approach.
Final Detail: An overlay with a call to action appears: "Do you need tax-saving strategies for your construction business? Schedule a consultation today!”
By integrating B-roll footage, Smith & Partners CPAs transform a standard talking-head video into a dynamic, engaging, and professional marketing asset—helping them stand out in the competitive accounting space.
B-Roll Video Footage Examples and Free Templates
Here are six b-roll video ideas from The Rise Media Agency:
Staff member sipping a beverage from a branded mug.
a shot from the camera's point of view of your branded shoes or clothes as you walk. Taking a client call on the phone. The sound doesn’t need to be on to help protect confidentiality.
a close-up shot of you using a computer keyboard to type. Opening your laptop displaying your website on a computer screen while you write something down.
Writing your to-do list or other notes on a piece of paper.
Download the free, Canva Instagram or Facebook and LinkedIn b-roll video templates for each of these examples. Then customize them for your own brand.
Boost Storytelling. Establish credibility. Improve Engagement.
Your company's marketing video could benefit greatly from using b-roll. As video marketing continues to dominate the digital space, integrating well-planned B-roll footage ensures your firm’s content stands out and resonates with potential clients.
What type of b-roll footage will you use to up your video A-game?