Many accountants are intimidated by the thought of marketing their firm.
Where do you even start? Do I have to start completely from scratch, or is there anything I can do right now that won’t create a hole on my finances?
The good news is there are some great, practical measures you can put in place right now which will get your marketing moving in the right direction.
1. Organise Your Email List into Segments
Email marketing is still one of the most powerful marketing tools in your arsenal. In particular, the proliferation of mobile users reading their emails on their devices has only made this tactic even more essential for gaining valuable leads.
Unfortunately, most accountants we speak to tend to treat their email contacts as one big list. If they ever do an email marketing campaign, they tend to send it out to the whole lot.
They’re then disappointed when they get no response, or they get frustrated when people unsubscribe or put them into the junk folder.
Segmentation is the key here. Categorise each of your contacts according to key demographics such as age, income, location, and job industry. When the time comes to send out an email campaign, you can then select the most relevant contacts from your list to send your message to.
This approach will increase engagement, and keep unsubscribes and bounces down. MailChimp is a great email marketing tool we use and recommend.
2. Enhance Your Social Proof through Google Reviews
One great way businesses can improve their marketing is through the use of online reviews and testimonials. Online marketing for accountants is no exception.
Think about it. How often do you hear about a company from a friend, and then type the business name into Google? Often the company will appear at the top of the search results, with some online reviews to the right of the page. If you see that the company has 4 or 5 stars, you’re more likely to trust the brand and click through to the website.
This is all because of one fundamental truth: you can say anything you like about yourself. People are sceptical, and so may not believe it. However, if someone else says something about you, it’s Gospel.
If you don’t already have some Google reviews from clients, then try to get 10-15 reviews from some of your best clients. It’s pretty straightforward to do so. All they will need is a Google account and a link to your company Google profile. If your business doesn’t have a Google profile, don’t worry. It’s free to set one up.
3. Find Some Old, “Evergreen” Content and Repurpose It
Have you published content in the past on your blog, or in a printed article, and received some good response from it? Many business owners have done this and then never revisit the article, thinking that the topic was “tapped” and therefore can’t be re-used.
This is probably true if the piece concerned was in relation to a particular event or historical news. However, if the content would still be relevant and interesting for your clients, then it still holds value and it holds the potential to be “repurposed”.
How so? Well, suppose you wrote a popular article or blog on “The Top Qualities to Look for When Choosing an Accountant.” Why not refashion the content into a podcast, eBook, SlideShare, infographic or video?
This approach is used by successful brands all of the time and is highly effective. It can also be very cost-effective for you, as you’re simply re-using old material and reformatting it. (videos are usually an exception, it should be said).
4. Provide a Guest Piece
Are there any publications or websites that your target market frequent? If so, why not approach these companies and ask if you can contribute a guest article or blog post on an area of your expertise?
This can be a potent form of online marketing for accountants. It means gaining more exposure to potential clients. It can also be an attractive proposal for the blogger or pubisher since they need engaging, quality material to push out to their readers.
