Accountant marketing has almost certainly never been more dynamic, innovative and revolutionary than it is today. 96% of B2C marketers in 2014 reported that marketing was undergoing “significant change”, and that percentage would likely stand at 100% now.
The world of marketing used to be defined by TV ads, radio, newspapers, magazines, billboards and direct mail campaigns. Today, online their online counterparts prevail almost universally.
However, even in the sphere of digital marketing certain tactics have become redundant. For instance, banner ads don’t really work anymore, and neither do E-blasts. For accountant marketing to work nowadays, you need to be strategic, smart and diverse in your approach.
Today, your accountant marketing should incorporate a healthy blend of social media, PPC (pay per click), SEO, segmentation, content marketing, transactional and automated email campaigns, analytics and more.
The challenge, really, for those involved in accountant marketing is balancing all of these moving pieces, and focusing resources and efforts on digital strategies which provide a return on investment.
That’s a lot of responsibility, and a lot to handle. If you’re doing this yourself, then you especially feel the weight of the task.
In light of this, what advice can we offer? What’s the best digital marketing advice we can give to practitioners of accountant marketing in 2017?
Here are some bite-sized takeaways for you to consider:
#1 Don’t get stuck on repeat
It’s easy to rely on the same tactics and accountant marketing mix, year after year after year.
Don’t mix things up for the sake of it. If something is working, that’s a good sign! However, if you’re not continually evaluating the performance of your accountant marketing, you will eventually fall behind.
Be flexible, open to change, and a good listener.
#2 Let your voice shine through
If you’re not careful, your tone of voice can get muddied across your different internal and external communication channels.
Consistency is key in accountant marketing. Does your tone of voice carry the same across your website, printed publications, newsletter and website copy?
#3 Put the client first
Done badly, accountant marketing talks loudly about the firm’s needs, goals, values and achievements.
Done well, accountant marketing talks about the clients values, needs, problems, desires and aspirations.
Consumers these days have less and less attention, and more and more control. Their tolerance threshold is lower than ever for egocentricism in branding, or poor user experience. Be mindful.
#4 See the world through their eyes
Try and gear all of your accountant marketing efforts towards this. Try to understand your target audience. How do they experience brands like yours? How do they receive the jargon and messages they often receive from accountants selling their services?
Invest heavily in market research and client insight. Speak to their pains, needs, hopes and fears in your accountant marketing and specifically in your copy. Let this shine through in your use of imagery too.
#5 Hold your standards high
There is so much content out there now, for free, that it’s incredibly hard to cut through the noise unless what you’re offering is really good, and unique.
Don’t parrot or repeat what others are saying. Find your own angle, interests and field of knowledge and offer value to your target audience. Hold your standard of offered expertise and your quality of content to the highest standard. If you care about the content you give to prospects, you show you care about them.