When you have your head down in client work it can often be hard to concentrate on anything else. Billable hours are vital to the lifeblood of your business but at the same time, you know that marketing for your firm is important.
Many firms that I work with have a sporadic pipeline of leads, and this all comes down to having inconsistent marketing activity. Marketing was once described to me as watering a garden, you have to tend and nurture it. If you don’t seedlings and plants can wilt and die and the same can be said when it comes to your marketing. So, what type of marketing can your accounting firm undertake to make sure there is always an interest in you and your firm?
Review your Website
I was recently working for an accountancy firm and as part of working with them, I reviewed the website. They hadn’t looked at it for over two years and changes needed to be made.
How long has it been since you have reviewed your website?
Can a visitor easily navigate around the site, is it easy to find information? Have you updated it with recent testimonials and client case studies? Because there is nothing worse than an out of date website, it can reflect badly on your firm.
The first thing that people do when they meet you or hear about your firm is to check you out online. It’s imperative that you make the best impression. So, go and take a look at your website and make sure that everything is up to date.
Don’t be afraid to contact your developer if you want new sections added or additions made, often these can be cheaper than you think so making the investment can be the best step forward.
Get
Many accountants that I meet think that
Also, don’t forget that people search for accountants based on location. Where are you based and in what town and region? Don’t forget to weave this in your page titles and possibly the copy of your website where appropriate too so that you can come up in a search based on location.
It all about Blogging
Many people get stuck when it comes to writing and what they should write about. But there are a couple of reasons why you and your firm should blog.
- The first reason is that it helps with Google Rankings. Google likes to see websites with new content if your content has been static for a while then Google will see your site as stale and not rank you so highly. I would recommend a blog once a week, most people internally groan when I say this to them but at least two blogs to carry you through the month.
- Another reason is it helps position you as experts too, writing content helps people get a feel for you and the firm and what it is you know and how helpful you can be for them. Aim to provide content that is valuable and tells people something that they don’t know. Don’t be another run of the mill, vague blog that’s out there.
If you’re worried about what to write about, why not take a look at what your competitors are blogging about, what’s hot in the news at the moment that you can write a piece on? What types of questions do your clients ask you regularly or could you write about a client case study? There are lots of options out there so you don’t have to reinvent the wheel with brand new content.
If you are going to write a blog – make sure it’s around 500 words and write like ELI5 – or Explain Like I’m 5 to help keep your language as simple as possible it’s imperative that you come across as approachable.
Step into the Limelight
Video marketing. We all know it’s on trend and really important. As an accounting firm, people need to see the personalities behind the firm. Your line of work is all about building a relationship with people over time. Potential clients may not need to change accountants for some time but when they do you want to make sure that you are on top of their list.
Video marketing can be a form of a blog. You don’t need any special equipment, a stand for your phone a decent office looking background and off you go. You could vlog about a recent blog and cover a similar subject. All the blogging advice on topics from the above section can apply here. It should only be 2 mins and you need to get straight to the point. If you have an iPhone then you can download a free app called Clips which helps you add subtitles to your videos too.
Once you have created your video make sure you share it in the right places, create a YouTube account, have that YouTube account plugged into your website so your video can be accessed on your website (an action for the developer!) Share it on social media, especially LinkedIn and make sure you ask people you know to like and share it. It acts like a snowball effect, the more people that like and share your video the more people that will see it. It’s important to create great content but to also distribute it too, otherwise what’s the point!
In summary
There are many activities that your accounting firm can undertake but I am a firm believer of building a backbone for your marketing by making sure your website and
Once this is done, start creating content that makes you stand out above the rest and helps develop your relationships with potential clients.
You can’t do every bit of marketing available but giving these four tips a shot and getting in a consistent persistent routine with them will help provide a solid base for your marketing in the future.
