by Hamish | Jul 24, 2014 | Marketing
Like many professional services industries Accountants can find themselves in a vicious, price-driven competition cycle if they don’t think outside the box. Accountants need to find more ways to value-add for their clients. Marketing for Accountants may seem like a foreign concept but it is increasingly important in globalised competitive markets. No longer is it just about tax returns and government compliance – new tech has made this increasingly easier and more convenient. For an accounting practice to thrive, the message needs to change. You can’t focus solely on cost and need to better educate customers as to the value for what they are paying. Ideally, you will be able to set up a marketing funnel and plan where prospects arriving at your doorstep are not just there to be sold to, they are already there to buy. Here are some tips for accountants looking to improve their marketing efforts: Be a great accountant and tell them how much you have done for them You need to work damn hard. You need to go out of your way to impress every single client that you deal with and give them the greatest experience possible. Once you have given them a great experience remind them that you have given them a great experience. One way to improve the marketing for accountants is to add a letter as invoices are sent out. Tell them how much of a great job that you did and ask for referrals. Make your existing clients feel loved When looking to grow your business it is important to continue “marketing” to your existing clients. It’s important...
by Hamish | Jul 18, 2014 | Marketing
Okay, so the inspiration for this article has been the number of people I hear saying things or posting online comments like “so how do I do Facebook better?” “Should I boost my Facebook post?” or posts on a similar thought pattern. These questions often show a distinct lack of understanding of the marketing process. I am not saying this to be critical. The use of social media platforms can be valuable but I think many business owners miss out on key opportunities for success by skipping some steps. Technology has had a dramatic effect on our everyday lives and marketing tactics have evolved accordingly, but, in my opinion, the overall marketing process has not changed significantly. All that has really changed is some of the tactics that you may use as part of the marketing process. No matter what anyone tells you, social marketing does not exist in isolation – it’s a potential tactic of the “traditional” marketing process and it’s not necessarily a tactic you should be using. In order to explain myself and what I am trying to argue here, I am going to talk about Goals, Strategies, Objectives and Tactics. When you have a better understanding of what I mean by each of these terms, you’ll have a better understanding of the marketing process and be able to achieve better results – or know if you are hiring the right person to achieve these results for you. Here are the definitions that I am going to work with for the rest of this article. Goal – A goal is what you want to achieve. A goal...
