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The CPAs' Fundamental Principles of Marketing

Guest post by: Brian O'Connell

Article Overview: Learn the basics of marketing your firm. Veteran firm owners will find some helpful information, but this article is actually intended for new firms.

The CPAs' Fundamental Principles of Marketing

When folks realize what I do for work they often ask me the same question, "What's the best way to lure new clients?"

That's a much less difficult question to ask than it is to answer. Whole books have been penned on the issue, and there is no single answer. It changes according to your practice, your firm's location, your goals, and your personality. Each practice needs to create a marketing scheme appropriate to the aptitudes of it's people but I'll give you a short, generic, cheat-sheet to get you started.

Networking may be the life's blood of any successful firm, but it's a long term strategy. Take the time to cultivate prospects. It can seem frustrating and senseless at first, but as the years go by and high quality prospects start contacting you you'll be pleased you did it. In general the most thoughtful, savviest business owners rely on networking to find their accountants.

In the meantime there are a lot of rank and file clients to be had, but there are also a lot of accountants competing for them. When you first get started these people will form the bulk of your client base. These clients are what used to be called "walk-ins".

Ten years ago direct marketing was very effective, but times have changed. Direct marketing is pretty much useless these days. If you want to give it a crack you can track down recently issued business licenses and try to solicit new business owners by phone. For more than a few years I made a an excellent living out of this strategy. It just doesn't work any more, though. I just don't recommend it.

Get yourself some business cards (with web address and tag line) and network your butt off. Give them to everyone. And don't forget the tag line. Every time you hand someone your card give them a reason to visit your site. Don't be shy. Get cards. Just ask for them. Get phone numbers and email addresses. Once you have them, cultivate them. Sign them up for your newsletter. Send them an Email wishing them a happy thanksgiving.

In my admittedly biased opinion the internet is one of the best sources of clients. Get a good website and a monthly email newsletter. SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is a lot of work and very slow and expensive, but it's also an AWESOME prospect magnet. For the long term it's worth investing in. For short term just buy ad space on Google using Google Adwords. Also, get your business on Google Maps and optimize your site for Google Places (Local search). This will probably also require some investment on your part, but local search is a let cheaper and easier to get a good ranking in than old-school SEO. Expect a one-time cost of about $500.

So how can websites help accountants network?

The basic strategy of networking is to identify a prospects need, then to offer a solution to fill that need. It's all about demonstrating the benefit of your service to the prospect. As an accountant you're in a unique position to offer solutions to problems that really matter to people. Perhaps they're buying or selling a house. Maybe they're saving for their childrens' education, or retirement, or maybe they're not certain if they should buy or lease an expensive piece of equipment for their business.

Don't misunderstand the purpose of this kind of marketing. Prospects will almost never be so impressed with that value that they'll fire their CPA and hire you right there on the spot. It won't rack up billable hours for your firm. Networking is a long term marketing strategy. The goal of your networking efforts is to demonstrate your value to the prospect. You're trying to put your brand in front of the prospect and keep it there so that in a year, or two, or five; when the prospect is ready to switch accountants; yours will be the first name they think of.

A superior accountant's site can significantly impact your networking power. Online financial calculators and a libraray of financial articles will bring visitors back to your website over and over. As we've already established, when networking your job is to figure out what that persons needs are and demonstrate your value by presenting a solution. Your website can help with that. Next time you hand a prospect your business card you can offer a solution that takes them to your website, complete with your brand at the top of the page and your phone number at the bottom.

Learn the art of the Tag Line. Nobody is going to call you or even visit your website unless you give them a compelling reason to.

The "walk-ins" will pretty much take care of themselves if you do a good job setting up your website. All you really need to do is keep a close eye on your Adwords account. Make sure your ads are appearing towards the top of the page. You're position on Google's search results is important. Think of it as the modern equivalent of your office location.

Learn to use online social networks too. LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook... and network your butt off. Everyone is a potential prospect. Parents, friends, vendors, everyone. Don't judge prospects by where they stand. In 5 or 6 years they may well be standing someplace very different.

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Article Tags: Accounting, CPA, Marketing, Websites, Websites for Accountants



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