For instance, there are digital services available that provide relevant content for your practice's use, such as tax planning tips and articles. Tax planning as a focus of your marketing communication with clients is powerful; it has mass appeal that can drive more billable hours while also generating referrals throughout the year.
Practitioners who have caught on to the effectiveness of tax and accounting-focused digital marketing stay with it for several reasons. First and foremost, it does what a good marketing program should; it increases sales and profits. Many who use a service like this also report they have experienced the benefit of pass-along readership resulting in new clients. Secondly, using this service will ensure you maintain consistent relevant and meaningful contact with your clients throughout the year, reinforcing client relationships and loyalty.
The advantage goes to those firms who use accounting-focused digital marketing services for these reasons:
1. Deliver relevant content within the expertise of the firm. The articles, written about a variety of accounting and financial matters, include topics such as taxes, tax planning and retirement savings plans. This content promotes you as being a knowledgeable and trusted advisor on the subject matter and appeals to every member of the client household or the business client.
2. Automate your marketing program. You can set up a digital marketing tool one time then watch it go to work for you on a weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual basis.
3. It is easy. Preview the content that is written for you, customize by swapping out any articles you prefer changing, and then let the service deliver the content to your clients.
4. Maintain a consistent presence. Those who use an automated digital marketing tool maintain consistent meaningful contact; sharing knowledge and reinforcing loyalty.
5. Generate more business. Clients will call you because something you sent got their attention (e.g. an article about college savings plans, a tax savings tip, 401k plans, tax law changes, etc.). Some clients will forward the content to their friends or family, creating pass-along readership that can result in new clients.
6. Enhance your image. The content you share further solidifies your reputation as a knowledgeable accounting, tax or bookkeeping professional. Meaningful communication with clients reinforces in their mind that you are their trusted advisor.
The challenges of digital marketing, debunked
One of the challenges of digital marketing is aggregating email addresses which are needed for digital marketing. If you have email addresses for some or all of your clients you are already ahead of the game and could get started with a digital marketing service today. If you do not have client email addresses, start collecting them.
Your clients will welcome email messages from you, their trusted advisor of all things financial. Ask clients for their email address for the purpose of sharing articles that you believe they would like to read.
There is a misconception that managing a digital marketing service takes a lot of time. Setting up your clients and prospects in a digital marketing system will take somewhere between one to three hours. Once the service is set up, the time required to send a digital marketing piece such as a weekly tax tip or a monthly client newsletter is quite minimal (five to 10-minutes at most), it can even happen automatically if that is your preference.
There is an unfounded concern that digital marketing service fees are cost-prohibitive. Digital marketing services are quite affordable for firms of all sizes, including solo practitioners. With digital email marketing services there are no costs for printing and postage, everything is sent out electronically. For about $30 per month you can share fresh relevant accounting-centric content with clients weekly and/or monthly or anytime you wish, without having to lift a finger.
With costs being this low and managing the service being that easy, you must ask yourself if it is worth $300 to $400 per year to maintain consistent, relevant, accounting-centric contact with clients. Our research has shown the value of keeping great clients and securing new clients will far out-weigh this cost.
In closing, if you are an accounting, tax or bookkeeping professional who wonders whether accounting-centric digital marketing will work for your firm, there is only one surefire way to find out. Research conducted with accounting professionals has proven those who use digital marketing tools—such as weekly tax tips, monthly digital client newsletters, appointment reminders—experience increased activity from their clients and the benefit of pass-along readership, both of which result in increased revenue for the practice.
Ultimately, you will never know the full potential of this service until you commit to trying it for a year and see the results.
