plus some easy alternatives to the “talking head.”
by sandi leyva
the complete guide to marketing for tax & accounting firms
marketing your accounting services eventually requires a personal connection, either face to face or via phone. using video allows you to emulate a personal connection with your prospects while leveraging your time.
more small firm growth strategies: how to schedule social media content | social media basics for accounting firms | how to maximize online profile sites | build reputation through credentials, testimonials | use feedback for service innovation | create your marketing plan
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imagine taking the time to meet every website or social media visitor in a private appointment. impossible, right? a video enables you to say your spiel once and have it received by reaching out to hundreds, if not thousands, of interested prospects in a still quite personal way.
in short, video is extremely powerful for those who dare try it.
video is also quite scary, making all but the most seasoned speaker or actor feel uncomfortable about the whole production. that means, though, that video in the accounting industry will likely stay wildly underutilized and highly profitable for those few who go through with the implementation.
even if you’re saying “i can’t do this,” stay with me and let’s see what’s involved.
why video?
if a picture is worth 1,000 words, a video is worth 1,000 clicks because of the higher visibility and search rankings associated with posting them. you’ll save on google advertising, plus your online results will be better, so you’ll save overall on marketing.
here are some benefits of using video in your marketing:
- boosts search engine results
- allows your visitor to see what you are like and make a judgment
- breaks the ice
- provides a way to educate your clients and prospects
- might reduce customer service time
- memorializes and automates anything you say over and over again so you don’t have to keep repeating yourself, saving you time and boredom
- helps you target your ideal client better than
- spices up your website
- eliminates commoditization of services
types of videos
the good news is you don’t have to be in your own video! and actually, a talking head is the most boring type of video there is. there are a few major options when it comes to how you create your video.
video screen capture
recording a how-to video is a great way to educate your prospects, let people sample you, and avoid having to be on the video! all you need to do is talk, possibly teach, and record your screen.
this type of video can be any length, from a few minutes to about 20 minutes. for marketing purposes, keep your topic tight and your video short, less than five minutes. use your video to demonstrate your expertise without giving away too much that you would normally charge for. stay away from topics that have a lot of exceptions; you won’t be able to cover all of them. topics that simply increase awareness are valuable to business owners.
when you are thinking about what topic you want to try, ask yourself the question you hear when a person first calls you. do they have a tax problem? a quickbooks question? target your video to begin answering the questions that your ideal prospects come to you for.
let’s brainstorm some topics that would be good:
- cover 3-5 symptoms of a quickbooks problem; perhaps their quickbooks is running slow. what are some causes of this? list those. your big education point is that the performance can be improved, that there truly is a fix for their productivity drain. don’t tell them how to fix it; your call to action will simply be to have them call you to find out more.
- right now there is a lot of misinformation about forms that need to be completed related to the affordable care act. you can do an awareness piece on this or any other new tax law. then ask watchers to contact you to help them with the compliance.
- sales tax awareness: are you collecting sales tax correctly?
- make a video quiz of 3-5 questions that a small business owner should know about financial literacy.
- pull together 3-5 bookkeeping or controller-level tips that you could help the client implement.
all of the above videos ask the question, “did you know…?”
you can also take the approach of how-to videos.
- how to select an accounting system
- how to select a payroll system
- how to select a bookkeeper
- how to eliminate data entry
- how to smooth your cash flow
all of these should hint at the benefits of doing business with you. they make for a subtle way to promote yourself without bragging overtly.
with all of the above topics, you can make a powerpoint presentation or demonstration and capture your screen while talking through the presentation.
talking heads
prefer to be the star of your own video? you can take any of the above topics and shoot a video while you are presenting or simply speaking at a video camera.
there are three major ways to shoot a video with you in it.
- you can use the webcam that’s built into your pc. most people do this while sitting at their desk.
- you can purchase a video camera with tripod. we use a flipcam and mount it on a tripod.
- you can hire a videographer or go into a video studio to do a shoot. this is extremely expensive, and surprisingly authenticity and sound quality matter more than video quality, so save your money unless you have a lot of it.
the key to all these is to make sure you have great lighting. most webcam shots are too dark but that can easily be remedied by shooting with you facing a bright window and having the window at the camera’s back. you can also purchase a studio lighting set at your local camera store or on amazon for $300-$400.
you can also shoot the video outdoors, and we recommend that if you have some great scenery. you’ll still have to check on the lighting outdoors, too. shooting away from the sun while you look directly into it will yield good lighting but you don’t want to be squinting. shooting in the shade can dull colors or make weird shadows on your face. the best lighting outdoors can be had a few hours before sunset where the colors are vibrantly rich, but watch for long shadows.
no matter where you shoot, you’ll want to spend some time intentionally designing your background. indoors, an uncluttered bookcase or a wall full of diplomas or other framed certificates are the most common office backgrounds. the most sophisticated bloggers have a “set” that they build. for example, if they use shelves, the bloggers place certain objects on the shelves that are within camera range. these could be items for credibility or to build brand. all family members know they dare not touch the “set.” the set stays the same from shoot to shoot and the blogger becomes known for that familiar set.
other weekly videographers travel, and they cannot control the set. they may shoot from a hotel room, lobby, conference center or a landmark of the city they’re in.
stock video
less common but quite effective is to write out a message and record it using your voice and an audio recorder. then take stock footage that you can purchase and mix that with the sound to make a video. the footage you select should reflect images that support your audio. this type of video requires heavy video-editing compared to the others and is more expensive to produce.
if you go this route, here are a few resources where you can get audio and video footage:
- the youtube audio library lets you use free music and sound effects that you can use in your video. https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/3376882?hl=en
- we use clips from
- dreamstime.com
- shutterstock.com
- istockphoto.com
- audio resources
- http://www.musicrevolution.com/free_production_music/
- https://www.morguefile.com
- http://www.premiumbeat.com/
mix and match
you can also mix and match your video types. through editing you can put slides in one corner of a video where you are shown speaking. you can intersperse shots of you with powerpoint, stock footage and other graphic elements. the more complex you get, however, the more costly. if you’re just beginning, stick first with recording your screen, then become more sophisticated as you progress in skill level.
getting started
i recommend you just jump in and do your first video. try different things – with your webcam and any other tools you already have available. once you’ve made a few test shots, you’ll know what you want to change to improve the look or content of the video.
there are many steps in the learning curve with video – how to shoot, how to be on camera, how to work with the software, what you want your set to look like and more – which is why just jumping in works well. it gives you a list of things to do so that you can take baby steps instead of trying to aim for an oscar-winning performance right off the bat. you’ll start to build your video skills slowly and will gain confidence as you see progress.
editorial calendar
once you’re over your initial learning curve, consider developing an editorial calendar like magazines do. this is simply a list of topics and dates for future videos. plan out your shoot calendar so that you always have a few videos “in the hole” in case you lose your voice, need to travel or get a zit.
consistency
the most successful video marketers consistently churn out new videos and make sure they get seen by as many of their followers as possible. stick with a consistent routine of posting content every tuesday, for example, or on the fourth of every month. people will come to expect to hear from you and that’s what you want.