make more potential clients aware of your cpa firm.
by kelly schuknecht
summit cpa group
as a distributed accounting firm, we have learned a lot, since our founding in 2002, about how to successfully grow our client list. this growth involves creating and executing marketing strategies that help us attract clients from all over the nation.
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we have also succeeded in attracting new business because we have a good understanding of who our client is, what they’re looking for, how to reach them and, finally, what grabs their attention. this knowledge has allowed us to develop and execute effective marketing efforts.
highlighted below are some tactics that have helped us execute successful marketing campaigns. we believe some of these strategies can be applied to your business model to help you grow your cpa firm.
1. position yourself as a thought leader. at summit cpa, we have worked to depict ourselves as thought leaders within our industry and in the arena of digital agencies. going this route has also allowed us to position ourselves as experts in our field. we have achieved this through the development of educational and informative content. while some businesses fear giving out too much information, we have found that this output of useful content is an incredibly effective marketing tool, as new clients continue to access our agency through our content. therefore, we recommend creating content that is beneficial for your target client and provides them with a clear understanding of the kind of business you’re running. for instance, don’t simply write an article on “tax breaks,” write the article on “tax breaks for dentists.” target the articles based on the audience you are serving.
2. use the right social media platforms to your advantage. by using our social media platforms as a way to support our marketing efforts, we’re able to release our thought leadership content to a much larger audience. we can also broadcast our content widely without having to spend a significant amount of resources to do so. with that said, choosing the right social media platforms to market your company is another effective way to bring in more business.
to successfully leverage, you want to focus your efforts on your client base because the platforms you choose to engage with are dependent on your target client. for example, we have found that linkedin has been one of the best platforms for us to engage with current and potential clients. our success on the platform is mainly because of the nature of the platform. for working professionals, people are more willing to engage with businesses and sometimes even search for information on companies.
3. don’t underestimate the importance of search engine optimization (seo). as you work to grow your firm and attract clientele outside of your immediate area, we recommend prioritizing seo in your marketing efforts. at summit cpa, developing content that incorporates elements of seo has played a significant role in our ability to attract new clients across the nation. seo techniques have also helped us target clients operating within our niche more effectively, as our seo content helps us rank high on search engines such as google under key terms and phrases that pertain to our company and the work we do. with that said, developing seo content can assist you in broadening your reach by ensuring that potential clients outside of your area who are searching for services specific to your firm offers can find you more easily online.
4. make sure your marketing techniques are effective. as you develop and execute your marketing plans, it’s imperative that you are continuously monitoring your efforts to see if you’re reaching your target clientele and that they’re responding in kind. one way to track your marketing efforts if you’ve chosen to develop thought leadership content is to identify and analyze your relationships with other companies and websites that have published your content. the more your content is published across relevant platforms, the wider your reach becomes. also, as your team works to create and post your content widely, try to remember that the rewards from an effective marketing strategy take time to materialize. doing so will prevent you from pulling the plug too soon on what could be an effective marketing plan.
reviewing analytics associated with your business platform and content is another way in which you can see if your marketing efforts are receiving a desirable response. the analytics you monitor may include
- the number of followers you’ve gained or lost on your social media platforms,
- keeping track of the number of views you receive on your content or even
- identifying the number of people who are accessing your website.
while analytics can tell a very clear story of how your target audience is responding to your marketing efforts, it’s also crucial to keep in mind that these numbers can be affected by undetermined external forces.
5. leverage your team. using your employees to connect with your target clients is another great way to market your business. your team is what makes your business a success, which is why it’s important that you put a face to your brand. at summit cpa, our staff participates in speaking engagements and interviews, which allows us to display our team’s knowledge base and further position ourselves as leaders in our respective industry. while you don’t necessarily have to sign up your entire team for interviews with external platforms, we do recommend not making one person the face of your company if you are comprised of multiple employees. showing that multiple members of your staff are intelligent, capable and hard-working communicates to your desired clients that every person within your business can successfully service their needs.
the tried-and-true marketing tactics listed here can help you market your business to an audience beyond your local area. we recommend applying the strategies that best suit your business needs to your marketing plan to grow your client list and, ultimately, your bottom line.
kelly schuknecht is the director of marketing at summit cpa group, a fully distributed accounting firm and leading provider of virtual cfo services in north america. in addition to providing vcfo coaching, cpa firm augmentation, summit is building a community of cpa firm owners who want to learn how to provide or enhance their existing vcfo service offerings.