do you have a plan, or just a lot of activity?
by august j. aquila
price it right: how to value accounting services
there are, of course, a lot of things you can do to have a successful marketing campaign, but here are five that you should seriously consider.
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1. create a marketing culture in your practice.
at the end of the day, it’s your firm’s culture that drives results. how would you define your current marketing culture? what is important and rewarded in your firm – bringing in new business, identifying new opportunities for existing clients, generating awareness for the firm in the marketplace or billable hours and administration? a marketing culture is outward looking and helps your people look for ways to expand the practice with profitable work.
2. develop integrated marketing plans.
to get the most from your marketing dollars and efforts, it’s important that all your marketing is done on an integrated basis rather than just piecemeal. this means you need to have an overall plan for your practice rather than just performing isolated activities. all marketing tools work if they are part of an integrated plan.
3. move from plan to action.
there is nothing that will kill a marketing plan faster than not doing anything with it. plans need to become reality and the only way you can do this is by having specific action steps for each activity you want to accomplish. answer these three questions, and you will be on your way:
- who will do what?
- how will they do it?
- when will they do it?
4. be accountable.
i don’t know how many firms fail in their marketing efforts because no one is held accountable in the firm. marketing results only happen because everyone does what they promised to do. having partners and other key stakeholders report monthly on their achievements and having one person in the firm responsible for managing the marketing effort will help you in this area. in large firms, practice marketing leaders should report to the firm marketing head.
5. train your people in marketing and sales skills.
although this is the last of the five keys, it is not the least. your firm will not be successful, no matter how great your marketing plan is, if your people are not effective at marketing and selling. no one was born with marketing and sales skills; they need to be learned. an investment in this area will provide you with an extremely high return on your investment.
remember: plan, integrate, act, be responsible, and invest in training.