Editor's Note: This is another installment in a new Insightful Accountant series by Karen Dellaripa and Rich Strait of Beyond Your Books. Each month, Karen and Rich will show you how to go from solo practitioner to building a practice and document how their year is progressing.
Karen: Two months in we’ve made the leap in starting our firm, sketching out a strategy, and now all we need are more clients. So naturally we also need to invest in some marketing, right? If you’ve been following along our series, by now you’ve figured out we’re transparent about our mistakes. That’s great, we are here to share with you what worked for us, what didn’t, and (as far as we know) why.
Rich: I was a marketing pro with 20 years of experience. So of course in our second month I just knew we had to have our marketing machine up and running. If you’ve been following along on our journey then you can probably guess … yep, I got it all wrong. Having done this literally a thousand times, I quickly drafted our multi-channel marketing and budget plans.
It had the usual suspects: Web site, organic & paid search engine marketing, local advertising and of course, social media. We executed the plan quickly too, a month later all our ad channels were up and running. Our search engine optimized web site was ranking well on Google and went from zero to thousands of visits a day.
And the results? You could practically hear crickets chirping.
Karen: Digital marketing terminology is like a foreign language to me. I had no idea what Rich was doing, but at first we both thought it was working. When Rich took me through the reports showing our growing ad impressions, clicks-though rates, web site visits, blah blah blah.. , I politely nodded my head. I was seeing tons of cool data that said we’re out there and digital people are reading all about it... but where was the business?
Rich: I made the classic mistake that introducing our professional services was anything like marketing commodity products for a large brand. What did work should come as no surprise. Most products are purchased when a customer needs something. The toaster breaks, you usually search online with preferred retailers, maybe some ads influence your choice, then you order one that strikes your fancy and move on with your busy day.
For most business owners, selecting an accountant is a considered purchase, akin to buying the right house. By that I mean they typically don’t see an ad for an accounting service and think… “Hmm, maybe I need a new accountant.” Instead, unless they are already actively considering an accountant, they probably won’t seek you out or even notice your advertisements. Out of mind, out of sight. Shopping for managed accounting services, especially consultative services like ours, is more likely to start by a prospective client asking a colleague, friend or family member if they “know any accountants?”.
The bottom line? Marketing is always about building relationships. The nature of what your selling will determine the most effective methods. Try different ideas on a small scale and refine what’s working.
Karen: So now that all that is out of the way, what should you do and why should you do it? Experiment with options and discover the mix that works for you. Here are our top five must does, that have all produced results for us:
Business cards
Business cards are inexpensive, easy to make, and are an efficient, essential tool for relationship marketing. We design and order ours online in small quantities, so we tweak them often. Make full use of both sides. The cover side should highlight your company name, logo and contact info. Be careful to use sufficiently sized, easy to read fonts. Use the flip side as your advertising space. No more than three to five lines. Carry them everywhere and always. Don’t be afraid to give them out. Make sure your family and friends each get a few. If you don’t have any, what are you waiting for? You can do this today.
Website
A professional looking website reflects your own professionalism. When someone is considering your service, this is often the first place they’ll look. You either appear credible, or they will look elsewhere. A well written, nicely designed, search and mobile optimized web site is pretty much a necessity.
Don’t waste your time building one. Your time is too valuable, spend it working on the business, not trying to be a web designer. This is an area where it’s worth investing a little, but it doesn’t have to be expensive. There are plenty of options for finding a person or service to do this for you. I just searched for “Cheap Professional Web Sites” and found a google of choices, such as “5 Tips for Building a Professional Website on the Cheap” <http://quickbooks.intuit.com/r/marketing/5-tips-for-building-a-professional-website-on-the-cheap/>, from the QuickBooks Resource Center.
Unlike other social networks such as Facebook and Twitter, this networking site doesn’t require a huge commitment in ongoing content creation. At minimum, this is a second online presence for prospective clients to come check you out. Consider how professional and credible you look to them. Make sure you have a personal profile, that it is complete and up to date. Think of it as a hybrid of your business card and web site. Start building your network by seeking out everyone you know, personally and professionally, then send them a request to connect.
Vendor certifications
Certifications provide credentials and sometimes leads. Go grab your QBO Certification and you get a web page in their Find A ProAdvisor program. Get enough certifications, ask your favorite clients for some reviews, and you can see more referrals from QBO customers seeking help. Many industry app providers have similar accountant programs. Start with those applications you already use.
Business affiliations
Networking through organizations such as your local Chamber of Commerce, or business groups on Meetups.com, are great ways to meet local business owners. Find a few groups you’re comfortable with and show up regularly. Don’t be afraid to say what you do when you introduce yourself, it’s time to practice that elevator pitch. Whatever you do, don’t feel guilty if it feels like you’re taking some time out for lunch and making new friends. That’s the point, grow a network that you know.
Seek out and join organizations that are relevant to your areas of focus. For example, summer camps are a passion of ours, so we are business affiliates of the American Camp Association <https://www.acacamps.org/> and listed on their vendor sites.
As members of Profit First Professionals, we get training, coaching, client opportunities and have a great network of consultants to share ideas with. We also run monthly meetings for the Northern New Jersey Woodard Group, another awesome support resource of industry professionals.
In the end what did we learn? People desire connections, so focus on building relationships.
If you and a prospective client share something in common, then they are much more likely to come to you when a need arises. Marketing is an investment, but it doesn’t take a lot of money. Invest in people, start with those you know, reach out and activate your personal networks.
Get out there and visit, call, FaceGram or email all your relatives, friends, even the deli counter guy. Tell anyone you know and meet about your practice. Don’t be afraid to tell them what you’re up to professionally and that you’re ready to help people they know.
And don’t forget to leave them business cards. You have them with you now, right?
Karen Dellaripa
Founded in April 2003, Beyond Your Books is an accounting consulting firm for small and mid-size profit and non-profit organizations. Karen Dellaripa and Rich Strait work mainly with professional service companies such as legal, financial, engineering, real estate and executive search firms, as well as those who specialize in light manufacturing, retail and franchises.
Beyond Your Books focuses on providing its clients with accurate, real time meaningful financial information to assist them in making important
Rich Strait
business decisions that will positively impact their business and help them grow. Done using a nearly paperless process, it offers standardized workflow processes and an ongoing commitment to technology and staff development.
For more information on Karen, click here. For Rich, click here.