While today's accounting professionals crunch the numbers to achieve better growth, public relations are designed to help kick their equations into overdrive. In terms of business, if effectively leveraged, PR is a force multiplier. It can help reduce your effort while maximizing results in sales, marketing and development.
When properly utilized, you can use PR to increase credibility in your market, gain access to new clients, create excitement around your services, build trust with the public and demonstrate your expertise in key issues.
Leveraging PR as a sales tool
PR is a powerful sales tool. The right PR strategy can help generate awareness around your services and help spearhead its execution. It can help you with messaging, content creation and distribution—both online and off. A solid PR campaign includes press releases, blog posts that link back to your website, and social media channels like Facebook or Twitter.
For example, with a goal to reach a broader client base, you may decide to promote a low-barrier offer to file people's tax returns for free in order to create buzz around your business. It gets the word out about what you do, who you are and why people should use your services over your competitors.
PR enables you to connect with prospective customers by bringing warm leads to your door. You can then take that opportunity to talk about the information you find in their tax returns.
While a significant portion of these clients will likely require more complex services—such as submitting previous filings or filing 1099 forms—even if you simply file their taxes, you have the chance to gain a long-term customer who now understands the value you can bring them.
When done well, PR puts your firm at the top of potential customer's minds when they are looking for solutions. If people know who you are when they require your services—or even before—they will come knocking when they are in need.
An active PR strategy puts your name in front of clients and, when the time is right, helps convert more qualified leads into paying customers.
Leveraging PR as a marketing tool
Whether you are just getting started or looking to expand your market reach, PR can help you establish credibility with your customers. When you are trying to get people's attention for the first time, it can be difficult to gain their trust, especially if you will be working with their financial assets.
Potential clients and customers are more likely to approach you with skepticism when they don't understand your business and what makes it unique.
PR enables you to connect with prospective customers by bringing warm leads to your door. You can then take that opportunity to talk about the information you find in their tax returns.
PR helps to build brand awareness, loyalty and trust, as well as solidify your reputation by reaching potential customers in more effective ways than paid advertising and social media posts. Good PR helps share your story and expertise through news releases, trusted blogs and industry-specific podcasts.
As more people see that story shared across multiple platforms via authoritative sources and top-tier publications, they will begin to trust your reputation and do business with you. This, in turn, will help spread organic word-of-mouth marketing about your business to others.
Leveraging PR as a business development tool
A well-executed public relations strategy is a vital part of growth and development for any small business—including accounting firms and tax professionals. As your brand becomes better known and more trusted, you will find attracting new clients, new investors, and talent easier.
An effective PR plan is a powerful tool with many applications. It can help you grow your firm, increase your sales and create new business opportunities.
Whether your firm hopes to reach more clients, promote low-cost offers to generate leads, or become a thought leader in finance, PR is the key to reaching those goals.
Mark Kaley is the Public Relations Manager for Otter PR, a team of more than 300 publicists. Kaley has 15-plus years of experience consulting with large and small businesses, providing them with management, marketing and business consulting services.
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