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MARKETING TIPS
TO GET NEW CLIENTS –
AND KEEP THE ONES YOU'VE GOT
Div Bhansali
Vice President, Marketing
AccountantsWorld
Webinar Overview
The biggest challenges in marketing today
How to maximize your online presence
Your list, your content, and your Web site
How they can work together to grow your business
Using social media strategically
The most underrated marketing tool today
Biggest challenges in marketing today
Keeping up with new technology and techniques
Biggest challenges in marketing today
Finding time to execute marketing
Creating a budget
How much does social media really cost?
Hire or do-it-yourself?
Build or buy?
Getting noticed by an audience that has…
Short attention spans
Limited time
Marketing fatigue
POLL
Now, the good news…
It doesn’t take a genius to do marketing today
The tools are (generally) easy to learn
Many techniques are free or inexpensive
You can measure results / ROI
Start slowly
Measure
Expand into new areas gradually
Do more of what’s working
Importance of your online presence
% of consumers who use the Internet to research
products or services in their local area: 97%.
So how do I get noticed?
Source: BIA / Kelsey Research
Perfect your online listings
Get on the AccountantsWorld
Directory Listings
Usually the top local search result for “Find
an accountant” or “Find a CPA” – you need
to be on it!
Clean up your NAP (Name,
Address, Phone) online
Get your exact address format from USPS
Provide that info to the four key bureaus:
Acxiom, Localeze, Factual, Infogroup
Source: http://www.ducttapemarketing.com/blog/2013/10/18/rank-higher-local-search/
Ensure you’re listed everywhere else
Getlisted.org
Google+
Get client reviews
Ask satisfied clients to post reviews online
Do NOT tell them what to say
Where to post?
Your Web site
Useful > pretty
Your site should:
Explain who you are and how you work
Incorporate useful tools for your clients (and other site
visitors)
Provide immediate access to your contact info
Have links to your newsletter, blog, and / or any social
media accounts
Your Web site
One suggested way to set it up
Professional Website built
by Website Relief™ from
AccountantsWorld
- Your own custom domain
- Customizable templates and
content sections
- Secure online tax organizer
- Financial calculators and
other useful tools for clients
- Integrates with Directory
Listings
Your Blog powered by a
leading blog engine **
- Ideal place for original
thoughts / content
- Fully customizable design –
can match your site
- Search engines love blogs
with strong content
- Excellent sharing tools
- Generally easy to set up
- Inexpensive or even FREE
** Wordpress, Blogger, Tumblr
A sample Web site
Watch your words
Make sure the copy on your Web site is consistent
with the kinds of clients you want to attract
“Affordable services” vs. “exclusive”
Individual vs. small-business clients
Testimonials
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Your list
Your list = Your clients + every prospective client who
has expressed interest and given you their information
Lists are the foundation for most marketing activities.
List
Newsletters
Active seekers
Web site
Everything else
Your list:
How do you grow it?
Ask for info when people want your content
(more on that soon)
Share buttons on every newsletter and
Web page
Brief form on your blog
Ask people who follow you on social media
Collect and input every business card you
receive
Produce content
Blog posts, white papers, frequently asked questions,
webinars, presentations, videos, podcasts
Content gives you the ability to:
Grow your list of truly interested prospective clients
Maintain visibility with (and loyalty from) existing clients
Show up much higher on search engine results
Goal is to educate and build trust
Examples of content
5 tax issues to consider before you invest
We’re proud to introduce payroll services for your
business
Travel expenses 101: three things you need to know
10 critical changes in this year’s tax code
The biggest mistakes in estate planning
What should you write about?
Tips: Be authentic – speak in your own voice
Keep it simple and intuitive
Readers love lists
Collaborate with others (colleagues or people in your network)
What do my most important clients
care about?
What am I extremely
knowledgeable about?
Email newsletters
“Wait, isn’t email dead?” NO.
Spend on email marketing is still increasing by 15% per year
Newsletters help nurture potential clients, AND retain and
upsell existing clients
There’s more…
Email works very well on mobile devices
72% of small-business buyers are most likely to share useful
content with others via email
Sources: Direct Marketing Association; Salesforce blog, July 2013
Email newsletters:
What should you include in them?
Any original content you’ve produced
Introduce / explain the specific services you offer
Updates from your firm: new hires, employee profiles,
awards
Testimonials / positive reviews from other clients
Links to relevant content you’ve seen elsewhere
Email newsletters:
Who should send them?
If your list is less than 100 email addresses, you can send it
through your own servers
Benefits of sending through external vendors
They take care of IT infrastructure, storage + maintenance
Frees up your space, money and time for other applications
Better spam + unsubscribes management = higher delivery rates
Easy-to-use email templates can simplify design
All are relatively cheap, some even free for low volumes
Content deployment strategy
Key: re-purpose, re-purpose, re-purpose.
5 tips to avoid tax
surprises in 2014
White paper
Blog post
Checklist
Webinar
Social Networks
Link buttons
Use social media strategically
For most professional accounting firms, the most
important social media are…
Everything else
3 out of 4 members use LinkedIn to keep up on business news + to research companies. That’s higher than Facebook.
3 easy steps:
1. Create a company profile
2. Add a list of your services
3. Start posting updates of key news or content
“The Others”
Start by following people + retweeting
interesting tweets
Post links to any original content you
produce (blog posts, etc.)
Use hashtags: #accountant, or
#marylandCPA, or…
Facebook and Google+
Start by simply posting your content
updates to these sites as well
Then ask your followers what else they
would like to see
“Socialize” your printed materials
All biz cards and brochures should include:
All of your social media accounts
Referral request
“If you love our service, please tell your network. Then tell us!”
Or simply: “Referrals appreciated!”
Paid search (sponsored listings)
Natural
search
(free)
Sponsored
listings
(paid)
Paid search (sponsored listings)
“Why pay for something I can get for free?”
Go for quality > quantity
Small number of keywords
Bid aggressively
If you don’t know what to do, ask Google / Bing
Sponsored listings, 64.6%
Natural search, 35.4%
Total Google search clicks
Advanced: Segment your email lists
Divide based on services provided, interest or geography
Send different emails to each segment Or at least different subject lines
Aim initially for 2-4 segments
Impact of segmentation 18% more opened emails
22% more clicks
Source: MailChimp report “Effects of List Segmentation on Email Marketing Stats”
POLL
Thank you for attending!
AccountantsWorld
888-999-1366
www.accountantsworld.com
Div Bhansali:
Website Relief
Directory Listings
