Responses are pouring in for the latest SevenKeys CPA study of marketing trends. (If you haven’t already received an invitation, you can join the survey here. Participants get a special report of the the top-line results.) The preliminary results are eye-opening.
The findings will be revealed in the first session, Sept. 20, of the four-part Turbocharge series of webinars by the Seven Keys to Successful CPA Firm Management.
Accounting firms are rapidly escalating their business-building efforts:
- 66% of accountants say their firms have been increasing their marketing and business development activities in the last 12 months.
- 85% say they will be continuing to step up marketing in the coming 12 months
- 55% are accelerating their own personal biz-dev efforts
Adding new clients is now, clearly, the foremost concern, with 83% listing it as an objective, followed by:
- Client retention, 72%,
- Lead Generation, 62%, and
- Niche or Specialty Services, 49%.
In the next 12 months, firms will be stepping up:
1. Networking with prospects and referral sources, 67%,
2. Upgrading the firm’s website, 57%,
3. E-newsletters, 52%,
4. Social media (LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, etc.), 48%, and
5. Thought leadership (blogging, publishing articles, speaking engagements, white papers), 45%.
