Growth Archives - Page 2 of 24

Make Direct Mail Work for You

May 4, 2018

BONUS: Several sample letters.

By Sandi Leyva
The Complete Guide to Marketing for Tax & Accounting Firms

One of the first things a new business owner asks me about is direct mail. I don’t know why so many people go there first, but they do.

MORE SMALL FIRM GROWTH STRATEGIES: How to Use ‘Warmed-Up’ Telemarketing | Content Marketing Types and Tips | Are You Newsworthy? | Why CPAs Need Video | Make Google AdWords Work for You | Make the Most of Trade Shows | Track Your Online Reputation
Exclusively for PRO Members. Log in here or upgrade to PRO today.

Twenty years ago, the response rate for direct mail was pretty good. Out of every 100 pieces you sent, you would get three responses back. It didn’t matter how bad you were at direct mail.
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How to Use ‘Warmed-Up’ Telemarketing

April 14, 2018

By Sandi Smith Leyva

Start with research.

By Sandi Leyva
The Complete Guide to Marketing for Tax & Accounting Firms

Highly targeted telemarketing can work well for accounting firms.

MORE SMALL FIRM GROWTH STRATEGIES: Content Marketing Types and Tips | Write Your Way to Expert Status | Make Newsletters Work for You | How to Schedule Social Media Content | The 5 C’s of Successful Websites | Speaking: How, Where and Getting Leads from It | 3 More Kinds of Referrals | Turn to the ABCs for Client Feedback | Use Client ‘Touch Plans’ to Stay in Touch
Exclusively for PRO Members. Log in here or upgrade to PRO today.

I will cover this topic briefly because it is not my expert area. I will share how you can combine telemarketing with other marketing channels to very successfully attract clients, especially those in the mid-market range with higher revenues.
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Content Marketing Types and Tips

March 30, 2018

By Sandi Smith Leyva

Once you’ve created it, maximize it across multiple formats.

By Sandi Leyva
The Complete Guide to Marketing for Tax & Accounting Firms

You might have heard the term “content marketing.” In professional services selling there is almost always an educational component to the entire selling cycle.

MORE SMALL FIRM GROWTH STRATEGIES: Write Your Way to Expert Status | Awards Can Boost Your Reputation | Technical Aspects of Video and YouTube | Social Media Basics for Accounting Firms | How to Maximize Online Profile Sites | Build Your Community Reputation | Build Reputation through Credentials, Testimonials
Exclusively for PRO Members. Log in here or upgrade to PRO today.

For example, buyers may not know they need sales tax consulting. They may not know they’re missing out on tax deductions, and they may not know that cloud accounting is better than what they have now.
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Write Your Way to Expert Status

March 11, 2018

By Sandi Smith Leyva

Not a great writer? You can outsource that part.

By Sandi Leyva
The Complete Guide to Marketing for Tax & Accounting Firms

A great way to build trust among prospects is to demonstrate your expertise and experience in writing.

MORE SMALL FIRM GROWTH STRATEGIES: Awards Can Boost Your Reputation | Are You Newsworthy? | Why CPAs Need Video | Make Google AdWords Work for You | Make the Most of Trade Shows | Track Your Online Reputation
Exclusively for PRO Members. Log in here or upgrade to PRO today.

Three options to do that include developing case studies, writing white papers and publishing articles.
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71 Places to Find New Clients

February 9, 2018

By Sandi Smith Leyva

A cornucopia of tech-fueled opportunities for gaining visibility, getting found and attracting business.

By Sandi Leyva
The Complete Guide to Marketing for Tax & Accounting Firms

Modern accountants are on board with both the paperless office concept and cloud accounting: embracing them, implementing them, and benefiting from them.

MORE SMALL FIRM GROWTH STRATEGIES: Are You Newsworthy? | Make Newsletters Work for You | How to Schedule Social Media Content | The 5 C’s of Successful Websites | Speaking: How, Where and Getting Leads from It | More

Exclusively for PRO Members. Log in here or upgrade to PRO today.

But there is a disconnect in most accounting firms in one area, and that’s marketing.

Why are some firms still stuck in the 1970s when it comes to marketing? This drags down the reputation, culture, and perception of the entire firm – and maybe the entire profession.

Here, we’ve compiled 71 tactics and strategies for professionalizing and systemizing your business development efforts. There are, of course, more. But you won’t go wrong picking just a couple from this list and getting to work as seriously on your business as you are at working in your businesas.

Awards Can Boost Your Reputation

January 26, 2018

By Sandi Smith Leyva

Be ready to nominate yourself.

By Sandi Leyva
The Complete Guide to Marketing for Tax & Accounting Firms

Winning an award brings free publicity and builds reputation and credibility all at the same time. You can win awards for writing articles in accounting magazines, be named to a top 100 most influential people in accounting list, earn your way onto the top 100 fastest-growing accounting firms, win the local Volunteer of the Year award, and many more.

MORE SMALL FIRM GROWTH STRATEGIES: Are You Newsworthy? | Make Newsletters Work for You | How to Schedule Social Media Content | The 5 C’s of Successful Websites | Speaking: How, Where and Getting Leads from It
Exclusively for PRO Members. Log in here or upgrade to PRO today.

The top sources for tapping into accounting awards and contests include:
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Are You Newsworthy?

January 19, 2018

By Sandi Smith Leyva

Concrete tips on attracting the media’s attention.

By Sandi Leyva
The Complete Guide to Marketing for Tax & Accounting Firms

As a marketing channel, public relations is one of my personal favorites. It includes getting mentioned in news or trade media and publications, having an article you wrote published or reprinted, applying for and winning awards, or otherwise being in the public eye for one reason or another.

MORE SMALL FIRM GROWTH STRATEGIES: Make Newsletters Work for You | Technical Aspects of Video and YouTube | Social Media Basics for Accounting Firms | How to Maximize Online Profile Sites
Exclusively for PRO Members. Log in here or upgrade to PRO today.

When I started a photography studio several years ago, I sent sample photos of my work along with a letter explaining my business to several news outlets. It was July, and in August, the Sunday magazine supplement to the Dallas Morning News picked up the story and published my samples. They were portraits of cats and dogs, and my phone rang for days. Within a week, I was booked through Christmas, and my business broke even a year ahead of time because of that one piece of publicity.
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Step-by-Step: How to Make Newsletters Work for You

January 6, 2018

By Sandi Smith Leyva

CHECKLISTS: 7 benefits and 4 ways to create content.

By Sandi Leyva
The Complete Guide to Marketing for Tax & Accounting Firms

One of the most overlooked marketing channels for accountants is a newsletter. The newsletter first started in print at regional firms.

MORE SMALL FIRM GROWTH STRATEGIES: Technical Aspects of Video and YouTube | Why CPAs Need Video | Make Google AdWords Work for You | Make the Most of Trade Shows | Track Your Online Reputation | Partnering: Referrals on Steroids | Measure Client Retention … Against Yourself | Take Your Client’s Pulse | How to Determine Your Ideal Client | Clients Need Advisory Services More Than They Know | 10 Tips for More Energy This Tax Season | Marketing vs. Sales and How to Plunge In
Exclusively for PRO Members. Log in here or upgrade to PRO today.

Some CPA firms have not changed much and still cling to their printed newsletter. We suggest you send an email newsletter and optionally send a printed newsletter once or twice a year if your clients are used to it.
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