Marketing for accountants is a topic I am asked about quite regularly. Despite what many people might say, marketing for an accountant does not need to be boring. In fact, from my experience and for what it’s worth most accountants aren’t boring. They just have attention to detail (surely a good thing) that many of us so called creative types can lack at times.
The point is that a good accountant can make a HUGE difference to how a business operates, help with better planning, make the most of profits, and create better cash flow that most business owners should be very interested in. So there is no reason that the marketing for an accountancy firm needs to be dull – because the service they offer is potentially very significant and relevant for business owners.
And we are all interested in making more money.
If an accountant does their job well it can grow the profits of a company. It can help them stay afloat in the hard times and fund expansion in the good times. An accountant can take away the pain of taxes and salary and help a business to navigate the difficult months and year to grow into something successful.
What’s boring about that? I’m sure most business owners would find all of these points at least interesting – many fascinating if presented in the right way.
So now that we have established that there is nothing intrinsically boring about accountancy, where should we start with marketing for accountants?
Marketing for accounts – the starting point…
Well, the starting point with any business has got to be its unique strengths. That will help you to answer the question ‘so what?’ when you introduce yourself and when people read your brochure or visit your website. What makes you different? What makes you so special?
Now many accountants might say that they do something fairly similar to most other accountants. That may be true, but they don’t do things that are exactly the same. Every accountant has their own specialism, point of view, opinion or even software that makes them different.when determining how to go about marketing for accountants.
Even when an accountant does essentially the same as the next one, we can usually find some areas that are a little better – and that is all you need. After all, Mo Farrah is always just a little bit faster than the runner beside him who comes second. And that’s all you need. It’s enough to be a little bit ‘better’ – to sneak ahead of the next accountant in the eyes of the prospective customer.
So that is my stage one. To dig into what could and does make you different – in a good way – from the competition.
Once you have decided that it is time to start telling that story in a memorable and dramatic (i.e. it is dramatized) manner. So how have you helped customers? How have you saved them money, kept them in business and supported them? It is the real life story of the difference that you have made that will connect you with business owners.
Following on from this, we’d then look at your communications. How are you telling that story visually? If your story is ‘we are really fast at coming back to you’ – does your website communicate speed? If your story is that you are experts, does your website communicate that? Remember it is best to be telling a few simple stories that are powerful and remembered than hundreds of stories that are forgotten about.
The other unusual point about marketing for accountants is that people don’t switch accountant lightly. Whilst many businesses may have a relationship with a couple of printers or couriers, having an accountant is a serious long-term relationship. So changing accountant doesn’t happen often and people don’t change lightly. Here is why people will contact a ‘new’ accountant.
- They are a start-up business
- Their current accountant is retiring / moved away
- Their current accountant has made a mistake that has caused them issues
- They have been in business for a while and have not released they can’t handle their accounts any longer
- Their current accountant isn’t able to handle their changed requirements
- Their relationship has changed with their accountant – they have fallen out for example
- The prospect has been impressed by the knowledge / expertise/ personality /hospitality of the new accountant
You may well be able to think of a few other triggers but the point is that there is usually a specific reason why a company would approach an accountant. It’s not an impulse purchase or something that would be done on a whim. It is considered and won’t be undertaken lightly. This is not a decision to buy a take away pizza rather than go out to a restaurant. It is a serious long-term decision.
Marketing for accountants implications
In my opinion it has 4 main implications when creating marketing for accountants
- Think long-term. Frustrating as it might be, developing a long-term relationship is important. You want to be positioned as a trusted adviser even if no money has changed hands. So if the information that you provide is helpful to the prospect and they start to rely on your advice via seminars, newsletters etc. then you are in the perfect position if things change with their current accountant.
- Be consistent in your message. Going back to my point at the start of this article about what makes you unique; this should be reflected in a consistent way across your messaging. So for example if you are about ‘getting the most from your team’ – everything you do should reflect this. You could sponsor events that encourage teamwork; you should talk about how you support your own staff team and write about the importance of coming together to create collaborative working. These are just examples but a consistent message applied over time will give you a far better impact on your prospects.
- Be visible. You want to be the accountant that keeps turning up – whether that is at networking events, local newspaper articles or online. You want people to see you around all the time (at least to the target audience that you have) so that they will feel confident in choosing you. It is after all a long-term relationship that they want to build. This involves the little and often principle that so many accountants seems to stay away from. Better to apply a regular awareness campaign so that you are regularly seen rather than occasionally popping up only to disappear again.
- Be transparent. People like to know what they are getting and accountants and consultants have a tendency of cloaking their costs in mystery. It’s easy for people to sign up to a deal if they know what they are getting and how much it will cost. Make it easy for people to say yes to you. Create a structure so that they know what they will be paying each month or each year. Make it simple for people to go ahead when they do finally get around to contacting you.
As with most things in life there isn’t a lot of mystery or magic about it. Marketing for accountants is similar to other significant purchases for other business to business services. The difference is that you are selling a serious service that can have a potentially profound effect on your client. So being clear about what difference you can make to them and then sharing that message regularly will have a significant impact on how successful you will be an attracting, converting and retaining your clients when marketing your accountancy practice.
For marketing advice specific to your business, get in touch and speak with a marketing specialist on 01858 374 170 or email info@idealmarketingcompany.com
