Marketing Plans for Accountancy firms

When I speak with accountancy firms, they either have no marketing, or they are doing some marketing but are unsure if its working. Many times, for the firms which are already doing some marketing it’s normally done by the admin team and seen as an admin task. But it’s much more than that, and it’s the function that can grow your firm.

When marketing is added to the bottom of the to-do list it often gets forgotten or deferred. The issue with this is, if your marketing is to work it needs to be structured and it needs to be consistent. The result of inconsistent marketing is, it rarely attracts the right clients.

You can find out more about the powers of consistent marketing in my article I wrote Why Consistency Matters More Than Perfect Marketing

A marketing plan which gives your firms marketing direction and purpose to show up consistently.

How a marketing strategy is different to a marketing plan

A marketing strategy is the thinking behind your marketing. It defines who you are targeting, what makes your firm different and how you want to be positioned in the market.

A marketing plan is how you bring that strategy to life. It is the activity, the channels, the content and the timeline that turns your thinking into action.

The two work together but they are not the same thing. If you want to understand the difference in more detail, I have written about this here: The Difference Between an Accountancy Firm Marketing Strategy and Marketing Plan.

A marketing plan that’s speaks to your firm’s ideal clients

This is one of the main struggles I see with accountancy firms. They want to market to everyone which then resonates with no one. The firms that attract their ideal clients consistently, are the ones that know exactly who those clients are. What they care about and what they need to hear to feel confident that your firm is the right fit for them.

I often speak with firms which want to attract more advisory type work. However, they won’t turn away any compliance requests from small clients which often take up the most time for the firm. Sarena Harwood – Marketing Partner

If you are unsure whether your current marketing is speaking clearly enough to the right people, this is worth a read — Do Your Ideal Clients Know You’re the Right Firm for Them?

What is a marketing plan for an accountancy firm?

A marketing plan built around your ideal clients, does several things:

• It keeps you consistent:  A marketing plan gives you a framework, so marketing does not rely on inspiration or spare time. You know what you are doing, when you are doing it and why.
• It helps you show up in the right places: Not every channel is right for every firm. A good marketing plan identifies where your ideal clients are spending their time. Then focuses your effort there rather than spreading it too thin across everything.
• It builds trust over time: Attracting ideal clients is rarely about one piece of content or one campaign. It is about showing up regularly with something useful and relevant. A plan makes that possible. Over time your firm becomes the one that comes to mind when someone needs what you offer.
• It gives your marketing a purpose: Without a plan, marketing activity can feel disconnected. A plan ties everything together, so each piece of content, each email and each post is working towards the same goal. Attracting and converting the clients you want.

Putting the marketing plan into action

Having a marketing plan written is one thing. Implementing it consistently is another. This is where many firms find the gap. The plan exists but no one has the time or the marketing expertise to bring it to life week in week out.

This is one of the reasons more accountancy firms are bringing in outside support. Not just to write the plan but to own it, drive it and make sure it happens.

If that sounds familiar, it is worth reading about why accountancy firms are hiring an outsourced marketing director and what that looks like in practice.

If your firm is ready to get serious about attracting the right clients but you are not sure where to start. Then I can help. I work with accountancy firms to build marketing plans. From strategy, focused on the right audience and built to be implemented, not just written and forgotten.