If there is one failure that many accountancy firms make when considering marketing it’s the failure to recognise what it is that they are marketing.
Many accountancy firms have succeeded by not marketing – but that doesn’t make their route an optimal one, particularly for accountancy practices facing ever more competition locally and even globally from online accountancy organisations. In the old days, people used the accountant in the High Street, or the firm their father used, or the accountant recommended by their solicitor or bank manager. Those days are long gone. Today business leaders aren’t in the business of finding a local accountant, they are seeking the best accountant, and ‘best’ will take one of three forms:
- The cheapest
- The easiest
- The specialist.
Let’s look at each of those in detail.
The cheapest accountancy solution
This doesn’t mean you have to be the cheapest on the market – but it does mean you need to prove to your prospects that you will be the cheapest in the long run, because you will save them more time, more money and more effort than your rivals. And how do you prove that? You market yourself with that evidence – the evidence that says that while you might not be the cheapest upfront, you save your clients more money, work more effectively and bring in better accountancy answers than the supposedly cheaper option.
The easiest accountancy solution
Being good to work with is a highly marketable proposition. Just as many dentists make a great living from specialising in dealing with those who fear pain and have dental phobias, accountants can make a great business from catering specifically to those who fear accountants and have financial phobia! Marketing yourself as the bet firm to work with because you’re approachable, accessible, straightforward and patient can bring you a clientele that will be more loyal than any other.
The specialist accountancy solution
You might not think you specialise but when you look at your client base you can probably spot major groupings. Segment marketing, where you aim your marketing at specific market areas where you already have a strong clientele and a good track record can ensure that you have a solid business core that relies on you knowing their world – and those people are unlikely to move away because they don’t want the learning curve that goes with a ‘non-specialist’ accountant.
Don’t market accounting – market the solution
All these three approaches require you to identify the problem the client has, and then provide a solution to it. By doing so, you cease to be an accountant and become a solution provider. By demonstrating your ability to help them find what they need, when they need it, at a price that they can afford, you position yourself as something much more than an accountant like any other – you become an integral part of his or her business success, and nobody easily lets go of their success.
Marketing accountancy the successful way
When your business develops the mindset of being a solution provider, it can produce marketing materials that sell the business without having to cold call or resort to other desperate and demanding measures to deliver growth.
If you’re ready to transform your marketing strategy from effortful to successful, it’s time to call Creative Harmony and begin the process that leads to simple, straightforward, solution-based marketing for your accounting firm. Call us now on 0203 773 9137 or email info@creativeharmony.co.uk to discuss your needs.
