Recommended marketing techniques for accountants

James-

Hi there, I am looking to meet with various marketing companies to promote my accountancy practice in Dublin and wondered what techniques people would recommend?

Any suggestions welcome as im quite new to Dublin.

Thanks

James

blue4ever

James- wrote: »

Hi there, I am looking to meet with various marketing companies to promote my accountancy practice in Dublin and wondered what techniques people would recommend?

Any suggestions welcome as im quite new to Dublin.

Thanks

James

"wondered what techniques people would recommend?"

For the meeting?
For the brief?
For discussing the Bill?
For [place question here]?

You're a Bean Counter - Bean then and be specific.

James-

Marketing techniques, as per my post.

blue4ever

James- wrote: »

Marketing techniques, as per my post.

Fair enough James - per my post

Good Luck

Kbolt

Few quick ideas for you:

1. what niche do you want to do accounting for. Your better off finding a specific area to specialize in.

2. Positioning as the obvious expert in that niche. This can be done in many ways, holding seminars is a great way.. see Fred Gleeck - Marketing and Promoting Your Own Seminars and Workshops... This is a great way to get clients especially for accountants. People don't know much about accounting and all its gray areas. Give a great seminar with lots of value and you and shall receive.

3. Using the internet. Google ads, using SEO to rank high for your main key terms

4. Once you get clients, keep in touch with them. Keep a client list that you can build trust and a relationship. Your best customers are your past customers.

5. Joint Venture... Think, who is your ideal client and find out who else they are buying from.... where are they hanging out... get your message infront of them. Partner with other companies that have the same customers but don't compete with you... i.e solicitors.

Thats a decent start.
Kyle
-Kyle

gypsy777

I'd focus on a well SEO'ed (search engine optimised) website.

With an average 18,000 searches per month for the search term 'accountant' and 1000 searches for 'accountant dublin' on google.ie there is plenty of potential clientelle in that volume of traffic if you can rank for those search terms.

dooardbhoy

I would employ a marketing and business development manager to promote your specialism/s to prospective customers and any usp you might have.

James-

Hi Kyle and gypsy777, many thanks for your feedback, we feel the web is the right way to go and we are set up as accountants to look after small businesses (any business with a sub €1m turnover). Love the seminar idea, that's worth looking into also.

Is Golden Pages worth trying?

dooardbhoy - Not sure it will be cost effective for us to employ a marketing manager. Good idea though.

SimonPRepublic

Hi James,

I recommend promoting your company through a combination of both on-line and traditional media using a freelancer. A freelance consultant can provide you with big agency experience at the fraction of a cost; you are best to get someone with business-to-business experience and preferably who has worked promoting accountants before. You can have complete control of the costs because you decide how much work you want them to do for you each month.

By employing a freelancer you can have a complete PR and marketing programme put together for you, that is tailored made for your specific goals. But, remember the business leads the marketing, the marketing does not lead the business - this is common misconception. Typically your marketing will help you achieve the aims in your Business Plan i.e. if you are targeting SMEs then you should work on editorials tied around issues that are pertinent to trends that SMEs are currently going through.

These days no specific area of marketing should be used in isolation i.e. public relations, such as articles in the press, can support your on-line presence by raising awareness of your company. Plus, when people search for 'accountants' on Google they are more likely to recognise your name, and click on your website, if they have been reading about you.

If you're website isn't SEO optimised then you can jump your competitors by ensuring you are on websites that rank higher than your competitors such as: news sites, Blog sites, Twitter, askaboutmoney.ie etc which all rank highly in Google. This is a cheaper option than paying for Google ads and or getting a full search engine optimisation (SEO) done for your website, but I would definitely recommend getting it done as it doesn't have to be expensive if done with a freelancer.

Good luck,

Simon

caminowebmaster

In some ways I would agree with the above re the internet - however many Irish websites are not internet friendly. I work in this area promoting Irish websites and so many of the verticals are inhabited by UK websites. Hopefully this will change as Irish businesses become more aware of SEO.

That said I don't think that this is all that is required and I would agree that an off line approach has to be taken also. Ads in the Chambers newsletter - there is more than one Chambers in Dublin - ads on this site targeting just the business section (I have no connection to the site)

I have found that some businesses target the internet as their only way of marketing and are disappointed - it works in some high traffic areas and in others it does not.

All the best

CallieO

Agree with previous post.

A SEO website and targetted use of marketing. Reciprocal links with other local businesses.

Supported by traditional marketing - featuring the url of your website. A website is more than a traditional glossy brochure online - there is the search function for one. Make sure that your website is not static and that it engages the reader. If you can make sure that conversations can develop on the site - add the feature if necessary. People want to interact.

Think what your customers want to see hear.

BetheChange

James

Marketing accountancy firms can be a slightly different proposition than normal marketing.

Some great ideas there.

Some things that we have seen work in progressive accountancy practices are:
Nurture marketing approach
free reports on your website (aswell as all the standard stuff like SEO, simplified approach, interactive options, client newsletters etc)
Client seminars
Client webinars
Free Web/online consultations
Mailshots
Targetted cold calling
Newsletters
Client resource centres
Online accounting / bookkeeping outsourcing


The most important thing for accountants though is to establish client wants and needs. Not just to think you know what they want but to actually find out what they really want. Once you know what give it to them and then make them feel speicial by going the extra mile with them. If you really give people what they want from a business advisory and accountacny perspective you will not need to market becuase thye will be knocking your door down. Then you go for focussed referrals to really grow your practice.

If you are interested in getting some more ideas let me know.

Des