While traditional marketing in the form of referrals and networking remains an effective way of increasing the number of prospects looking for financial services professionals, CPA firms, and accountants are missing out on a source of lead generation.
There are several rules and regulations that a financial services provider must follow when delving into digital marketing. This is often a factor raised by accountants and CPA firms as an excuse for not developing an active online presence. Accountants have an opportunity to engage with prospects and utilize inbound marketing tactics to generate leads and ultimately, revenue. When done properly, CPA firms can tap into a source of highly engaged, highly convertible clients who will be responsive to your call to action.
You Really Can Utilize Inbound Marketing
Ever since the dot-com era took hold of almost every niche and industry, customers have become much more educated and engaged with the sales process. Consumers and prospects have choices and many options before making a final decision to engage a financial services provider. For a CPA to be considered by these highly engaged prospects, you need to attract them via effective inbound marketing strategies.
On the other side of the coin, accountants who utilize inbound marketing find they are spending their time with prospects who are already engaged. They are speaking with people who have downloaded a white paper or an eBook and already have a sense of what they are getting into. Accountants are finding this to be much more pleasant than the cold calls they were making after getting a referral from a current client.
Here are a few thoughts to consider while you deciding whether to invest in inbound marketing:
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- Reinforce Traditional Marketing Tactics: Inbound marketing is not a standalone tactic to obtain business - you can use it in combination with traditional referrals to jumpstart your prospecting and client base.
- Efficient Use of Time: Inbound marketing opens up a channel of communication with current and prospective clients and business partners. Proper utilization of social media makes for efficient use of time, where you do not need to create appointments or meetings to remedy issues or answer questions that can be remotely catered to.
- Experts in brand awareness in the financial sector have noted that conversion rates tend to be extremely high when inbound marketing is utilized correctly - up to a 10 percent conversion rate.
Inbound Marketing Best Practices
If you've decided to integrate an inbound marketing strategy into you marketing plan, you want to do it well. Here are some best practices to help you utilize inbound marketing:
Blogging With an Authentic Slant: A professional blog or website will create landing pages where prospects can find you. To differentiate yourself from other professional bloggers or webmasters, it is important to share content that will inform the prospect while demonstrating your knowledge and expertise. This will help cultivate trust and brand loyalty toward your CPA firm. Blog posts or web pages that are simply ads for the services you provide are not enough to convert online visitors. Being authentic means that you are aware of the value of an informed prospect / client and that you are willing to work with them.
Combine A Call To Action With Informative Storytelling: Blogging is about storytelling that includes a clear call to action. The best blog posts combine storytelling, with information that will encourage readers to contact your CPA firm for financial services. This is where you can bring appropriate experience into the spotlight. Provide a case study and describe how your services were able to help an organization or person remedy a unique problem. This will not only showcase your expertise in handling different situations, but will also “humanize” your online voice, fostering trust with your readers.
How We Can Help
Our agency specializes in helping the informed business owner - large and small. We help you cultivate a voice via inbound marketing and social media platforms. We are trusted advisors prepared to help you jumpstart your marketing efforts to reel in quality leads. Contact us to learn how we can be of service to your practice.
