Does your accounting firm need marketing, but you aren’t sure where to start?
When you’re already juggling tax deadlines and client demands, carving out time to market your accounting firm can be a tall order. This is where Professional Services Marketing (PSM) can help. We’ve provided outsourced marketing services to accounting and CPA firms throughout the country for more than 25 years.
PSM is Your Accounting Firm’s Outsourced Marketing Partner
We create and implement comprehensive marketing strategies that showcase your strengths, fit your schedule and maintain your budget. You’ll receive a clearly defined roadmap with customized marketing tactics to achieve your goals. Each strategic marketing plan is created to setup your CPA firm with a prosperous, sustainable future. Perhaps you need a:
- New or updated website.
- Refreshed brand or new name.
- Social media strategy that works.
- SEO strategy that shows results.
- Focus on growing revenue.
- New client acquisition strategy.
- Sales and business development coaching plan.
- Highly skilled team of marketing experts to execute every detail.
Whatever your accounting firm needs, your PSM team of seasoned, multi-talented marketing professionals can help. We act as your dedicated in-house marketing department and remove the need for multiple employees on your payroll. With PSM, you’ll once again be able to focus on serving your clients and enjoy the results of having expert marketers on your team.
How the PSM Marketing Magic Starts
Connect with us via our website, send us an email or schedule a call. When we connect, we’ll get to know each other and answer any questions you may have. PSM will learn about you, your accounting firm and assess your marketing needs.
PSM will schedule a discovery session with you and your CPA firm’s key marketing enthusiasts. This deep dive into your firm helps us understand your firm’s past, present and desired future. From there, we develop a strategic marketing plan specific to your firms needs and deliver it.
Your firm reviews your strategic marketing plan and agrees to proceed. This is when then real marketing magic begins! Your PSM Project Manager and marketing support team is chosen based on the talent and skills your firm requires. From there, your marketing plan becomes a reality.
Your PSM Project Manager meets with you monthly (at a minimum) to report on your strategic marketing plan progress. In addition, the PSM leadership team asks you to periodically rate your support team to ensure that you are completely satisfied with our work.
PSM Outsourced Marketing Solutions for Accounting Professionals
If you’re looking for a way to implement marketing best practices within an action-oriented timeframe, our accounting firm marketing packages are for you. PSM accounting firm clients typically prefer a monthly engagement level to suit their marketing support needs and budget. Each monthly package level is developed specifically for accounting firms and can be customized to include everything from name creation to website development.
PSM Accounting Firm Marketing
Up to 20 hours of planned marketing support. CPA firms that select Level 1 tend to require foundational marketing to help set them up for success. PSM’s support is customized depending on the accounting firm’s needs. Actual utilized hours range from 15-25 hours per month.
PSM Accounting Firm Marketing
Up to 37 hours of planned marketing support. CPA firms that select Level 2 tend to require foundational and growth marketing support. PSM’s support is tailored to the specific needs to the firm and their specific team’s needs. Actual utilized hours range from 32-42 hours per month.
PSM Accounting Firm Marketing
Up to 55 hours of planned marketing support. CPA firms that select Level 3 require a fully outsourced marketing department to proactively manage their marketing strategy and implementation. Actual utilized hours range from 50-60 hours per month as required by the firm.
Firm-Wide
Consulting on those marketing activities that will benefit the entire firm.
Industry
Pulling various practices together to pursue specific, targeted industries.
Practice Group
Working with groups of accounting professionals with common audiences for marketing in order to develop strategies to win new business.
Individual Accounting Professional Coaching
Walking individual Accountants and CPAs through the process of developing and implementing a personal marketing plan.
Our Marketing Services
- Unique Brand Message
- Creation List of Key Differentiators
- Elevator Speech
- Messages for Referrals/Introductions
- Practice Scripts
A brilliant firm message is the basic core differentiator of your brand. It helps to build awareness and convey meaning. Every interaction your team has with a client, prospect, or referral source is an opportunity to solidify your firm’s brand. Because of this, it’s especially crucial to ensure your message is strong and differentiated. It’s also imperative that your team is on the same page regarding your firm’s unique brand message. Let our team help you define and communicate your firm’s brand message.
- Create LinkedIn and FB Business Profile
- Import and Organize Email Contacts
- Create Branded Email System
- Design E-Newsletter Template
A firm’s voice is almost as important as its visual identity. With your new branding in place, PSM will help strengthen your e-communications. As you are launching your new firm, your clients and referral sources need to hear from you now more than ever across all of your communication channels. Let us assist you in setting a secure foundation for the successful communication of your firm’s value.
- New or Refreshed Logo
- Updated Color Palette
- Brand Image Style Guide
- Business Cards and Letterhead
- Email Signature
- MS Word and PowerPoint Templates
A solid brand image can build your firm’s reputation, make you stand out from your competition, and project your values to attract your ideal client. To help you create or refresh your firm’s brand image, we look at your firm’s current graphic personality and work with you to create a new, fresh brand identity that provides a visual reflection of the value your firm provides its clients. This branding initiative includes the development of a new or refreshed logo and color palette.
- Competitor Research
- Etymological Research
- Creating 3-5 New Firm Name Options
- Optional Tagline Development
- Check for Trademark/Licensing Issues
- Assist with State Licensing
- Research New Domain Names
A brilliant firm name is the basic core differentiator of your brand. It helps build awareness and convey meaning. For that reason, it’s extremely important to put a lot of time, thought, and research into selecting a new name. Using a name that’s already trademarked means extra expenses for rebranding, ranging from development and research costs to expenses for new websites and business cards. Using a name that’s overly descriptive, or contains too many common words, makes it difficult to remember or to search for. We have a proven process for helping accounting services firms choose a new name.
- 6-Page Booklet
- Custom Folder
- Thank You Cards
- Marketing Referral/COI Sheet
- #10 Envelopes
- Large Labels
Now that you have a new brand identity and website, we need to make sure your print materials are up-to-date. Your materials need to be as unique as your firm. We will work with your firm to design everything you need; from a customized pitch book to a branded marketing PDF referral piece. Everything we create is designed from scratch – not through commonplace templates.
- Create a Tailored Promotional Strategy to Launch your New Brand or Website
- Draft and Distribute Press Release
- Schedule Social Media Blasts
- Draft E-communication Content
Big changes warrant timely and impressive announcements. After your new brand and/or website are live, it’s important to share the news! The marketing experts at PSM will create a robust promotional strategy to share your firm’s evolution with the world.
- Online Brand Strategy
- Content Development
- Customized Team Bios
- Photography and Graphic Design Direction
- Search Engine Optimization Plan
- Site Archiving Solutions
- SSL Certification
- Site Hosting
One of the most important decisions you must make when it comes to your firm’s marketing is how you want to present your brand online through your website. You will need to decide whether or not you are going to use a templated website or create a customized site. If using a templated site, you are able to choose from pre-existing website templates which can be adjusted to suit your needs. If you choose to go with a totally customized option, your new website will be responsive on all devices and have a crisp, modern aesthetic that’s unique to your firm and brand. Your customized website won’t feel like a cookie-cutter template, rather, it will convey the true essence of your firm while also communicating pertinent information to your visitors. The type of website you choose will depend on the amount of differentiation you are looking for as well as how many internal hours your team can devote to website updates and management. Whichever type of website you decide on, PSM can provide strategic direction and implementation with the creation of your new website by pulling in our robust team of project managers, content writers, graphic designers, and website developers to ensure you get the best website possible.
Get Your Free Website Audit
What are the top benefits of PSM’s outsourced marketing for my CPA firm?
- Crystal clear invoices that fit into your budget as agreed. No one likes surprises, especially when it comes to money!
- No binding contracts. We stand by our work and as a result, our clients are loyal. We engage with you on a month-to-month basis.
- A dedicated Project Manager and uber talented team of marketing experts to support and execute your strategic marketing plan and beyond.
- A nimble outsourced agency that offers scalable engagements to quickly create and execute additional marketing requests if the need arises.
- We can work seamlessly with your existing admin and marketing staff (if applicable) to support or lead on big and small marketing projects.
- A fully staffed, highly experienced outsourced marketing department at a small percentage of what it costs to hire an in-house marketing department.
- A true partner that looks after your best interests well beyond marketing. Our expertise is marketing, but we have worked with countless businesses to provide their senior teams with leadership and guidance when required.
Why is Marketing Important for Accounting Firms?
Marketing is a key ingredient for the growth of your accounting firm. Investing in your marketing efforts is critical to experiencing a steady increase in revenue for years to come. In other words, if you want to grow your firm, you can’t afford to put marketing on the back burner.
There are endless ways we can help your firm, thanks to the depth of experience we have marketing CPA firms. In addition, our marketing gurus are the best of the best – experts in their fields who are excited to execute your strategic marketing plan. Think of PSM as your very own marketing department. Whether your marketing plan calls for graphic design, content marketing, copywriting, website design, social media, public relations, branding, advertising, surveys, referral source development, or anything else, we lead the charge so you can focus on serving your clients.
Absolutely. Many of our clients start with a website and then move into a monthly marketing package or start with a monthly engagement that fits their budget and begins with their website project. One of the many benefits of working with PSM as your outsourced marketing team is flexibility. Our goal is to provide you with CPA firm accounting expertise that acts as your firm’s marketing department. PSM will adapt to deliver what is needed and when depending on your business needs.
We typically work with the marketing decision makers. This might be the Firm Administrator, Managing Partner, or Marketing Coordinator, Manager or Director. Our clients include Certified Public Accountants (CPAs), Tax Consultants, Enrolled Agents, Auditors, Accountants and Bookkeepers. Rest assured, we have worked with a lot of CPA firms and can be flexible with our main point of contact.
Yes. Our clients can add on additional services or support as needed and alternatively, can also reduce their monthly support as well. PSM is happy to accommodate our clients needs. We can treat add on items as separate projects or increase your monthly package, if preferred.
We certainly can and do. Adding a new industry focus, deciding to target a specific industry, or making a key hire to grow your business is a common focus for CPA firms. PSM can and does create strategic marketing plans to establish, develop and support your sales and business development efforts.
Contact Kristy for Accounting Marketing Solutions that Get Results
PSM partner Kristy L. Gusick has advised CPAs and accounting professionals for more than a decade. An entrepreneur herself who launched her financial services career in 1994, Kristy knows what it takes to attract and retain clients within a competitive marketplace. Leveraging the strengths of the PSM Team, she helps you with everything from establishing a brand strategy to content marketing and website development.
6 Tried and True Marketing Tips for Accountants
Accountants and CPAs are busy people. When you’re already juggling tax deadlines and client demands, carving out time to market your accounting firm can be a tall order. If you do have time to marke...
As COVID-19 Lockdowns Ease, Content Marketing Changes Again
When the COVID-19 lockdowns were ordered, webpages, blogs and items written for social media feeds needed to make a fast, hard turn to remain relevant. Now that businesses are starting to open back up...
6 Tips to Help You Stay in Touch with Contacts During Quarantine
During these challenging times many of us are literally wringing our hands wondering how we can maintain our professional relationships while being under a quarantine. And if you’re a person that pr...
Marketing During COVID-19: Practical Ideas to Grow Your Practice
I thought it would be smart to put a list together for clients about what you can do with any extra time you may have to help and benefit your marketing efforts. It’s a pretty extensive list, so you...
Working Remotely: Why you Still Need to Dress the Part
You are more important to your customers and clients now more than ever! That said, you need to look the part as you go virtual with your business! Remember the mantra: Dress like a news anchor. That ...
How to Maintain Your Sanity When Working from Home
You’re used to waking up for work, showering, getting your coffee, commuting, and settling in at the office. Well, working from home should follow a similar pattern. We recommend establishing a new ...
