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 Midwest and beyond for more than 25 years and are known for our easy-to-follow, four-pillared approach.
Bringing PSM on board as your firm’s outsourced marketing department is a win-win for you: you’re able to focus on what you do best while still keeping business growth and new client development a priority. There’s another benefit, too. With PSM in your corner, you get a fully staffed, highly experienced marketing department at a small percentage of what it costs to hire an in-house marketing department.
Bring Outsourced Marketing Expertise to Your Accounting Firm
When you’re clear on what you do and who you help, as well as where you’re heading and how to get there, you get results.
PSM is a big-picture, clear thinking, practical marketing agency. We partner with you to create—and implement—a comprehensive marketing strategy that showcases your strengths, fits your schedule, and leverages your in-house resources. Think of it as a clearly defined road map that helps you launch customized marketing tactics and achieve sustainable growth. Together, we’ll lay the groundwork for a prosperous, sustainable future for you and your firm.
PSM Supports Accounting Professionals with Outsourced Marketing
Our clients include Certified Public Accountants, Tax Consultants, Enrolled Agents, Auditors, Accountants and Bookkeepers. How can we help you?
Individual Sales + Marketing Coaching
We work with you to find the secret ingredients to your success in sales and marketing. You will work 1-on-1 with a PSM marketing coach.
Basic Outsourced Marketing
For smaller companies or solo practitioners, we provide a combination of coaching and basic marketing services to help you grow.
Full Outsourced Marketing
PSM serves as your full Outsourced Marketing department and proactively manages all marketing strategy and implementation.
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.
Why Is Marketing Important for Accounting Firms?
Marketing is a key ingredient for the growth of your accounting firm. Investing in marketing efforts—particularly those focused on content marketing—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.
Gone are the days when word-of-mouth was the best form of advertising. In today’s content-driven, social-focused world, you must have a strong online presence to support the referrals you receive. Your accounting firm’s website is paramount; it must be both attractive and engaging, and function well as a tool for qualifying leads.
Following the Four Pillars of Marketing™, we can help you develop a custom marketing plan designed to help your firm prosper. We can also empower you and your professionals to generate business for your firm with tailor-made marketing and sales training programs and one-on-one coaching.
For an accounting marketing solution that gets results for your firm, call Kristy.
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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Get Your Free Website Audit
Ready to Reboot Your Accounting Firm’s Marketing?
Consider a PSM Accounting Services Marketing Package
If you’re looking for a way to implement marketing best practices within an action-oriented time frame, our accounting services marketing packages are for you. Each package is developed specifically for accounting firms and can be customized to include everything from name creation to website development.
Position Your Accounting Firm for Lasting Success
Consider an Ongoing Marketing Solution for Accounting Professionals
- Custom Marketing Plan
- Develop criteria for A-level clients
- Identify your unique selling points
- Determine your target audiences
- Outline your marketing strategy
- Set your goals for the year
- Take step-by-step action
Expect a clear, concise accounting marketing plan, along with a detailed road map designed to provide guidance and accountability during implementation. Depending on your needs, your plan will focus on expanding relationships with current clients, driving new revenue, increase your firm’s name recognition, and effectively communicating with your audience. Our strategic marketing plan process includes focusing on your business growth objectives, target audiences, key messages, revenue summary and goals, AND developing a tactical implementation calendar using our trademarked Four Pillars of Marketing™.
Build Momentum with Monthly Marketing Implementation
Think of PSM as your very own marketing department. Your outsourced marketing team includes a marketing director and handpicked specialists from the PSM “Dream Team” of marketing experts. 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. We plan and facilitate monthly marketing meetings at your firm, which includes developing agendas, meeting summaries, and an implementation calendar.
We follow our Four Pillars of Marketing™ to implement your plan and will likely pursue strategies in each of the following areas: Retaining and Growing Existing Relationships, Attracting New Clients, Increasing Name Recognition and Awareness, and Creating Targeted and Effective Communications.
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