The 7 “Must Do’s” to Build a Solid Marketing Program

4. Build Out Your Marketing Materials—When you are ready to market your services, you will need professional marketing collateral to support your efforts. Be prepared; build your arsenal early. Katrulya recommends developing a comprehensive marketing kit.

“Firms need to go beyond a basic kit that usually contains a business card, letter, and maybe a brochure. A ready-to-go expanded kit is far more effective. A professional kit should include client case studies, client letters of reference, and niche-specific materials along with the basic items.”

Firms can outsource this task to ensure marketing materials that are professional, consistent with their brand, and written in the voice of the firm with the proper messaging. There are creative firms out there with both marketing and accounting niche expertise. And don’t forget that your website and social media sites are also part of your arsenal.

Firms can outsource this task to ensure marketing materials that are professional, consistent with their brand, and written in the voice of the firm with the proper messaging. There are creative firms out there with both marketing and accounting niche expertise. And don’t forget that your website and social media sites are also part of your arsenal.

5. Get Your CRM On—A sound marketing program requires a mechanism for tracking and following up with leads. The sales cycle can last months, so using a CRM (Client Relationship Management) system to help monitor and follow leads through the sales funnel is critical.

“Firms fail to turn leads into clients because they don’t have the proper tickler system in place. A prospect may indicate that she is not ready to move forward, but is open to being contacted in a few months. With no way of monitoring lead activity, the prospect is often forgotten. A good CRM tool will fix this problem. The key is finding one that is not only a good fit for your firm, but a system that you will use every day,” stated Katrulya.

Katrulya supports this tactic. “It’s best to build your plan in phases. For example, if you’ve defined four niches you plan to go after, pick one and start marketing. Get a feel for it, analyze your results, and then venture into the next niche.”

6. Start a Marketing Calendar—The best way to get a marketing program off the ground is to record planned events on a calendar—complete with dates, collateral needs, target audience, campaign type, and other relevant information. Again, you don’t have to create a full-year calendar, just write down a few initiatives to start. Your program will grow throughout the year.

Get started with a blank calendar. Pick a month to begin marketing efforts and record a few events and campaigns to create a simple 30-day plan. Before long, you’ll have key initiatives in place.

7. Make Time to Evaluate—No plan is full-proof, so be sure to take the time to evaluate your marketing program and revise it on a regular basis. Katrulya advises that firms should pick a month to review and retool. “You have to stop and analyze your marketing initiatives during the year to identify what’s working and what isn’t. By looking at what you’ve already done, you can better plan what you need to do.”To evaluate your program, review such items as click-thru rates, website hits, printed or online contact forms received, and leads to client transitions. Don’t assume that just because you are sending out large volumes of campaigns and/or have your brand appearing in multiple channels (e.g., print ads, social media) that your marketing program is successful. Katrulya warned, “There is a big difference between being visible and being successful.”

Marketing is a long-term commitment that pays off if done correctly. Upfront planning, like defining your vision and core marketing strategies, are essential. Also integral to a sound marketing program is electing a champion, creating a marketing calendar, and taking the time to evaluate and tweak your program. If you follow a few basic steps, marketing doesn’t have to be overwhelming or scary. So, lose the fear and jump in. After you’ve tackled a few marketing campaigns, you’ll wonder what all the fuss was about.

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