Let’s Build a 2022 Q1 Marketing Plan for Your Firm

Prepare Busy Season Ad Campaigns

If your firm has an individual tax return service line, get ready to launch your campaign in January. Keep in mind, the cost of tax terms increases exponentially the closer you get to the return filing date. So run your campaign from mid-January through mid-March to keep those costs in check.

If you ran Google, Bing, or social media ads in 2021 Q1, review the costs and identify what worked and what didn’t. Repurpose ad creative that worked well. Then, prepare to increase your budget by as much as 12 percent for Q1 2022, says AdAge.

Review 2021 Website Analytics

This data can help ] you formulate a plan for 2022. Here are a few things to check:

• Demographics: This will help you assess if those drawn to your website are your target market. If not, adjustments should be made to reach your target.
• Geography: This also supports your target market. Are the people visiting from the locations you’re targeting?
• Acquisition Channel: How are people finding your site and which tools are driving the most traffic, e.g., email, social media, advertising, search engines, or referrals from other sources?
• Site Content: What are people most interested in on your site. You might be surprised by the data. It could help you create a new piece of content.
• Site Speed: Your website load speed impacts your search engine ranking. The slower the site, the less likely a search engine, such as Google or Bing, will put it on the first page.
• Search Terms: What terms were searched within the site also helps you craft content for the new year.

According to Website Builder Expert, even a one-second difference in loading time can have a huge impact on performance. Web pages that load within two seconds have an average bounce rate (enter and exit from the same page) of 9%, while pages that load in five seconds see their bounce rates skyrocket to 38%.

Create a 12-Month Content Calendar

In an Excel file or similar product, each month identify at least one area your firm should focus on to help meet its business goals.

For example, January – Google Text Ad Campaign; February – Promote Webinar Playback Series; March – Share eBook Download. Each of those items is designed to generate leads. Include the topic, industry line, and/or service in your calendar so it looks something like this:

January	February	March
Google Ad Campaign Focus: Tax Returns – Individuals Goal: Gain 5-7 new clients	Promote Webinar Playback Series Focus: 2021 Tax Credits for Families Goal: Subscribe 10 new people to series	Promote Internal Controls eBook Focus: Construction Industry Goal: Get 20 form completions / prospects

Complete the rest of the year based on your firm’s goals. Once you finished this activity, you’ll need to consider additional website content, such as landing pages (e.g., pages with forms), and the method in which you will promote the content, such as social media, print / online advertising, email, etc.

Stockpile Content

If Q1 is your busy time, now’s the time to stockpile content and schedule it for your social media profiles. Avoid the standard tax-related posts. Liven things up with accounting humor (Pinterest and Robert Half are great resources), sprinkle in some tips from your staff, and incorporate fill-in-the-blank questions into your social media schedule.

Filler content is also a good way to keep social media engagement going when you’re busy. Try using jokes, like those from Ageras.

Happy Anniversary!

Is your firm celebrating a milestone in 2022? If so, ensure emails signature are updated, web pages are created about the firm’s history, anniversary emails are sent to clients, and celebrations are scattered throughout the year. Encourage media coverage by alerting local reporters to your events once the schedule has been set.

Prepare for Q2

Before you know it the first quarter will be gone…hence the 12-month calendar. In Q1, you should be planning for Q2. If you don’t have time, you should begin planning now.

• Get landing pages ready.
• Prep emails and newsletters for distribution.
• Request to speak at a spring or summer conference.
• Schedule team members to record one or two short video segments for sharing on social media.
• Reach out to business owners for a post-busy-season event, such as a document shredding party.

In short, below is your checklist. Get ready, the ride’s about to get bumpy.

• Prepare busy season ad campaigns
• Review 2021 website analytics
• Create a 12-month content calendar
• Stockpile content
• Happy Anniversary
• Prepare for Q2

If you need help, reach out to an accounting marketing consultant who can help you to reach your goals.