There is power in your data. And smart management of it can lead to stellar results. Discover the goldmine, right there inside your business, to build the firm of your dreams.

The path to your new client relationships is built over time. It’s base on your communication and your ability to establish beliefs of trust, dependability and business acumen—an endeavor that calls for frequent and consistent content marketing.

This article continues the series on creating a world-class marketing culture in your firm. In Part 1, we explored the definition of marketing and its centrality in the life of a firm. In Part 2, we examine the firm’s brand—what it is, what it means ...

There is no shortage of articles that provide guidance on how to develop a marketing program for firms. But what’s not being discussed currently is the concept of culture. Beyond standard tactical tips, it’s critical to first understand the broader idea o

The client experience is at the center of every astoundingly successful business. Statistics don’t lie: a recent survey by Gartner revealed that 89% of companies now expect to compete mostly on the basis of customer experience (versus just 36% four ...

Like many firm owners, Karla Dennis, EA and owner of Karla Dennis and Associates, Inc., started her career in corporate America. She was a tax supervisor overseeing a team of eight employees and clocking major hours. When she decided to start a family ...

It’s not often that you come across such an interesting business transition story. This is definitely one of them. It’s a story of true inspiration…a story of how a leader was so inspired to make the transition that he fought to hurdle every obstacle.

Mike Meilinger, CPA, explains how his consulting firm is ruling the litigation vertical market.

The folks telling these captivating stories aren’t holding some great secret. The fact is that anyone can tell a story. Yes, anyone. And that includes accounting professionals. The greatest of storytellers have simply taken the time to define what ...

Of all the assets your business owns, your brand is one of the most valuable and the most elusive. Without a strong brand identity, your firm is like a wallflower at the prom, sitting in the margins without a story or a voice to tell it.

When you think of marketing as simply “communicating,” it immediately feels doable. The fact is that many firms already have a marketing program in place, because marketing is really just communicating.

Darrell Layman made a bold move this year, and at the riskiest time: tax season. With a broad vision to significantly increase workflow efficiency across his firm, he transitioned from a desktop document management system to the cloud.

Freed Maxick & Battaglia (FMB) didn’t become a Top 100 firm by avoiding change. In fact, the firm can best be described as the most rapid of rapid adopters — just all in good time. This is not meant to confuse anyone, but is testament to FMB’s stance on staying ahead of change by first thoroughly researching and testing new innovations.

Marketing is all about making a name for your business, and making a name requires telling a great story. You may have the most progressive and unique firm in the world, but that won’t do you a bit of good if you don’t know how to convey that to prospects and clients.

Trade shows remain a viable marketing option for accounting firms, yet many practitioners still don’t see the value. The fact is that if the appropriate level of planning is applied, trades shows can prove exceptionally successful in terms of lead generation and networking. Firms must first think through such items as budget, the right shows to attend, and materials (booth, kiosk, giveaways, marketing collateral, etc.). When all the pieces come together, attending a show can prove highly valuable.

If you haven’t heard of the YOUtility concept, you are missing out on the most important marketing concept of the mobile age. YOUtility is a new way of marketing your firm’s services that enables you to become inherently and genuinely useful to prospects and clients.

The owners of Mattingly Zsebe, PA weren’t any different from most practitioners in terms of how they viewed marketing. In essence, “Marketing sucked…it didn’t work…it was a waste of time.” These were the sentiments of the partners, Bill Mattingly, CPA, and Dylan Zsebe, CPA, before they started their journey of understanding just a year ago.

Accountants tend to fall in the analytical-left brain-thinker camp. This makes it difficult for some practitioners to make the transition to right brain creative thinking when the time comes to get a marketing program up and running.

Quick ways to boost your marketing efforts even during the chaos of busy season

From its start in 1989, the firm of Mantyla McReynolds wanted to run a ‘different kind of firm.’

How a tech-savvy firm owner leverages his experience with advanced technologies to create a lucrative new service offering

Content marketing is today’s hot topic. You certainly can’t ignore it (not that you want to)—with countless articles on hand that tout the importance of developing useful, timely content to support a strong marketing program.

How the firm of Knutson CPA, PLLC handled a growth explosion with tech-savvy confidence

Forward-thinking firm harnesses the power of leading cloud-based tax solution to ease the pain of tax season…and beyond

A client newsletter is one of the most effective ways to ‘speak’ to your clients. A newsletter not only provides a regularly scheduled touch (or contact), which makes your clients feel connected to you, it also builds loyalty and drives sales.

Next-generation upgrade enables firm to standardize services and fees, attract ideal clients, and accelerate growth

Social media rocks. I get it. I’m out there…posting to Walls, tweeting, Linkin’ it up! I’m also soaking up the information that comes in from my social media channels.

The best marketing communications tell a story that is concise, clear, and simple

Standardization has a new poster child—and her name is Laura Redmond, owner of Redmond Accounting. For those that pride themselves on being ultra organized…you may have met your match.

Marketing requires planning. The jump-in-head-first approach rarely works because it does not make room for thoughtful up-front preparation. A little concentrated focus and adequate planning of any marketing initiative will save you the frustration associated with a poor response rate.

Proper planning and follow-up support effective, long-lasting marketing,

Niche marketing isn’t a new concept. It’s a sound and proven business model that’s been around for years, yet has only recently started to bubble up in the accounting profession.

Whether you already use social media or haven’t started yet, the odds are that you’re doing some things offline or by email that can be leveraged into social-media activities.

To Retain Your Best Employees, Consider a Bit of Internal “Marketing”

A Great Practices Feature

Email remains one of the best marketing channels for educating and influencing prospects — and eventually turning them into long-term clients.

More firms are beginning to understand the necessity of having a website. In an “online” world, the web is where people go first to research products and services. In essence, it has become the new “front door” to business. And the same is true for accounting firms.

Mapping Out a Course to Success for Small Businesses

The Watkins team brings anti-bullying program, Operation Nice, to local schools. This month’s Great Practice profile is unlike any other. Our spotlighted firm was selected based not on innovation in technology, branding or website (though they certainly exhibit all this in spades), but rather for the firm’s commendable effort to give back to the community.

Marketing is still a fairly new concept for firms. In the minds of most, marketing is a task of overwhelming proportions. However, it doesn’t have to be.

Like many others, before launching her own practice — Lime & Company — Andrea Abel worked for other firms. During this time, she enhanced her practitioner skills while also gaining valuable insight into what it takes to run a successful business.

Abandoning old biases, Manning transformed payroll from a hassle into a hellavalota opportunity and future profit. For years, Sean Manning, CPA and president of Manning & Company, PC, held fast to the notion that payroll was more of a pain than a profit-surging service. And he wasn’t alone — most practitioners felt the same way … and still do.

For too long, marketing has lurked in the shadows, ignored and rejected. The traditional thought is that marketing is a non-billable activity, and therefore a non-necessity. In reality, marketing drives sales. Well-planned and consistent promotion of services not only keeps a sales funnel full, it helps firms build a strong brand and stay in front of prospects and clients.

From Finding Their Legs to Finding a Distinct Niche Jennifer Katrulya, CPA, and owner of BMRG admits that there was a harsh learning curve to get her firm where it is today. And where is that exactly? The bright lights of Supa-Successville! Katrulya, like many firm owners, did her time in the world of public accounting and corporate offices. “I left my last firm in 2004 to start my own practice,” she recalled.