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Accounting Firm Marketing Programs Will be Allocating More Budget and Resources to Lead Generation Activities in 2014
We recently concluded our first annual survey of CPA Firm Best Lead Generation Practices. There are a lot of valuable lessons about budget and resource allocation for firms of all sizes.
Over the next few blog posts, we’ll highlight a few findings that will be useful in helping you develop a strong online lead generation program to complement the referral and networking activities you currently employ.
Oh, by the way, referrals and networking are still the #1 way that accounting firms generate leads … hands down. But as the Survey shows, that shouldn’t be the only arrow in your new business development quiver!
Because this is budget and planning time for many CPA firms, in this first post-Survey post, I want to highlight 6 findings that could have major impacts on the way you develop and allocate your 2014 marketing budget:
(1) CPA firms are moving toward a more integrated lead generation strategy, using a combination of online and traditional lead generation tactics
(2) Meets and greets, and participating in trade associations are considered to the most effective ways to generate leads after 1:1 marketing tactics.
(3) To attract new clients, firms are using a wide variety of offers from different types of content to free consultations, all anchored in thought leadership
(4) To reach prospects, tactics like paid advertising, direct mail and telemarketing are now considered to be the among the least effective ways to get an eyeball on an offer
(5) Firms are reconstructing their websites for lead acquisition, using call to action buttons and landing pages as key parts of their marketing infrastructure
(6) Firms are spending more budget and a bigger part of their budget on lead generation activities
Planning and Budget Implications
It’s time for CPA firm marketers to build stronger and more effective online lead generation programs, and a portion of your 2014 marketing budget should be devoted to this end. Our recommendations for prioritizing the budget:
- A re-design or re-engineering of your website to shift its mission from being an online brochure to a lead generation magnet
- Installation of marketing technology like HubSpot to provide the infrastructure and tools for lead capture, nurturing and measurements of effectiveness
- A content marketing strategy or program that is built upon content unique and proprietary to the firm.
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