Rising Annual Revenues? Disaster May Be Near...

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The aphorism "a rising tide lifts all boats" is associated with the idea that improvements in the general economy will benefit all participants in that economy. Many businesses see changes in their top line revenue in this same fashion.

Everyone on the planet is aware of the economic storm wreaking havoc on the bond market, shrinking retail demand, the rise in gold prices and the somewhat-stagnant unemployment rate. It has been reported that the U.S. is experiencing a “softening” in the rebound from the “great recession”. European economists cannot seem to accurately assess the future of some of the member EU countries. Yet these same soothsayers press upon others involved to “stay the course” rather than depart the Union.

If your firm is experiencing annual growth in revenues through “organic market activity”, you may just be heading for trouble. In fact, unless you are strategically creating increasing revenues rather than benefiting from the overall market demand, then you are near disaster if and/or when the market demand weakens and dries up. For those lulled into believing you have been “just plain fortunate”, you are in a serious situation that won’t change in any circumstantial fashion. You, my friend, are in a “quagmire.”

Experience tells me that there are telltale signals to be mindful of to qualify for the quagmire distinction:

• Key decision makers don’t understand marketing in the “new age”.
• Lack of specific, growth oriented goals throughout the organization.
• Lack of analytics, metrics and regular measurement against goals and previous efforts pertaining to ROI of sales and marketing efforts.
• Absence of a sophisticated, strategic marketing plan; one with definable objectives and multi-faceted, cross-channel actions,
• Lack of marketing-focused logic in the mindset of all; executives and staff alike. It is everyone’s job toward growth initiatives.
• Missing forms of pay-for-performance programs for non-sales staff.

Quagmire firms are those that have no strategic plan, no marketing plan, and exist thinking that the gods of commerce have favored them. Their year over year growth is remarkable, I would agree, but it is no measure of how the business is doing. In fact, once the markets dry up further, disaster plans will be too late to intervene in the free fall of revenues and profits. Unless there is an active, sustainable strategic marketing plan to drive revenues (as opposed to let the free market dictate), businesses relying on the status quo are merely fooling themselves. Once the rose-colored glasses come off, the severance agreements and bankruptcy settlements will not support any type of comfortable future.

There are things that can be done to avoid becoming a “failed business” statistic. Rather than relying on luck and good fortune, begin to think proactively and strategically. Develop a professional marketing plan that works in today’s environment. While centered in the digital space, inbound marketing can become the linchpin of an overall marketing plan, regardless of industry. A professional inbound marketing agency can review not only your marketing activities, but analyze your competitors’ actions, and help with goals and what it will take to get you there.

There is no time like the present, to coin a phrase. There are notable inbound marketing agencies with the wherewithal to assess and address your needs, hopefully in time for the next market adjustment.

Unfortunately for some, the time may have passed for salvation. I met with a PA-based printing company, looking to us to help create a succession plan. After completing my assessment of the business I sat in my car and nearly cried, realizing that this seventy year old owner had worked hard for many years and believed his business would one day represent his retirement plan. But in actuality his business was nearly worthless and his ideas for succession were simply not going to be a reality. It broke my heart.

As for your firm, it may not be too late to react and turn the situation to your advantage.

Strategic Marketing Crucial During Stagnant Economies for CPA's

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Regardless of this time of year, the current economic storm we find ourselves in does not seem to be relinquishing its grip on the market. It is tax time, and everyone in the financial services field is busy taking care of clients. Let us not forget the importance of the client; we need them now more than ever.

Even though the last two quarters of 2012 began to push busineswees a bit more towards recovery, we know now that this was a little spark not a substantial blaze. Our economy has been trying to maintain a growth curve, with a few areas of the country actually sliding back toward the abyss the U.S. economy barely avoided. As a person that handles their tax returns, it isn’t just about that; you must provide leadership and integrity as well.

When looking at the CFNAI (Chicago Federal National Activity Index), things don’t appear to be all that rosy.

The CFNAI is a weighted average of 85 existing monthly indicators of national economic activity. It is constructed to have an average value of zero and a standard deviation of one. Since economic activity tends toward trend growth rate over time, a positive index reading corresponds to growth above trend and a negative index reading corresponds to growth below trend.

What does this mean when it comes to growing your business? Quite a lot actually. This is a great time to market; tax season is at full speed, but this likely won’t last. The realization that the market is rather soft presents everyone with a need to strengthen and reinforce relationships with current and past customers. Connect with your most influential customers, those that you haven’t seen in a while and those new prospects as well. Offer them some specialized services that you don’t presently advertise, and push hard toward cementing a deeper relationship through their use. Make the services highly innovative, strategic and oriented toward the customer with value in mind. Doing so will not only strengthen your current customer base, but should be setting up for a referral program. Ask for referrals once you have improved loyalty and retention; you’d be surprised at the outcome.

The most effectiove referral methods of marketing are rooted in loyalty, perceived value and integrity. If you win all three from your clients, you can win the battle for sustainability. Insuring that your marketing includes your existing customer base as well as former and new clientele, and providing excellent services while "touting" (a marketing term, by the way)  your appreciation of them, you can begin to grow organically by working with the best clients instead of always on the hunt for new clients. The new clients that join your firm will be excited with the new relationship at first, so keep the excitement going. Through innovative and value added services that are new and unique (setting you apart from your competitors), your new customers will happily provide referrals once they trust, rely on and admire your company.

Most professionally designed websites for financial services firms offer some capabilities that other industries don’t. In a previous posting we spoke of the client portals as a noteworthy service offering, include appointment setting functions and reminder systems for clients to access themselves. Another value added feature might be an auto-updated news feed from the markets, as well as other financial information. By communicating with your clientele the importance of timely information, security of data transfer and how a diminished economy affects asset planning, succession planning and the like.

As a CPA firm or other financial services organization, it isn’t always about money. Certainly cash flow management and asset protection is important, but in an uncertain economy with which we currently face, the trust factor is paramount. By enhancing your trust factor with your clients and providing new, innovative services that make your relationship more valuable, you can sustain your firm and the protection of your client’s relationship with you. Displaying a strong sense of leadership will help cement your relationship, but more so it will provide the necessary hope and someone to lean on to handle the stresses of the marketplace. If you are a firm that assists in the management of stock portfolios, your clients are under a tremendous amount of stress that ebbs and flows several times a day. Providing that solid leadership is the buoy they are looking for.

Getting out into the local community and offering tax planning sessions is another great way to generate new leads, and can allow you to be seen as an expert in your field. Plus it is a natural extension for blogging. It is an automatic assumption that when a speaker is presenting their expertise, they are the local expert in their field. Unless you blow it, your audience will respect your opinions and automatically buy-in to of what you speak. With appropriate information and a lead follow up system in place, you might find some new clients you didn’t know existed.

Leadership, specialized and innovative services and a strong dose of hope delivered to your client and prospect bases will sustain you through this difficult time.

If you are unsure of how to begin a strategy into the uncharted part of the market, a call to Zen Marketing Inc. can provide the necessary analysis, review and tactical discussions to get you on your way.

Does Your Marketing Strategy Include Data?

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Professional services firms (PSF’s) rely on many things to accomplish their revenue goals, and marketing strategy certainly plays a big part. But do CPA’s, Lawyers, Architects and other PSF’s incorporate data into their marketing efforts? Whether traditional advertising methodologies or the use of digital, inbound marketing, or even a combination of the two, the data collected from the marketing activities should drive your marketing strategy. Data-driven content marketing (also called inbound and/or digital) can change the entire outcome, especially when it is automated.

There is no denying that CPA’s and accountants are involved with numerical data all day long; how much of it is intended for their marketing efforts? Not as near as much as it could or should be. Architects and structural engineers work with several forms of data, but their marketing efforts probably don’t reflect the use of data-driven marketing. Professional services firms, like any other businesses, use various marketing tactics to generate leads and drive revenues. PSF’s on a global basis are well behind other business sectors in the use of content marketing, but little is known as to why? Marketing data or what may be referred to as “open-rates, click-throughs, pay per click or other numerical equations to judge a marketing tactic successful or a failure is now necessary for improved results. These types of data offer less than a clear picture of the “ideal prospect” and may be ambiguous at best.

The proper use of data-content identifies the behaviors of the responders’ demographics and psychographics allows us to better tailor our message and “relate” more to our audiences. No longer do we have to rely on “cold calling” tactics, or outdated direct mail (although there seems to be a rise in certain print advertising lately) as we can position ourselves in closer alignment with those whom we wish to serve. PSF’s are not utilizing data for its best purposes, however.

Whether your firm operates in the B2B realm or B2C arena, the use of data-driven lead generation is equally effective. It is the correct data and the understanding of the story it tells that will better direct the potential customer’s focus. You can then reach the center of the audience, where the chances for success are their greatest. With the current state of the economy, this makes tremendous sense, as every dollar spent must result in a positive return on investment. It is time to put the “marketing shotgun” down and start using a “marketing rifle,” through automated, data-driven marketing.

Ask Yourself These Questions

• Do your current marketing efforts tell you in what content your prospects are interested?
• Can you discern which is more relevant to your ideal prospect; blog articles, print advertising, direct mail, email blasts?
• If you answered yes, what style of any of the aforementioned works best within that segment?
• What page(s) on your website attract the most visitors?
• What percentages of response to you receive from every type of marketing effort?
• How many viewed the free content download versus how many actually downloaded?
• Who opened the email and who didn’t, separated by which sample of email to which they responded?
• What works – and to what degree?
• Can you tell the difference between a successful campaign and a loser, and why?

These are merely samples of data collection that goes into today’s marketing. It is all about analysis of the information, and understanding what actions must be necessary for the tactic to be tweaked, increased or eliminated.

Marketing Automation Software (MAS) is the tool that can reveal the necessary data to better home in on your ideal prospect. Trial and error is a mindset that is a thing of the past. Marketing communications of any sort must be dissected, analyzed and reviewed over time to understand what works and what doesn’t, offering insights into what style of communications your target audience finds most appealing. Is it emails, blogs, tweets or webinars/webcasts that they resonate with? Utilizing a well-rounded marketing approach will generate a clear view of which direction your marketing should take.

Gain Lead Insight Through Data

The message which you send out must no longer be about your product or services features and benefits, the function or perceived value. It must relate to what the audience is looking for, and is fully dependent upon the buyer’s persona (purchasing manager, chief decision maker, 2nd level scout) as well as the phase they might be in; awareness, considering, justifying the purchase, or ready to purchase now. An analysis of the data in its granular form will reveal all of that information through the use of the marketing automated software. It is known in the industry as “digital body language” and fully understanding is a skill in its own right.

Once the “suspect” converts to a prospect or “lead,” the sales funnel has many levels, all requiring a different type of information share. Early leads may need nurturing just to stay in the sales process, and other early leads may rush through to the final stage of the sales funnel. Those somewhere in the middle of the sales funnel will require a different type of content to help them move toward the goal of selling them. Data analysis helps understand where leads are in the process, and knowing what type of content or messaging they are seeking will allow them to grow their relationship with your firm, and whether or not they will eventually become “buyer ready.” It makes little sense for your sales department to go after leads that are not ready to make a buying decision, and is more or less a waste of their time. Sales should be ready for the handoff from marketing at the right time to maximize ROI, and minimize lead fallout.

Lead segmentation is part of the process, and is an invaluable step in crafting the exact type of message your content needs to foster growth within your market. By understanding where in the sales process your leads are, you are better armed to focus relevant messages pertinent to that level. You would not produce buyer-ready content if your qualified lead was merely in the awareness stage. On the same note, those in the justification stage will require some content that reinforces their position in the sales funnel, and nurtures them to continue on the path to sales. Such is the value of lead segmentation. By understanding each email that is opened, each registration, every web page visitation, each social media referral all tells you what you need to do to move your target leads through to the “buyer ready” stage with the right content at the right time.

Learning to read the data takes time, but through the use of a marketing agency for such purposes makes the transition from “do-it-for-me to “do-it-yourself.” It makes little sense to jump off the high dive into the shallow end of the pool. A professional marketing agency such as Zen Marketing Inc. can assist with the marketing review, design and creation of content to eventually master your own skill set.

Lead Scoring Eliminates Guesswork

Marketing automation software is an invaluable resource for crafting data-driven marketing content (full disclosure: we use and recommend Hubspot). Through the ability to understand exactly where each lead is in the buying process, it makes delivery of pertinent information easy, taking the guesswork out of the work. By optimizing the communication cycle, your targets get the right message at the right time, improving the closing process dramatically. It becomes the rifle method rather than the shotgun approach to marketing.

We at Zen Marketing Inc. can supply a no cost review of your current marketing efforts, and provide the insight necessary to make an informed decision as to the need for an automated marketing software approach to business.

Lead Your Competition with Content Marketing

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We have covered the value of creating content marketing to allow prospects to find your website (and find you!) for quite a while now.  One way to lead your competition and establish yourself as an industry expert is by creating engaging content in a variety of media.  You not only bring valuable attention to your brand, but also gain recognition as you rise above the competition.

Content marketing is not really all that new.  Neither is the concept of being a market or industry leader.  Leading your competition may not be your goal, but driving new business should be.  Content marketing IS the way today to build credibility and drive new business creation.

Actually, content marketing gets its humble beginning by way of the earliest of human beings; telling stories around a campfire to get a point across.  Storytelling is the way people relate information to themselves, remember important things and develop deeper relationships with those telling the tales.  Content marketing is the same, except for the age of storytelling, and the delivery.

Companies across the globe are taking content marketing seriously, and the concept is gaining worldwide traction. Don’t take my word for it, take a look at reports featured on the Internet from CMI, the Content Marketing Institute. Their recent report on Business to Business (B2B) marketers states that more than 90 percent of them are invested and utilizing content marketing to drive their brands and draw prospective clientele.  Also, when it comes to content, more than 86 percent of Business to Customer (B2C) share the same enthusiasm for the practice of providing engaging content to drive leads and their brands. 

If that doesn’t convince you check out MarketingProfs, another industry leading organization, wherein their recent reporting reflects similar data.  Additionally, these reports indicate that more than fifty-four percent of each type of marketing focus expects to increase spending next year.  

Leading your competition will take some doing, but if you never start, you will never know if and how it works.  Here are three tips to seriously consider.

      Lead the Field – CEO’s must become the champions for change.  If your company is not currently utilizing content marketing as the primary marketing strategy, yet you have a website, you are missing the boat.  Change is difficult under any banner, from redirecting a team project or changing the way your business operates.  Big or small, change is tough, but in this world, change is the only constant in business. Simply put it is grow or die.

      Candidly speaking, professional service firms such as lawyers, accountants and CPA’s, the medical profession and others are not known for their poetic prose or compelling storytelling.  In fact, these professions are filled with industry jargon, or even the use of Latin to avoid the average person from understanding them. Doctors and lawyers have very specific language that sets themselves apart from the rest of the world, and that is just fine for conducting business.  If you are using the same terms in your marketing, it is no wonder why most do not have much success with lead generation from the public.  If people cannot understand what it is you are saying, how can they develop a relationship with you?

      Content marketing is only picking up speed, and the technologies to provide multi-media content is growing by the day.  If your competition is not on the cutting edge along with you, why not get out ahead of them.  After all, articulating what makes your firm different and stands out from the crowd is how we succeed.

      Tell Great Stories - Put a team of content experts together from your internal staff.  If you don’t know marketing, you had better learn.  Marketing is everyone’s job, from the front desk attendant to the CEO.  Your customer service area is a great place to start, due to its natural interaction with your customer base.

What are some of the comments and stories they hear that can be used as a basis for a victory over a problem they faced that only your business made successful?

How did someone on the staff go out of their way to make the customer happy?  An interesting bit of history about the early days of FedEx reflects just a tale, as made legendary by Tom Peters:  FedEx and the Helicopter

It seems a blizzard in the California Sierras took the telephone lines down, leaving the local FedEx office without phone service -- or any way of connecting with customers.

So a junior FedEx staffer decided to rent a helicopter to fix the problem. Without asking permission from his managers, he put the helicopter on his personal American Express card and instructed the pilot to fly to the top of the mountain where the failed equipment was located. There, the employee jumped onto the snow-covered mountaintop, trudged three-quarters of a mile in chest-deep snow and fixed the line to get FedEx back in business. An excerpt from: HOW YOU CAN UNLEASH THE POWER OF STORYTELLING by Ann Wylie

FedEx was perhaps one of the earliest corporations to utilize storytelling as a way to grow their brand and gain new customers.  They have become famous, and infamous for their ability to take customer or company actions that affected customers and turn it into compelling, engaging content.  Every business across the globe has these type of stories to share, they must unearth them and begin to use them for the sake of marketing.

Evaluate, Analyze, Rinse and Repeat – In order to know what affect your content is making on your business, it is critical to develop a set of metrics and evaluate routinely.  By analyzing your content inventory by type (video, white papers, multi-media, articles, blog posts, etc) or topic (customer success story, improvements to make people’s lives better etc), you will understand what aspects of the individual pieces have on your business marketing.  Does your audience prefer articles to multi-media?  Do particular topics resonate better than do others?

Doing so will not only keep you abreast of your marketing efforts, it can lead to re-developing existing content into a different or expanded version in another medium.  Perhaps you have a series of articles from six months ago that can easily be updated and converted into a white paper or eBook.

If all of this sounds overwhelming and too much to consider, you may be right.  What you have to do is evaluate the above and then evaluate your goals and your competition.  Is this going to get you where you want to be financially, and will this separate you from your competitors, only you can answer those questions.

The team at Zen Marketing has the expertise, the talent and the tools to conduct a marketing assessment, develop an affordable plan and set you on your way to leading the field.  Or, if you do not have the time to invest, we serve as the outsourced marketing department for a number of clients.  Feel free to contact us at your earliest convenience and insure 2013 will be your best year ever.

Top Three Great Reasons to Hire an Inbound Marketing Agency

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While there is a plethora (love using that word!) of good reasons to utilize the services of an inbound marketing firm, it is our belief that they all boil down to the three most important, as outlined below. We at Zen Marketing Inc., a fully digital inbound marketing agency believe that we can build your business using the latest methodologies and tactics.

Over the past five years Harvard Business Review (aka HBR) studied how patterns of business has changed to the point that instead of solution sales professionals pushing products and services, companies are already 60% involved in the acquisition process for the needs of their particular business processes or concerns. It is in that light that the conversion from push advertising to pull methods grows businesses today. Zen Marketing Inc. is a boutique marketing agency that helps businesses “get found affordably.”

Rather than attempt to conquer the Internet alone, we suggest the following considerations why you should consider working with us.

Broader Perspective – This is what we do for a living. Our staff of professionals works with a variety of industries utilizing inbound marketing strategies and tactics on a daily basis. We have in-depth knowledge of the constantly changing marketing landscape, and how to best utilize best practices of the marketing opportunities available today.

• Your Team is Already Working Full-time( or more) – With budgets under constant scrutiny and margins shrinking, do you have the necessary staffing to conduct an effective marketing program? Your team is working at capacity, and if not, you have already initiated steps to get the most out of available resources. Through the use of a dedicated marketing team, you can let your staff do what they do best, and leave the lead generation to the professionals.
• Certified Marketing Executives – At Zen Marketing, we only hire certified inbound marketing executives, from web developers and copywriters to graphic artisans and beyond. Our in-house and external teams provide on-time and on-budget performance on which you can count.
• Access to Industry Specific Marketing Data – Today’s marketing information is growing at a pace that few can keep up with, but a Zen Marketing, our research team is on the job to not only understand what works, but knows where to find the answers to complex marketing challenges.

Availability of Quality Content – Content is the core of the inbound marketing process, and at Zen Marketing, we have a dedicated staff of copywriters that are unmatched in the industry. Our writers craft compelling and engaging content full-time, and when we have everyone generating content for our clientele, we have a bank of content writers of more than 2000 certified copywriters. There is no shortage of compelling content crafts persons at Zen Marketing.

• Generates More Leads – It is a proven method of generating more leads than your present marketing efforts. Our strategies work because we utilize the most up to date methodologies. Content creation, repurposing, curation and multiplicity of use, specifically targeted to your buyer personas will build your leads quickly and effectively. White Papers, eBooks, Videos, Webinars, Special Reports, Articles and Blog Entries, all supporting a comprehensive content strategy, as well as well-crafted email marketing campaigns will boost your lead generation activity beyond present production standards.
• Landing Pages for Calls to Action – Through the use of Calls to Action landing pages, our content marketing strategies will not only improve your brand positioning, your lead generation efforts too will quickly pay off. By capturing leads at the point of content review, you can invest more time in lead nurturing and sales preparation than ever before.

More Robust ROI – Business is about dollars and cents, so it makes good sense to maximize revenues while minimizing overhead and expense. Through the use of an inbound marketing strategy, your return on investment will improve dramatically.

• Less Expensive - It has been quantified by industry leaders that inbound marketing is 62% less expensive than traditional marketing efforts. Digital marketing is far less expensive than print, television or other mediums. By hiring an inbound marketing firm like Zen Marketing Inc., you control the budget. We will craft a comprehensive marketing campaign designed around your goals and budget constraints. As an external agency, you avoid all of the health and welfare costs typically encountered with employees. 
• Better SEO – Search engine optimization has become a complex process since Google decided to change their algorithms. Companies that once held front page positioning on the search results have fallen into obscurity overnight as a result. Yesterday’s SEO is sorely outdated and no longer effective. It is imperative that the responsible party be Internet and Search Engine savvy to produce the proper results. As such experts, our team specializes in companies “getting found.”
• Marketing Tools – With inbound marketing solutions such as HubSpot software, lead generation and brand positioning is easy. As a Certified HubSpot Partner, we are fully knowledgeable in all of its uses, from landing pages and social media interactivity to deep analytics and reporting, so you know what is working and what isn’t. There are a number of ways to take advantage of HubSpot’s capabilities, from Do it Yourself (DIY) to Shared Participation, to Do it For Me (DIFM). A no obligation review of your current marketing efforts to a custom designed program is available at the asking.
• Integrated Marketing Efforts – We utilize the latest in solutions that are fully integrated into the marketing software. Everything from email campaign solutions to tracking and reporting software, your marketing can be automated and streamlined to perform with little oversight.

How about Zen Marketing? We enjoy working with clients in the architectural, finance, accounting financial services sectors, and many others... but we aren't working with you? Why not? Feel free to inquire as to how we might serve you by contacting us today.

How to Join in the Social Media Conversation

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Social media is the new word of mouth, so when the conversation online with customers or prospects begins, the friends and contacts that like what they see and react, and are going to join the conversation as well. Perhaps you aren’t monitoring your social media feeds; in that case you are missing out on information.

One of the best ways to spark a conversation online is to write about questions or comments your customers may have mentioned, and reply to them in your content. By incorporating your social media connections into the dialogue, you are enabling a discussion specifically about your brand.

How you handle (or do not) questions and requests through social media will either polish or tarnish your company brand. Responding to public style questions deserve public answers, but don’t air your dirty laundry. Weigh your responses, and teach your social marketing staff to do the same.

The main thing to remember

When considering or maintaining a social marketing strategy you must realize that it needs to be based on contact. Contact is the foundation of today’s marketing, so it not only must engage the reader, it must answer some concern or question of your targeted audience. Without the correct keyword strategy, publishing calendar, timely topics chosen or injection into your social media, nothing is a bigger concern. Engaging, compelling content in any of its forms must attract and capture the reader, or it isn’t worth the time invested in producing it.

If you are one of those companies that have set up a social media business page and then abandoned it need a crash course in what is happening through the mechanisms of social sites. While Facebook uses an open format, with image, video and/or multi-media postings at your avail, Twitter limits the entries to 140 characters, including spaces and punctuation. It takes a bit of education to master either site, so just don’t jump right in without learning a few things. LinkedIn is yet another social media site that has grown dramatically in the past couple of years, and it has its own protocols. What works on one will certainly not work on the other. There are strategies that can meld them and other sites into a cohesive marketing methodology, however.

Your website and offline communications vehicles should carry your points of contact; Facebook page, Twitter handle, Pinterest page, LinkedIn profile and business page should be readily accessible to click through or to navigate with. QR codes are another tool for use to incorporate into print media, like Coke creatively accomplished. It’s just another way for their consumers to interact with their brand.

Here's A Great Demonstration

If you haven’t viewed the Coca-Cola 2020 two-part project, you owe it to yourself to see the future in full view today. Their ambitious plan has gone through numerous iterations, and will certainly change the marketing scene globally.

The Coca-Cola2020 video series is an excellent use of multi-media, as it is built on a new platform called Prezi. If you are interested in the future of marketing, these two organizations are driving marketing innovation like no one else.

When your prospects and customers interact with you as a result of your content, you must be active in the conversation. As content is the vehicle for driving the social media conversation, joining in is critical.

Zen Marketing can deliver marketing campaign development, consulting and content creation, curation and marketing analysis. We’re confident in our capabilities to ensure yours.

Email Marketing for Accounting Firms

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Email marketing is a great way for you to attract or shore up some of the client base, and accounting firms know that once the rush begins, there will be no rest until it is all put aside in late April. It won’t be long until tax filing season comes into focus; often this is no sooner than the holiday decorations are returned to their resting place.

Hopefully you got some rest over the long period between holidays, and didn’t suffer too much post-bubbly on New Year’s Eve. You are going to need your strength once the pressure builds and the back and forth of communications starts with your clients and your staff.
Marketing is probably not even on your mind, especially email marketing. If it isn’t in your wheel house, you just may be in deep water. Not to worry, we at Zen Marketing have life safety devices nearby to bring you back on dry land.

We all know that competition is stiff under normal standards, and this year will be no exception. Competition combined with the ever-changing regulations in the Tax Code, expiring incentives and the rush to get it all done can make your head spin off your shoulders. Add marketing to that mix and some may be considering moving to a desert island.

Utilizing email marketing can streamline the process of getting or staying in contact with your client base, as well as nurturing existing leads that have yet to commit. Getting some of that work done early can put your firm in good stead once the filing season is over. Normally, clients rush in, and then rush away just as quickly. Generating some leads and nurturing them with an automated email marketing campaign is a great way to smooth out the bumps and dips in clientele once the madness of April is behind you.

Email marketing is one of the most affordable methods of lead generation, so why not exploit it. Scheduled content delivery builds reputations, relations and keeps your potential client in the loop. Utilizing a pre-planned and coordinated email marketing campaign can be automated, so you can focus on matters at hand.

The affordability is one of the most attractive aspects of lead generation through email marketing. Still considered a formidable part of the lead nurturing process, when you blend it with direct mail and advertising email provides cost-effective sustainability and expanded marketing reach. With the postage rates and paper costs in a constant upward motion, it has become cost prohibitive for most accounting firms and other small businesses to rely solely on direct mail. Email provides a bridge.

As for other forms of marketing, the costs for television and radio ads have skyrocketed, mainly because of lagging viewership, DVR, satellite radio, and streaming web usage. Revenue targets must remain so even though usage has declined, the average cost per ad has gone skyward, and will remain in an upward climb. Another compelling reason for email marketing.

Inbound marketing (aka content marketing) also relies heavily on email marketing, especially where there is a need for diverse methods in developing engagement and especially with lead nurturing campaigns.

You can cross-sell targeted batches of your overall database by segmenting them into their position in the sales process. Sending get acquainted email content to seasoned prospects is not productive, and may even offend or disenchant prospects. Using data culled by what we call “lead score” will allow for targeted messaging to the right group of prospective clientele. The same holds true for selling buying decision email messaging too soon in the process may cause you to lose that prospect all together. Targeted lead nurturing is a tactic that works well, if implemented correctly.

Another worthwhile benfit that email marketing provides is the ability to personalize the email marketing messages so that the information is deemed “just for me,” which builds your brand and the relationship. Using the prospects name in the salutation and in the body of the content makes you get noticed, and it can be done through technology rather than individually creating each message.

Email marketing is a great tool for accounting firms of all sizes. You know the big boys use it, and you can as well. All it takes is a bit of knowledge, effort and someone to help guide you toward a successful campaign.

Have a profitable tax filing season.

The USPS Changes More Than Just Direct Mail Stamp Prices

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In a meeting today, with seven business people, a comment was made that direct mail was "making a comeback", and "all that social media and e-mail is just confusing". Like many marketing tactics there are right and wrong ways to use the a proven tactic. There are some tactics better suited for a specific business persona than another. The best tactic can be misused and later thrown aside as ineffective or out of touch.

As you are no doubt aware, the postal rates were increased Monday, January 28, 2013. The straight First Class Letter rate rose by $.01 from $.45 to $.46 per piece and a Postcard (the postal definition of a postcard) also rose $.01 from $.32 to $.33 per piece.

However, the actual “sorted” rates did not change very much. Our estimation: the implementation of the new Intelligent Mail Bar Code (IMB) contributed to that, but that is only an estimation.

According to Chris Halligan, President of Associated Mailing & Printing in Branchburg, New Jersey: "when we propose the use of direct mail we suggest using the highest automated rate and then round it up to determine an “estimated” postage rates. This usually ensures that the "estimated" postage is on the high side. You should know, you can not determine “actual” postage without the list and at least specifications of the piece. Often when we are asked to provide a quote we do not have that information, hence this formulation". This is a very sound approach.

Here is a list of the “estimated” rates that Associated Mailing & Printing is providing for general information. 

Estimated Postage (Per Piece)
New   Previous

• First Class Presort $.41 $.41 
• Standard $.29 $.28
• Non-profit $.17 $.17
• Postcard** $.26 $.26
• EDDM (Actual) $.16 $.145

**This is for cards that are sized between 5 X 3.5 and 6 X 4.25.

We were not surprised that EDDM increased 10%. The USPS has likely realized that they needed to protect mailers more than they were previouwsly. Plus the individual post offices were not prepared to accomodate the popularity of the program.

Also, with the letter-size “Carrier Route” rates not raised, it makes the option of a “normal” occupant mailing much more attractive than the EDDM mailing. EDDM mailing becomes attractive if the sender wants to do the sorting work themselves, or if the sender really wants to mail a “flat” size piece. Otherwise, the more traditional “occupant” mailings could actually cost less overall.

Besides the Intelligent Mail Bar Code (IMB), the postal service announced a number of changes affecting folded self-mailers (FSB) that also went into effect on January 5th. Most of the changes affect mailers and are really just an enforcement of regulations already on the books. The biggest change: tri-folded pieces, where the mailing panel MUST be in the center panel. In addition, the “closed” (or folded) end of the pieces must be on the bottom and on the right.

If more information is needed regarding the changes to the regulations for folded self-mailers, please share your questions below.

Five Reasons Why Accountants Should Do Their Own Marketing

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(...and other misnomers for professional service firms)

There are five really great reasons why architects, Lawyers, CPA’s, financial planners, consultants, and other professional services providers should be responsible for their own marketing. You are intelligent beings, after all. The list below makes all the sense in the world, right. Let’s see if you feel this way.

• I learned to write reports and essays in school. How hard could blogging, article writing, email campaigns and web content be?
• Search Engine Optimization is just a fancy word for “getting found” on the search engines. I can buy an ad and be at the top of the page.
• I don’t need analysis; I know how much my leads cost and where they come from.
• I send my sales people to trade shows all year long, and spending that much is a huge impact on my budget. We check on our competitors there, so why spend even more hiring an inbound marketing agency to tell me what I already know.
• The younger people on staff already know how to surf the Internet. I can rely on them to do this stuff.

There is a challenge for all businesses today. Whether you operate in the Business-to-Customer arena (B2C) or the Business-to-Business sector (B2B), the ability to "stand out in the crowd" is more and more difficult, regardless of which sector you might play in. And the old mentalities simply will not get your brand the attention it will need to thrive. Heck, even just to survive!

I’m not sure how you feel about the above statements, but if you are still reading, I think there are things to discuss. Let’s address them in order.

Article, blogs, email campaigns and more

Marketing today is a lot different than it was even just a few years ago. Traditional marketing methods are not performing at the same level they were in the first decade of this millennium, and even more so than the 1990’s. Inbound marketing is about content; engaging, relevant, compelling content. Writing to the personas of your target customer is a bit of an art, and is much different from report or essay writing. Now that consumers are utilizing the Internet to perform their research, content is extremely important. The distribution of original and curated content in multiple forms is now part-and-parcel of the marketing strategy. Consumers are making up their minds what they want and from whom before you even hear from them.

An effective blogging campaign (where the majority of new leads now emanate) requires a dedicated effort of blogging five times per week. Add to that commitment the creation of content such as video, audio, webinars, white papers and eBooks can be a full time effort.

Search Engine Optimization

While it is true that a PPC campaign may place you in the top tier of the ads on Google, Yahoo and Bing, there are hundreds of search engines. PPC, or pay per click can be an important aspect of an overall inbound marketing campaign, but it can be very expensive, and results may not yield much in the way of qualified leads. Remember also, that each time someone accidently clicks on your ad, you are paying anywhere from $.50 to $4.00. A PPC campaign is merely one of the tools that can be implemented to drive traffic. Doesn’t organic traffic make more sense? Look at this chart from Marketing Sherpa, which identifies the business-to-business answers to the survey conducted at year-end 2011. There is more to inbound marketing than SEO and PPC.

As the above chart indicates, there is a lot more to SEO than getting on the first page. The full complement of marketing sub-categories all interact cohesively to create the visibility and reach for firms today. More B2C and B2B sales occur through online activity, flipping the sales and marketing process from push to pull.

Analytics Tell a Big Story

I am sure you will agree with me that knowledge is power; it forever will be. Knowing about your competitors’ online positioning and effectiveness, as well as off line activity can identify weaknesses or strengths to be exploited.

Statistics represent the story of what is or is not occurring, if you know how to read them. Some statistics reveal consumer behaviors, while others display the effectiveness of your actions and offerings. Through comparisons of competitive data as well as internal information can aid sales and marketing personnel, thereby arming them with the right weapons to generate revenues. Big data can reveal big opportunities, to refine or to conquer.

According to Hubspot®, the cost per lead through inbound marketing has been proven less expensive than outbound (traditional) marketing by 62%.

Image courtesy of Hubspot®

Off Line Marketing – Trade Shows, Direct Mail, Display Ads, etc.

It’s a fact that trade show traffic is down across all industries. The cost to build out a booth, travel and per diem expenses for sales personnel and printed materials continue to rise, with fewer “qualified” leads from all the expense. Additionally, the burden the office feels resulting from fewer personnel at the office is weighty. Display ads are expensive, and tells you nothing from where your leads came. You have no clear idea where to place your marketing dollars for their best ROI. It is all about risk and return after all. Having a targeted campaign beats the shotgun approach every time.

Direct mail campaigns are at their worst efficacy in the history of marketing. The high cost of postage, print production and stuffing envelopes is tedious and produce a low yield. While television advertising is still a valid source of qualified leads for B2C business, it remains one of the most expensive forms of marketing, even with local cable as the vehicle.

Full Time Staff Already Have Full Time Jobs

Most firms have felt the pinch of the economic storm we are facing today. Staff is working at near capacity or more. The expectation of them taking on the social media, blogging, email campaigning, and article writing, offer creation and developing landing pages and understanding analytics is unfair and unrealistic.

Your job is to get the best from your resources, not wear them down and create dissention through unrealistic expectations and overwork. Besides, these tasks take dedicated focused effort, not some half-hearted attempts at keeping up.

Still Considering Doing it Yourself?

If more qualified leads is your objective, can you honestly believe you can perform the marketing task independently? Can you look your staff in the eye and ask them to take on even more responsibility? Do you plan to maintain the status quo with your current marketing efforts, despite the predictable poor outcome?

An inbound marketing agency can perform all, or some of these time consuming tasks with specialists in their field. From in depth analysis to email marketing campaign design and implementation, the right agency has the experts to help your business evolve.

It might be a good idea to consider looking into an inbound marketing agency. Nearly all of them offer a no cost consultation, and an intensive review of your goals, current efforts, the competition and other facts to determine your needs. The evaluation can be performed on the phone, to minimize the impact of face-to-face meetings.

Zen Marketing is fully qualified to assist in the conversion of your business from the traditional model to inbound marketing. Combining state of the art marketing strategies and traditional tactics can produce the kind of results you are seeking. It may serve you well to contact us today.

Five Reasons Why Architects Should Do Their Own Marketing...

Tweet

 

(...and other misnomers for professional service firms)

There are five really great reasons why architects, Lawyers, CPA’s, financial planners, consultants, and other professional services providers should be responsible for their own marketing. You are intelligent beings, after all. The list below makes all the sense in the world, right. Let’s see if you feel this way.

• I learned to write reports and essays in school. How hard could blogging, article writing, email campaigns and web content be?
• Search Engine Optimization is just a fancy word for “getting found” on the search engines. I can buy an ad and be at the top of the page.
• I don’t need analysis; I know how much my leads cost and where they come from.
• I send my sales people to trade shows all year long, and spending that much is a huge impact on my budget. We check on our competitors there, so why spend even more hiring an inbound marketing agency to tell me what I already know.
• The younger people on staff already know how to surf the Internet. I can rely on them to do this stuff.

There is a challenge for all businesses today. Whether you operate in the Business-to-Customer arena (B2C) or the Business-to-Business sector (B2B), the ability to "stand out in the crowd" is more and more difficult, regardless of which sector you might play in. And the old mentalities simply will not get your brand the attention it will need to thrive. Heck, even just to survive!

I’m not sure how you feel about the above statements, but if you are still reading, I think there are things to discuss. Let’s address them in order.

Article, blogs, email campaigns and more

Marketing today is a lot different than it was even just a few years ago. Traditional marketing methods are not performing at the same level they were in the first decade of this millennium, and even more so than the 1990’s. Inbound marketing is about content; engaging, relevant, compelling content. Writing to the personas of your target customer is a bit of an art, and is much different from report or essay writing. Now that consumers are utilizing the Internet to perform their research, content is extremely important. The distribution of original and curated content in multiple forms is now part-and-parcel of the marketing strategy. Consumers are making up their minds what they want and from whom before you even hear from them.

An effective blogging campaign (where the majority of new leads now emanate) requires a dedicated effort of blogging five times per week. Add to that commitment the creation of content such as video, audio, webinars, white papers and eBooks can be a full time effort.

Search Engine Optimization

While it is true that a PPC campaign may place you in the top tier of the ads on Google, Yahoo and Bing, there are hundreds of search engines. PPC, or pay per click can be an important aspect of an overall inbound marketing campaign, but it can be very expensive, and results may not yield much in the way of qualified leads. Remember also, that each time someone accidently clicks on your ad, you are paying anywhere from $.50 to $4.00. A PPC campaign is merely one of the tools that can be implemented to drive traffic. Doesn’t organic traffic make more sense? Look at this chart from Marketing Sherpa, which identifies the business-to-business answers to the survey conducted at year-end 2011. There is more to inbound marketing than SEO and PPC.

As the above chart indicates, there is a lot more to SEO than getting on the first page. The full complement of marketing sub-categories all interact cohesively to create the visibility and reach for firms today. More B2C and B2B sales occur through online activity, flipping the sales and marketing process from push to pull.

Analytics Tell a Big Story

I am sure you will agree with me that knowledge is power; it forever will be. Knowing about your competitors’ online positioning and effectiveness, as well as off line activity can identify weaknesses or strengths to be exploited.

Statistics represent the story of what is or is not occurring, if you know how to read them. Some statistics reveal consumer behaviors, while others display the effectiveness of your actions and offerings. Through comparisons of competitive data as well as internal information can aid sales and marketing personnel, thereby arming them with the right weapons to generate revenues. Big data can reveal big opportunities, to refine or to conquer.

According to Hubspot®, the cost per lead through inbound marketing has been proven less expensive than outbound (traditional) marketing by 62%.

Image courtesy of Hubspot®

Off Line Marketing – Trade Shows, Direct Mail, Display Ads, etc.

It’s a fact that trade show traffic is down across all industries. The cost to build out a booth, travel and per diem expenses for sales personnel and printed materials continue to rise, with fewer “qualified” leads from all the expense. Additionally, the burden the office feels resulting from fewer personnel at the office is weighty. Display ads are expensive, and tells you nothing from where your leads came. You have no clear idea where to place your marketing dollars for their best ROI. It is all about risk and return after all. Having a targeted campaign beats the shotgun approach every time.

Direct mail campaigns are at their worst efficacy in the history of marketing. The high cost of postage, print production and stuffing envelopes is tedious and produce a low yield. While television advertising is still a valid source of qualified leads for B2C business, it remains one of the most expensive forms of marketing, even with local cable as the vehicle.

Full Time Staff Already Have Full Time Jobs

Most firms have felt the pinch of the economic storm we are facing today. Staff is working at near capacity or more. The expectation of them taking on the social media, blogging, email campaigning, and article writing, offer creation and developing landing pages and understanding analytics is unfair and unrealistic.

Your job is to get the best from your resources, not wear them down and create dissention through unrealistic expectations and overwork. Besides, these tasks take dedicated focused effort, not some half-hearted attempts at keeping up.

Still Considering Doing it Yourself?

If more qualified leads is your objective, can you honestly believe you can perform the marketing task independently? Can you look your staff in the eye and ask them to take on even more responsibility? Do you plan to maintain the status quo with your current marketing efforts, despite the predictable poor outcome?

An inbound marketing agency can perform all, or some of these time consuming tasks with specialists in their field. From in depth analysis to email marketing campaign design and implementation, the right agency has the experts to help your business evolve.

It might be a good idea to consider looking into an inbound marketing agency. Nearly all of them offer a no cost consultation, and an intensive review of your goals, current efforts, the competition and other facts to determine your needs. The evaluation can be performed on the phone, to minimize the impact of face-to-face meetings.

Zen Marketing is fully qualified to assist in the conversion of your business from the traditional model to inbound marketing. Combining state of the art marketing strategies and traditional tactics can produce the kind of results you are seeking. It may serve you well to contact us today.