Ready, set, grow your CPA practice
By Salim Omar, CPA, President, CPA Marketing Genius, LLC
A garden will only be as abundant as the nutrients that it receives.
This is a similar ideology I hold in growing my practice.
The nutrients for growing a practice are finding innovative ways to market services, appeal to existing clients and develop new tactics for communicating value. By cultivating this ideology within my practice, my colleagues and I are able to create pathways for growth.
Text Marketing
Collectively, Americans look at their phones 8 billion times a day (I know, crazy) but beneficial for small business owners (Time). Since smart phone users are always checking their emails and text messges, we can use their phones as a marketing tool.
Create a text message that offers your client or prospect with new and helpful information.
Send them a tax tip, and include a link for them to click if they want more information. Ideally, the link you share will take the client or prospect to your site and provide them with the opportunity to interact with you further. In short, think about ways you can provide consumers with information that will develop their curiosity for more information and services.
This text message is a great way to create more traffic to your site and might also help generate a new client.
Utilize Videos
Between YouTube, Netflix, and Hulu, we can see that videos are a big hit, so make one some for your practice.
If you have a smart phone, then you already have the camera, and low-key, informational videos are highly valued by consumers. Think about what new, enticing and helpful information you can share with them.
For example, “today we are going to talk about 3 unknown tax deductions that every business owner should know about.” After you cover some valuable information, give them a call to action. A call to action provides consumers with a simple next step for getting involved with your practice. You can tell viewers where they can get more information; to go and ‘Like’ your Facebook page, visit your website, or call for a free strategy session.
Another approach would be to film your work place in order to show clients the culture of your practice. Have an employee talk about a recent experience with a client and how they helped save the client money and time.
We have heard it time and time again that a company is only as good as its employees, so show your clients the dedication that your employees have, and that you will be there for them in long run.
Consider Consulting Groups
If you worry you just cannot do it on your own, there are resources out there you should tap into that can help you grow your firm. There are tools and companies to help attract quality clients, get more referrals and build an automated marketing system without having to work crazy hours – for example, CPA Marketing Genius.
These businesses were created because of how difficult it is to navigate practice growth on your own. By tapping into resources that other practitioners have created, you can learn about which pitfalls to avoid and how to develop around the successes of others.
For many firms, working with advising group helps provide their firm with a sense of comfort. Practices want to grow and they want to learn how to do so by working with those who can show them the way. Take an assessment of your firms needs and consider if reaching out to consulting firms about ways that you can create bottom line growth is best for your firm.
About Salim
Salim has spent the last 20 years uncovering the keys to success of any CPA firm. Through using his financial expertise and own struggles in the early years of starting his CPA practice, he has a deep understanding of the success principles that create accounting firms that are profitable. He currently owns a successful 12+ person firm. Best of all, he works only a few days a week while his practice continues to grow due to the practices he has implemented over the years.
Salim is considered by many as a top advisor and thought leader for small and mid-sized accounting firms. He is the author of the popular books, The Ultimate CPA Practice in the New Economy and The Million Dollar CPA Firm has been featured in a range of prestigious publications such as The CPA Journal, Financial Advisor and Wealth Manager and on the cover of Accounting Today.
Additional Resources
eBook: Tech Roadmap for Selecting the Ideal Solutions to Thrive in Business Advising
Whitepaper: The Automation Revolution: How Technology is Changing the Way Firms Operate
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