Eight Tips for Marketing on a Budget

Source: AICPA CPA Insider

Excerpts from this article by Tracy Crevar Warren are reprinted with permission from the AICPA.

Marketing does not have to be expensive to be effective. In fact there are a number of low-cost options that can be quite effective as you look to build your practice. Consider these options:

1. Meet for coffee. Take advantage of the coffee shop trend. It's inexpensive, less time consuming and puts you face-to-face with whom you are looking to connect. For out-of-town clients and prospects, schedule a “virtual coffee.”
2. Brainstorm with referrals. Turn your next networking social into a brainstorming event.
3. Avoid the client pick up. It's amazing how many CPAs leave reports at the front desk to be picked up by clients. Don't miss this opportunity to just say hello or pick up some new work by discussing how you can solve an issue that arose at a recent engagement.
4. Give social media a try. There is a lot of help out there to get you going. Ask someone in your office to give you a hand or reach out to a referral source. A great place to start is to set up a page on LinkedIn or Facebook.
5. Share success stories. Telling success stories to others is one of the easiest and most effective ways to get people interested in what you can do for them.
6. Help clients go viral about your firm. With customer service at all-time lows, now is the perfect time to focus on doing a “bang-up” job for every client. Get them talking about how great you are at delivering exceptional value.
7. Recycle lost leads. How many leads and connections do you have from past tradeshows, networking events and seminars that were never properly followed up on? Now is the perfect time to dust them off and reconnect.
8. Use your e-mail signature as a billboard. Your e-mail signature is a great place to promote your practice. Consider adding a link to a recent article you have written or a seminar that you will be speaking at in the future. What about a link to your firm's new blog or updated Web site?

For the complete article, click here and read “Marketing Ideas That Won't Break Your Bank,” in the October 13, 2009, issue.

From AICPA CPA Insider, October 13, 2009, www.CPA2biz.com.