We're Living in a Material World (and Yours Is a Material Firm)

A lot of the advice we give accounting firms revolves around websites, social media platforms other strategies to create and maintain a digital presence. Your firm would be unwise to ignore these tools as a critical component of your overall marketing strategy. That said, it’s also important to balance your virtual marketing (i.e. online strategies) with your physical presence, both in person and through tangible collateral – things like case studies, sell sheets, brochures and giveaway tchotchkes.

Your in-person marketing activities (interaction with other professionals, face-to-face meetings with potential clients, networking events, presentations, interviews, etc.) are demanding, but simple to understand. Most accountants recognize the necessity of making time and developing skills to perform this kind of activity both often and well. Tangible collateral is often given short shrift due to the mistaken belief that it provides less marketing value. But look closely and you’ll discover that the most successful firms rightfully treat collateral materials as an equal priority.

The physical things you hand to clients and new contacts are sometimes viewed as extras – unnecessary clutter that costs money and doesn’t really make a difference. While it’s true that these pieces cost money to make, store and distribute, they do make a difference.

Adults today spend an increasing amount of their time on the internet, whether it’s for work, entertainment, education or dealing with personal needs. They receive more advertising online, but less in the mail. In an age of downsizing and decluttering, the physical objects we hold in our hands make a big impression. They’re more powerful, in fact, than the digital images we take in all day and night for a variety of reasons:

• Holding and using an object gives it a special meaning. We relate to objects we touch in a different way than images we merely see, even if we see them often. The more senses you engage as people encounter your brand, the more deeply they will register your firm as a presence in their lives.

• Hard copy carries more weight. You can say anything online, and most people take what they read on the internet with a grain of salt. Of course, you can say anything in writing and have it printed up as well, but for some reason written materials you can hold carry more weight – both literally and figuratively.
• Sensory stimulation counts. What’s more satisfying: a web page or a glossy brochure that feels good to your fingers? Most of us would choose the printed product. It can be held, smelled, turned over, folded and slipped into a purse or pocket where it will be found again. And when it is, it’s likely to be read again, whereas a web page will be views only once unless the individual is specifically looking for it.
• Objects go more places than digital images. Even with smartphones in every pocket and computers in every room, the items in front of us matter more than the web pages inside our devices. Memo pads, pens, thumb drives, calendars, fridge magnets…whatever its purpose, branded stuff gives us more exposure to a brand than any kind of digital content.
• Hard copy is tailored to a specific message. Your online communications are tailored as well (or should be), but they exist in a sea of distractions and competing messages. Your flyer, on the other hand, stands out because it’s delivering information the reader needs without any other, similar content to draw the eye away.

Develop and share high quality printed collateral for the individual services your firm offers. Print up some case studies to hand out, too, and a brochure that gives a good overview of the firm. Invest in some give-away items that will keep awareness of your brand at a high level. You need these things, because your audience needs to see you in the physical world just as much as they do in the digital one.

Blog Prepared By:  Bonnie Buol Ruszczyk, President 

bbr marketing | www.bbrmarketing.com | 404-423-4433