Private Equity Investment in Accounting Firms Elevates Marketing as Key Player

A new factor has emerged on the accounting industry M&A scene that promises to shake up marketing departments – and elevate their positions as key players in firm growth

Marketing & HR Collaborate for Recruiting/Retention Success

Even before the Great Resignation, competition for talent was fierce among accounting and advisory firms. Now firms are fueling up their efforts by putting Marketing and Human Resources departments together for collaborative brain power.

Breaking Up is Hard to Do: Marketing’s Role in Culling Clients

Pruning a client list requires clear communication and agreement on the ultimate goal

How to Keep Business Development on Everyone’s To-Do List

Calibrating your business development efforts when the firm is at capacity

TechNOWlogy

Reduce the time and effort of managing social media marketing with tools to ensure a campaign is properly timed and targeted.

Partner POV

Chris Mitchell, Chief Diversity Officer of Crowe 

Take 5

How do you get partners and staff to ‘live the brand?’

Q & A With…

Rhonda Clark, Executive Director, AAM

Consultants’ Corner

How are accounting and advisory firms beefing up their marketing departments?

Trends & Insights

Insights from the 2022 AAM-Inovautus Growth Outlook for CPA Firms Survey

Big Impact from Small Adjustments: Finding Efficiency to Energize Firms

Look for opportunities to make small adjustments in your marketing program that will have a big impact.

Metrics That Matter

Digital transformation has given marketers a wide variety of tools to track metrics, analytics and KPIs. Which metrics are most meaningful to marketers and firm partners?

How Small Marketing Departments Can be Successful

For marketers who are a “department of one,” prioritizing and pacing are key to getting the job done.

Productive Pipeline: Tips and Tools for Building an Effective Lead Funnel

Lead generation and management is essential for practice growth at any accounting firm, and marketing professionals play key roles as doers or facilitators to ensure leads move effectively through the firm’s internal funnel. 

TechNOWlogy

By using workplace communication platforms and technologies, firms and businesses of all sizes can collaborate in real time to help teams stay organized and aligned. Here are some collaboration tools worth considering.

Partner POV

Jason Martin, CPA, CFE, MBA, managing partner, Memphis office of HHM

Take 5

What is the role of print collateral today, if any, and how are you using it?

Q & A With…

Jody Padar, advisory board member, Botkeeper

Consultants’ Corner

What are the top three most effective lead generation practices?

The Marketing Skills, Talents Top CPA Firms Are Seeking Today

Digital skills, content creation and experience in diverse industries are top priorities for accounting marketers who are growing their teams.

Client Relationship Management: A New Paradigm

Understanding clients’ differing needs for in-person or remote interactions is essential in the ‘new normal.’

Marketing Technology Playing More Strategic Role in Firm Growth

Tech-savvy marketers are looking beyond individual tactics to ensure martech solutions integrate with other firm technology to play a bigger role in growth.

The Time is NOW – Incorporate DEI Into Your Business Development Strategy

While most conversations about diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) center around hiring and other HR-focused topics, creating a truly diverse and inclusive firm can have a measurable and lasting impact on nearly every other area of a firm.

TechNOWlogy

The best audience engagement and presentation tools can solicit real-time input with live polls, quizzes, surveys, Q&A sessions. Here are some audience engagement tools worth considering.

Partner POV

Dave Sullivan, Director of Business Development, Perkins and Co

Take 5

What do partners need from their marketing departments now?

Q & A With…

Kimberly Ellison-Taylor, CEO, KET Solutions, LLC, and immediate past chair, AICPA

Consultants’ Corner

What marketing tactic should continue after the pandemic, and what ‘new’ strategy should live on?

Growing Advisory Practices Through Acquisitions of Non-Accounting Companies

Many firms have acquired non-accounting companies to expand quickly into new service areas their clients need.

Taking Your Marketing to Market 

Providing marketing externally to clients as a specialty service enables firms to leverage their internal marketing resources.

New Industries, New Opportunities

Emerging industries offer firms and marketers the opportunity to get in on the ground floor. But they carry some risks.

Social Selling Using LinkedIn Sales Navigator

While LinkedIn is by far the best social platform for professional networking — prospecting and building connections — it was never built to be a cold sales platform.

TechNOWlogy

Successful call-to-action (CTA) tools guide the audience on a sales journey. Here are some CTA tools worth considering.

Partner POV

Lori Colvin, Partner and Chief Marketing Officer, Armanino

Take 5

What opportunities do marketers in other industries see?

Q & A With…

Ed Warren, business development director, Dinamis

Consultants’ Corner

What are the hidden, untapped opportunities lurking in firms that marketers should be helping their firms identify?

Onboarding: First Official Client Experience - View Blog

Accounting and advisory firms are retooling their approach to onboarding, especially in a virtual environment, to launch successful and satisfying client experiences that drive revenue.

Beyond NPS - View Blog

Using surveys to reveal the true CX your firm is delivering can help you develop new approaches and move the revenue dial.

How Mastermind Groups Drive Growth and Engagement - View Blog

When firms bring clients together with peer gatherings, important connections – and sometimes new business – happen.

Take 5 - View Blog

Your marketing peers share their most successful CX strategies.

Trends and Insights - View Blog

2021 looks like a growth year for many firms, despite the pandemic.

Partner POV - View Blog

Eric Majchrzak, Shareholder & Chief Strategy Officer, BeachFleischman

Does Client Experience Impact Buying Decisions? - View Blog

Understanding the difference between client experience and client service.

TechNOWlogy - View Blog

Digital whiteboards and sticky notes facilitate virtual brainstorming.

Q & A With… - View Blog

Becky Livingston, CEO, Penheel Marketing

Consultants Corner - View Blog

What is the most innovative (or surprisingly effective) tactic for improving client experience?

Making the Most of Your Website During COVID-19 - View Blog

With prospects relying on websites for first impressions, sites must be informative, navigable, optimized and ADA compliant.

Technology Remakes Collaboration in a Remote Environment - View Blog

Integrated apps have reshaped how marketers and partners collaborate in the remote work environment.

Virtual Possibilities: How Firms Leave Brick & Mortar Behind and Succeed - View Blog

Some firms broke the mold long before COVID-19, defining new niches and ways of working in the cloud.

Take 5 - View Blog

Learn what your colleagues are doing differently as they work remotely – and why.

Trends and Insights: What Prospects Really Think - View Blog

Buyers are changing the way they look for and evaluate professional service providers.

Partner POV - View Blog

Jim Bourke, Managing Director, Advisory Services, for WithumSmith+Brown.

The Bowtie Affair - View Blog

Think of your relationships as a bowtie, with your personal connections as the ‘knot.’

Q & A With… - View Blog

Cheryl Foster, Director of Practice Growth at Brown Smith Wallace, LLP.

Consultants Corner - View Blog

What are the biggest challenges for firms moving to a remote office model, and how can they address them?

'New Normal' Accelerates Service Package Offerings as Firms, Clients Pivot - Visit Blog

Firms have pivoted quickly to step up packaged service offerings and value pricing to address clients' multiple needs.

Networking in a Virtual World - Visit Blog

COVID-19 thrust us into the virtual world last spring. But have we really mastered the nuances of virtual networking?

Aligning Marketing and Business Development Fuels Growth - Visit Blog

How ‘farming’ and ‘hunting’ work together.

Invisible Touch: Building Relationships in the Digital Age - Visit Blog

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, the sales cycle for CPA firms has been turned upside down.

Growth Outlook Stable but Marketing Budgets Rearranged - Visit Blog

While many businesses are struggling to adapt to the challenges presented by COVID-19, small and mid-size accounting firms are finding new opportunities.

Partner POV - Visit Blog

Heidi LaMarca, Managing Partner at Windham Brannon, LLC

Take 5 - Visit Blog

What successful new processes have you implemented during COVID-19?

Q & A With…

Adelaide Ness, owner and Chief Learning Officer of The Rainmaker Companies

Consultants’ Corner - Visit Blog

How have your consulting services evolved as a result of COVID-19, and what, if anything, has changed in the way you work with clients?

Is M&A Right for Your Firm? 

If you’re considering an M&A strategy, it’s key to develop a list of criteria that ties directly into your firm’s strategic plan.

Marketing's Vital Role in M&A

Marketing professionals and managing partners agree bringing marketers into the process as soon as a combination looks possible is key to helping move the deal forward.

Communicating During a Crisis

While many professional services marketers might feel better prepared in leveraging appropriate content, most feel unprepared and downright nervous when dealing with crisis communications.

Manage Retention in M&A

Employees may question their job security and feel uneasy knowing their benefits may change. Similarly, clients may fear changes in their service, relationships and fees. In some cases, these responses could result in losing the trust and devotion of the firm’s top employees and key clientele.

Use Content to Go Sky High

Digital and content marketing is one of the most efficient ways to showcase a firm’s expertise. Yet nearly half of firms are having difficulty generating enough content, in part because accountants traditionally focus more on billable hours instead of marketing activities.

Partner POV

Scharrell Talley Jackson: Principal/Chief Operations Officer at BPM, LLP

Q&A With...

Allan Koltin CPA, CEO of Koltin Consulting Group and co-author of CPA Firm Merger Strategies That Work

Take 5

How has COVID-19 changed you as a marketer?

Consultant's Corner

How do you candidly and compassionately communicate fee increases/extra billings after a crisis?

Pushing the Boundaries 

As firms incorporate diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, many are finding the program extends beyond gender.

Nuts and Bolts of Tactical DEI

Learn how three firms have creatively incorporated ethnicity, gender and age in their strategy to support and promote their firms.

Authenticity Key to Building Relations

During the past two decades, many firms have taken up the challenge of reaching out authentically to serve underserved business communities and they are eager to share the lessons they have learned along the way.

A Psychological Approach to Diversity and Inclusion

Diversity is not just about differences; it also refers to the similarities that connect individuals shape the way they process information. These characteristics, when embraced, can bring unique perspectives and ideas to any business, paving the way for innovation, adaptation and growth. But “diversity” and “inclusion” aren’t interchangeable in building your culture.

Partner POV

Abe Schlisselfeld is a tax partner and leader of the Real Estate Group at Marks Paneth, one of the 50 largest accounting firms in the U.S. He is a recognized thought leader on Qualified Opportunity Zones, often blogging on hot topics in real estate. Abe offered his insight in embracing marketing at Marks Paneth.

Mentoring Your Way to a More Inclusive Workplace

Workplace mentoring initiatives are perceived as “nice to have” or just “good for employee morale.” While both these perceptions are valid, the research clearly shows that mentorship is not just nice to have — it is a must have for employee retention, promoting diversity and inclusion, and overall business success.