The typical blog post process for an accountant

By now, most accountants have come round to the fact that you “should be blogging”.

You know the power of fresh content for your website.  The opportunity that blogging gives you to share via social media, and get your firm and your expertise out there.  The strength of words to showcase your expertise to the right kind of audience – and thereby get you more leads.

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But unfortunately, this is the typical blog post process for most accountants:

  1. Come up with great idea for blog post
  1. Write blog post (right away)
  1. Set it aside “to review”
  1. Look it over and decide it’s not quite right (1 week)
  1. Set it aside to make edits and changes
  1. Look at it again (1 month)
  1. Make a few edits. Decide to set it aside again just in case
  1. Look at it again, decide to go back to original idea
  1. Make further edits
  1. Become even more displeased with it
  1. Decide it’s out of date
  1. Never post blog.

Item 12 is the saddest one of all.

Because, most likely, your blog post was a brilliant idea.

The Distractor

Some of my best ideas come when I’m out for a walk. On a train. Talking to a client. Answering an email. And I think “That’s a great blog post idea!”

But a blog post idea that goes through stages 1-12 above is just that – an idea.

It’s not a blog post.

And if it never turns into a blog post, then it’s not only a waste of a perfectly good idea (and your time), it’s also a distractor.  It’s one of those hovering thoughts that sits at the back of your mind and says “I could have done this” or “By now we could have had…” and you’re distracted, not benefited, by it.

So, how do you move past item 12?

You change item 3 from “set it aside to review” to “post blog”.

Not perfect, but done.

Whether you do it yourself, or someone on your team, or your website team, that blog needs to go live.

Even if it’s not perfect.

Even though you’re not sure what people will think of it.

Even when you doubt that it’s a good idea, after all.

The more I talk and work with accountants, the more I’m amazed at your continual great ideas.  You’re always thinking of things you could do better for your clients. Ways you could improve the firm.  New blog post ideas.  Products you could sell.

But they hover and they distract and they never come to fruition, and then your mind tells you, “You’re not a very good marketer”.

Well, that’s a lie.

With the right kind of push, you’ll be an absolutely brilliant marketer.  Either on your own, or with a team or someone supporting you.

Start blogging.

So here are my quick tips for getting started with blogging:

Identify the top 3 issues that came up this week

  • Example: cloud accounting, auto enrolment, R&D tax credit

Pick the one you’re most interested in

  • Say for example, R&D tax credits

Identify what you would (or did) tell your client or prospect about it

Example: “One of our clients received over £17,000 with the R&D tax credit”

Turn that into a blog post title

Example: “How to use the R&D tax credit to access thousands in funding”

Jot down the bullet points

Example:

  • Why R&D is so amazing
  • Who’s eligible
  • What expenses are allowable
  • How to get this

Flesh out those bullet points by adding a little more

Example:

  • It’s amazing because you can access thousands of pounds you didn’t know were available to you
  • The key criteria are ‘innovation’ and ‘uncertainty’
  • Staff costs, subcontractors, consumable items
  • Talk to our R&D specialist or fill in this form and we’ll find out how much you could be eligible for

Finish writing it out and give it to your website team or your admin/marketing person or whoever has power over your website.

Make sure it’s posted – today. Tomorrow at the latest.

Share it with the world via social media.

Go back to point 1. Repeat cycle.

If you’re a Profitable Firm client, just send us those bullet points and we’ll write it, pick an image, tag & SEO it, and post it on your site. Job done.  That’s why we exist.

If you’re not, though, either become one (start here), or just follow those steps above.

And your blog post will actually see the light of day.