Category Archives: Plans & Strategy

How to build your employer brand to attract the best team members

 You might be trying to hire for an existing role, expand your team due

What marketing budget does an accountancy firm need to spend?

As a percentage of sales, work towards the goal of your marketing spend being 3-10

5 things you can expect from a good marketing partner

 So you’ve found a few marketing agencies that specialise in your industry. Great! They’ll

keywords
How do I know what keywords are better for SEO?

 If you’ve started exploring a few SEO basics for your website, you’re beginning to

video marketing strategy
How can I build video into my marketing strategy?

Recording videos can feel intimidating. Your concerns about how you’ll be judged, or feeling as

marketing and operations
When marketing meets operations: an accountancy firm love story

Once upon a time, a marketing strategist and an operations lead were working in an

It’s time to unpack the stuffy accountant stereotype. Do you still believe in it?

 As a senior content writer who writes exclusively for accountants, I spend hours with

small marketing budget
How can I start attracting ideal clients for my accounting firm with a small marketing budget?

If you’ve recently started your accounting firm, you likely want to win some clients before

start creating your brand
What can I do to start creating my brand now?

You’ve recognised you’re not quite ready to make a financial investment in your brand. You

Is a rebrand worth the investment?

As an accountant, rebranding your firm is a big decision and you’re likely feeling a

marketing results
What marketing do I need to do to get results?

According to Mark W. Schaefer, it takes 30 months to start seeing results when doing

fire a client
What do I do when I want to fire a client?

You deserve to do work you love with clients you love. But sometimes, some clients

Client frustrations will happen: use your learnings to strengthen your firm’s marketing

  You’ve had an issue with a client. You’re both feeling annoyed and frustrated, and

15 ways you can incorporate selling into existing client relationships so selling is easier for them and for you

Selling feels like something which is primarily for new clients. You got the new client,

Can I rebrand without changing my firm’s name?

The short answer to this is YES, if the name fits your brand.  If you’re

How to build and use a client acceptance process so you only work with the best clients for you

You CAN choose who you work with. Whether you’re just starting out or you’re an

content, strategy, design
Your new website: why design doesn’t stand alone

When you’re building a new website (or having one built) for your accounting firm, it’s

golden ticket
How to win a FREE space in the Accelerator coaching group

  It’s time again for the free GOLDEN TICKET for our 12 week Accelerator coaching

The Golden Trio: strategy, content, and design

When it comes to design, you may have looked at a logo or a selection

When do I hire a salesperson? 

When you want to increase your revenue, or begin growing your business in a serious

How much time do I need to be spending on marketing?

You may have thought marketing wasn’t the best use of your time in the past,

What are some easy ways to get my team involved in marketing?
What are some easy ways to get my team involved in marketing?

Your accounting firm’s marketing will be the best it can be when your team is

Collaboration over delegation: How working together with an agency delivers better marketing

Marketing actions may seem like something you assign or delegate to someone else. Need a

Why is a long-term partnership better than on-demand marketing for my accounting firm?

You have big goals this year: maybe you want to bring in more profitable clients,

What does it mean to live out my brand?

As the leader of an accounting firm you are responsible for your brand. How you

How do I get my outsourcers all working towards the same goals
How do I get my outsourcers all working towards the same goals?

You’re outsourcing multiple areas such as marketing, social media and website management. You may even

What is the best timeline to launch my new brand?

You’re thrilled about your new brand and are ready to share it with the world.

How do I choose the best outsourced marketing option for my accounting firm?

When it comes to outsourced monthly marketing you have many options to choose from and

Planning and executing a team retreat which helps your business to be better

Team retreats are exactly that: a retreat from the daily work you do as a

How to run a values session with your team

Knowing what your firm’s values are, and applying and living them out, is so important

Why directors need to be involved in your firm’s marketing and how to include them from the start

The best marketing is audience focused, which comes from having a strong united brand. To

How to test your new great idea for your accounting firm

You started your own accounting firm because you have the entrepreneurial spirit. You’re agile. You

How to launch a new brand internally in your accounting firm

You’re busy going through a rebrand and you can’t wait to show it to the

How do I choose a tagline for my accountancy firm?

You’re working on your brand and you have a tagline you’ve thrown around for awhile,

Your accounting firm’s journey to a full marketing team

As a creative agency providing outsourced marketing services to accountants, you might expect the last

How can I start marketing NOW?

We like you because you’re ambitious. You are enthusiastic about marketing and you want to

https://wearepf.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/pexels-andre-taissin-6431388-scaled.jpg
Good marketing divides: your website, brand, marketing is not for you

Your marketing is not for you.  Your website, your emails, your social media posts, your

What to do when you lose a client
What to do when you lose a client (or multiple clients) and you want to cancel everything

It’s happened. That big client you knew was a major portion of your revenue, and

How do I launch a new service for my accounting firm
How do I launch a new service for my accounting firm?

Your accounting firm is launching a new service and you want to tell clients and

negative review online
How do I deal with someone leaving a negative review for my firm online?

Getting a negative review feels either frustrating or scary or both. I’m presuming the review

PF Marketing Tip Pricing
How to prepare your prospects so they’re not shocked by your prices

There’s a big old elephant in the marketing room and it’s called pricing. Pricing is

When is best to follow up a proposal
When is best to follow up from a proposal?

You had a call with a client you’d like to work with and it went

KLR notes block out day 12-12-20
Do I need to block out a full day at a time to get marketing done?

Right, you’re going to be serious now. You’re going to focus your energy and attention

get leads quick
What’s the quickest way to get leads for my accounting firm?

You want leads and you want them quick. That’s fair enough when you consider the

sand timer on wooden desk
Only got 10-30 minutes? Here are five quick marketing wins for when you’re short on time

Accountants, you are troopers. When things get busy, you put your head down and work

PF brand exhibition stand
How much does it cost to rebrand my accounting firm, and is it worth it?

You’re considering a rebrand for your accounting firm, which means there are a range of

goals
Do I need a business coach?

It’s an overused and over abused term “business coaching.” Time and again accountants put their

How to name your PDF guide so people actually want to read it

OK, so you need a “lead magnet”. One of those PDF guides like “10 ways

marketing analytics
What marketing numbers does your accounting firm need to track and why?

  There are a lot of marketing analytics out there, an infinite amount it seems.

KLR note Austin Kleon3 try sitting 16-05-20
Try sitting in the same place at the same time every day

The most significant change happens in small increments, day after day. Month after month, year

content, blogs, blog calendar, gsheets
How do I organise my content ideas so I know what to write, and when?

You may be writing more than usual at the moment, even if it’s just a

marketing analytics roi
The direct link between accountant content and better marketing numbers

Accountants are creating content like never before. Your three enemies to marketing – fear, perfection,

quickbooks cancelled
What do you do when your plans are changed for you?

This week (as you’ll know unless you were living under a rock or not using

brene brown rising strong book
6 ways to start (or continue) to learn marketing into 2020

This is a pre-emptive blog post. Right now most of you are head down in

I will not let the dark days (of winter) bring me down

It’s winter, and that means darkness. I live in Scotland, and in the summer it’s

greatest showman dont need everyone
You don’t need everyone to love you. Just a few good people

The Greatest Showman is one of my favourite films. It’s got catchy music, a great

What marketing can we automate, and what do we need to keep manual?
What marketing can we automate, and what do we need to keep manual?

You might remember a while back we wrote a blog about the onboarding process and

What do I do if a client relationship goes cold?
What do I do if a client relationship goes cold?

We’ve talked about what to do when communication goes cold after you send a proposal. 

choosing a niche
Is defining and implementing a niche something that needs to take a long time?

If having a niche makes you more profitable, you want to get to the new

Defend or dive deeper
Defend or dive deeper

When you identify something about yourself that’s different, something that tempts you to feel is

Is this a good enough niche? Does it need further refining?
Is this a good enough niche? Does it need further refining?

(C) Karen L Reyburn 2019 When you’re exploring niche options, you begin to do some

Onboarding: The machine with the human on top

Recently, I was talking to one of our accounting firms who has put a lot

Karens sketchnotes
“…I wanted to know the story those numbers were telling me.”

Last week my accountant said something that has stuck with me – and come back

When outsourcing your marketing doesn’t work
When outsourcing your marketing doesn’t work

Outsourcing – of anything – is often a yes-or-no situation. It either works, really really

The risk of niche: What if the work becomes boring?

One of the most common statements made to me by accountants is that they really

Google Analytics
Basic guide to Google Analytics reports for accountancy firms

Tracking your website traffic and engagement is going to give you an insight into how

How to start your marketing goal
How on earth do you get started with your new years’ marketing goals?

My personal goal for the year ahead is to seriously up my fitness, like most

For accounting firms our size, roughly what is their budget for marketing?
For accounting firms our size, roughly what is our budget for marketing?

Setting a marketing budget when you haven’t had one (or much of one at all)

Kinder Pocock tweet
Twitter post impressions: what are they and why do they matter?

One of the key metrics to track when it comes to your firm’s Twitter is

Referral programme
We are thinking of offering a referral programme to our clients. Seen this work anywhere else?

Several accountants have asked me about referral programmes lately. One client in Canada said, “We

Xerocon human at heart
Xero Award winners: pushing through the pain

Xero certainly know how to put on a show: Xerocon London was fantastic from start

9 people who serve accountants well
9 People who serve accountants well

There are so many people who work with accountants. Consultants, coaches, apps, communities…the options to

Deeper Weekend 2018

Wow! Deeper Weekend was amazing! Here’s a few sketchnotes from the sessions I loved!

Award winner
We’ve won an award! How do we shout about it without showing off?

So your accounting firm has only gone and won an award! You know there is

Quick, clear glimpse into the 12 elements of content marketing

Sometimes when you’re busy scribbling your notes down, you miss seeing the full picture, the

“It wasn’t until I actually did it – the sales and marketing - that I saw the benefit”
“It wasn’t until I actually did it – the sales and marketing – that I saw the benefit”

The most significant change I’m seeing accountants make is that of accepting that sales and

Book review: “The Digital Firm” by Will Farnell
Book review: “The Digital Firm” by Will Farnell

The three themes in this excellent book are ones I wish for every accountant to

We’re not actually different from other accountants
“We’re not actually different from other accountants”

So many accountants say “we’re different”. Many of them actually state it categorically on their

Win a free spot on the accelerator
WIN a free space on our marketing training course

Want to get to grips with your marketing? Keep intending to sign up for the

Freebies for clients and prospects
Is marketing only about attracting new clients? Or does it include onboarding and other processes?

I was talking to an accountant on Facebook recently, and we were arranging a call

Twitter stats
“Our Twitter numbers doubled, tripled, and even quadrupled when I focused on consistency”

Learning about marketing is all very well: but when do you get the results? When

The last thing I need in the world is another training course on marketing
The last thing I need in the world is another training course on marketing

One of the positives of all this focus on marketing-for-accountants lately is that there are

Progression model
How much do I give away? The Paddy and Manny story

A few weeks ago I was meeting with clients in Ireland, and we were talking

Accelerator bonus stuff UK
Will a marketing course actually help me do marketing for my accounting firm?

As an accountant, you’ve identified already that you do need to address your marketing. Of

PF_involving team
The step by step plan to get your team involved in marketing

Okay, you’ve started to address your team’s marketing concerns. You had one conversation or team

confidence to share content
Do you have the confidence to share your accounting firm’s marketing content?

Remember the time you moved out of your comfort zone and felt the fear? It’s

Now that I’ve found an awesome new name for my firm, how do I protect it?

You’ve been working on re-branding your firm or are in the process of branding for

Good things are worth waiting for
Good things are worth waiting for (and that includes prospects)

Great clients are worth waiting for. Great prospects are worth fighting for. But how long

Remote working at PF
Top 8 benefits of a remote working role

At PF we’re a virtual company with our team spread globally. We all tune in

Do you have a mentor for those big-picture issues?
Do you have a mentor for those big-picture issues?

This question is for you. Normally I’m answering your questions (following the ‘they ask you

lego followers
Do I want clients to come to my firm for accounts, or ‘advisory’?

This concept of separating “advisory services” from “accounting services” is one I’m not a fan

Social media plan
5 Things you need to have in your accountancy firm’s social media plan

“Those who fail to plan, plan to fail”, Benjamin Franklin once said. The same is

CMA live PF team
In company with some of the sharpest marketing minds around

As one of the Profitable Firm’s content writers, attending my first CMA Live was a

Marketing after GDPR for accountants
How does marketing work for my accounting firm after GDPR?

Well the GDPR date hit and the opt-in emails are starting to slow down. Phew!

I know my marketing funnel will start to dry up. I’ll start marketing then.

Is this you? “My challenge is that most of my business has come from referrals.

How can online and offline marketing be integrated to meet changing customer needs?

Online and offline…that’s the perfect combination. It’s absolutely right to focus on all the online

We don't know where in the world to start with social media for our accounting firm
We don’t know where in the world to start with social media for our accounting firm

You know social media is important in your accountancy firm, but you have no idea

What accounting firms are truly my competition? How do I compare against them?

Showcasing your differences as an accountancy firm so you win the business you want to

I’m paying for Google adwords every month. Is it worth it?
I’m paying for Google AdWords every month. Is it worth it?

For a while now you’ve been paying for Google AdWords for your accountancy firm, and

What exactly is a niche?
What exactly is a niche?

When I say that one of the most powerful ways to help your accountancy firm