You did it! Congratulations, it’s the 1st of February!
The UK tax season is officially over.
We’d like to congratulate all our UK accounting firms on successfully making it past the 31st of January. Whether you barely scraped through, still have a few hundred tax returns to finish (for those latecomers who never did get their information to you), or sailed through with flying colours, eventually tax season has to finish.
So… Now what?
Our experience is that by about the second week in February, most of you are starting to stretch, look about, and think marketing. You’ve got some free time (by which we mean “an extra half hour in which you’re not panicking”), and perhaps you’re thinking about how you want things to go better next year.
Here are a few quick tips for making the most of February. I’ve even included a handy £££ scale to show you which ones require a little investment, and which ones don’t.
£0: Talk to the Profitable Firm.
Obviously. If you’re not sure what you need marketing-wise, start with this short online diagnostic. We’ll tell you where you might want to begin, and then you can take that advice and do whatever you like with it!
£0: Sign up for Karen’s Marketing Tips.
They get sent out every Friday, and they’ll keep you on track when it comes to marketing for your accountancy firm. Doesn’t cost a thing, you can always unsubscribe, we don’t pass on your data, blah blah blah….sign up already!! Here’s the link.
£0: Sign up for Xero.
We’ve mentioned it before, but Xero is just about the most popular online accounting tool out there. Your clients will love it – and so will you. Read more.
Or sign up here.
£0: Set up those social media accounts.
Just set them up! That doesn’t cost anything. Granted, if you’re going to start sharing content you might need some help, but many of our online marketing packages include that. We recommend Twitter, Facebook, Google Plus, and a company LinkedIn page to start. (And LinkedIn pages for all your team members.)
£: Start delivering webinars.
They’re still a great way to stay in touch with your clients and prospects, and the so-beautiful thing is, you don’t have to do a single thing. The firms on the Business Builder programme were delivering great webinars in December and January, while they and all their staff had their noses to the tax grindstone. Interestingly enough almost every firm had about double their normal attendees in January, too. What does that say? That their clients appreciated a little extra support in January, when many accountants are too swamped to take notice. Available from only £100 a month. Go for it.
££: Get that new website built this year.
Many of the accounting firms we’ve worked with last year were getting enquiries all throughout December and January – mostly from their website, email, or Twitter. If you get that new website built, and some SEO and content work done, you too can be in that place in 2015.
£££: Do it all. New website, SEO, blogging, video, webinars, and a re-brand.
Actually, you might be surprised. Sometimes deciding to do everything at once isn’t as impossibly expensive as you might think. For example, we include a 12-month action plan with every website we build. And if you sign up for a few things, we always throw in some extras free. Talk to us.
And have a great 2014!
(Next up: The American Tax Season)