Here’s something you don’t generally hear from a content agency…
When it comes to creating valuable, unique content for your accountancy firm, YOU (the accountant) are actually the expert. That might sound counter-intuitive, but let us explain and we think you’ll soon agree with us that the true parent of your content marketing is you.
As an agency, we fan the flames of your content ideas and help them to burn more brightly. And we can only do so because of your knowledge, insight and hands-on experience of working with your clients and their specific industries.
If that’s news to you, read on for the lowdown on why.
Engagement with your content marketing
A key misconception of outsourced content marketing is that you engage an agency, tell them what you want and then your involvement is over.
In essence, there are some accountants who simply don’t have the time or inclination to be engaged in the creation of the content.
But by being disengaged from your own content, you’re actually doing your marketing a great disservice, and limiting the impact it will have.
In fact, the truly critical element of any great business content is that the business owner (and/or their team) are directly involved in the creation process.
That’s something we pointed out in our recent blog post regarding the need for lead partners to nurture a true marketing mindset.
The vital role played by experience
The reason your input is so critical is that (when it comes to accountancy and business advice) YOU are the expert.
After all, that’s why your clients engage you to help them – because they believe you’re the firm with the best ability to manage their finances and strategy.
- You’ve trained exceptionally hard, over a number of years, to learn the technical elements and best practice of accountancy and business advice.
- You’ve worked with hundreds of different business owners and regularly call on that experience to help your current clients avoid the common pitfalls and move their businesses forward.
- You’re a problem solver and analytical thinker, who uses those skills every day to make sure business owners get the maximum return they can from their businesses.
- And (probably most importantly) you’re currently working with business owners who are facing pressing, topical issues right now – issues that require your ideas and experience.
So coming up with topics, themes and ideas for blogs, guides, and videos is something you should be great at, right? Look at all the raw material you have to work with.
Are you beginning to see why you’re the content expert?
Helping you deliver your content ideas
A common conversation we’ll have with a client will go along the lines of, ‘So, what should we write about? You tell me… you’re the content agency!’.
The real response to that question is ‘The person who knows most about what your clients will engage with, or need advice on, is actually YOU’.
We will, of course, tell you what’s topical in the industry (based on our work with other clients and the industry in general), and we’ll suggest topics that we know your firm has a niche interest in or that tie into your current campaigns and content plan.
Helping you find your voice, is also critical to what we do – getting to know your style, your tone and your personality and turning that into a language that your clients will understand.
We’ll also keep you at the cutting edge when it comes to using the best content mediums, the best design and the most effective use of channels such as social media, video and vlogging and mobile-friendly digital communication channels.
But really, our job is to help you focus and train your thinking to come up with the most valuable content possible – we’re the midwife, not the parent, as it were.
Making your content uniquely valuable
A big part of this ‘content delivery’ process is down to us asking you the right questions… and really listening to your answers.
It’s our job to suggest, to probe, to guide and to offer our own professional opinion as content creators. So we’ll focus on getting to the nitty gritty of your content aims, by asking:
- What industries or niches are you currently looking to grow and evolve?
- What are the big issues that clients in these sectors face in 2017?
- Are there regular accounting questions that clients ask again and again – and, if so, how could we help to answer them?
- What’s the most valuable advice you could give to your chosen audience when it comes to creating a profitable business?
- Tell me five ways a client could improve their cash flow.
- Do you want to raise your profile as a trusted adviser, or are you more interested in improving lead generation?
And so on… you get the idea.
By helping you focus in the right areas, what you’ll get is truly customised, tailored content that gives an utterly unique perspective on the business issues your clients face on a day-to-day basis.
After all, you don’t want to end up sounding exactly like the rest of your competition, do you?
Your firm is unique and so should your content be – and that’s where we add the real value, by helping you find your voice and get your ideas, stories and helpful advice out there in the world.
Remember, you’re the expert!
So always remember, you ARE the content expert when it comes to business advice.
Listen to your clients, note down the big hurdles they’re facing and the common client questions you get and turn that real-world experience into truly valuable content that helps your clients.
Let us help you guide your ideas into the best possible content and the most effective marketing – and remember that being engaged with your own digital marketing is what gives you the edge in this highly competitive market.
That’s what turns you into a really trusted adviser when it comes to content marketing.
It you’re looking to increase engagement with your firm’s marketing, there’s lots more helpful advice to be had on our Content Marketer online course.