digital marketing for accountants workshop feb 2014

Digital Marketing WorkshopAlex Tucker – Marketing Manager

Ady Harold – Client Support Manager

• Mastering the marketing plan• Email marketing best practice• Increasing enquiries and sales • Content marketing for busy people

Agenda

Mastering the marketing plan

Prepare an effective marketing plan in 7

pages

Session objective

Hang on a minuteTwo things to check first

Where the marketing plan fits

Marketing resource

Foundations - Planning the plan

● How do you want to be perceived?● What growth are you trying to achieve?● Where is new business coming from?● What type of clients do you want?

Goal setting

Market the things you

do well to people that

need your help

● What services do you currently offer?● Are your clients aware of all the help you offer?● Where do you have the most expertise?● How many new clients do you need for growth?● Will you need to recruit?

Current capabilities

Research

your clients

and prospects

The “what”Messaging and Tactics

Learn to express● What is unique about your practice?● What are you good at?● What do clients need you for?● Why do clients come to you? ● Why do they stay?

Creating the message

Common marketing tactics

Common marketing tactics

Measure everything (everything you can anyway)

Tell your stakeholders how you intend to measure your marketing

Simple measurements

● Campaign costs● Leads generated ● Resulting proposals● Win ratio● Long term client value● Set expectations● Review and improve

On average, professional services firms…● Turn 5% of web visitors into enquiries ● Convert 50% of leads into proposals● Win 30% of those proposals

Some benchmarks

Page 1 - SWOTPage 2 - Marketing goalsPage 3 - Current capabilitiesPage 4 - Marketing researchPage 5 - Messaging Page 6 - TacticsPage 7 - KPIs

Your 7 page marketing plan

Email marketingbest practice

Question

Is email marketing relevant in 2015?

Tale of the tape

• 2.9 billion user accounts• Used 122 billion times per hour• 3 x as many accounts as Facebook and twitter• Used 100 times more than search engines

Share of messages

But…

Attention spans are

So how can we get through?

Email campaign mechanics

Each element needs to give just enough value to take the prospect to the next step

● Open (subject, from details)● Read (content and design)● Click (call to action)● Convert (web)

How we disqualify email

How do we like to communicate?

B2B?

B2C?

Person to person?

Personalise

Segment and be relevant

Make lists

● By sector● By interest● By where you met ● By stage in the buying cycle

1 2Unidentified

needFelt painNo project

SHOPPING

3

1 2Unidentified

needFelt painNo project

SHOPPING

3Useful content Social proof Prove value

1 2 3About THEM

AboutOTHERS

About YOU

Useful content Social proof Prove valueMARKETING CONTENT

Test and improve

The A/B test

Subject lineFrom name/address

HTML vs TextDesign elementsCall to action

WINNER

A

B

Test and improve

ONE thing at a time

WINNER

A

B

Email best practice

● Be personal ○ from name/address ○ subject○ design

● Be relevant ○ content

● Use lists● Use tests (sparingly)

Putting it into practice

Increasing enquiries and sales

Session objectives

● Define sales goals from the web● 6 simple ways to increase conversion rates● Practical demonstration

How much?

● Start with £ sales● How many new clients do we need?● How many proposals?● what’s our conversion rate from visitor to lead?

Benchmarks

On average, professional service firms…

● Turn 5% of web visitors into leads ● Convert 50% of leads into proposals● Win 30% of those proposals

Things to remember

● We need ≥60 visitors for each new client● Visits ≠ Visitors● Visitors rarely convert on their first visit● You still need clients to visit your site● Your website doesn’t exist in a vacuum

Areas to focus

6 Simple ways to improve conversion

rates from your website

Areas to focus

#1 “About us”

Why bother?

● If somebody recommends you to a friend, this is where the friend goes to evaluate you

● Prospects can choose from thousands of accountants offering similar services

● Many firms use generic text, “about us” can be an easy place to differentiate your firm

What to do

● Above all be credible and approachable● Showcase your team and its talent● Show specialisms● Direct contact details (not mobile though)● Banish generic copy

Areas to focus

#2 Be mobile friendly

Why bother?

● ⅓ of web traffic is now mobile (UK)

● 90% of people switch between devices to accomplish a goal

● Just look around

What to do

● Have a responsive site or mobile version

● Don’t use images for phone numbers

● Don’t use images for email addresses

Areas to focus

#3 Build trust

Why bother?

● Clients put their livelihoods in the hands of a capable adviser

● They need to feel at ease or they will go somewhere else

● Prospects are less likely to get in touch with you if your website doesn’t create trust

What to do

● Accreditations of practice and practitioners● Membership bodies and regulation● Build trust visually ● Build trust through content

Areas to focus

#4 Social proof

Why bother?

● 92% of people trust word-of-mouth recommendation

● 63% say they are more likely to buy from a site with ratings or reviews

● People need to “belong”

What to do

● Show how many people you’ve helped● Use detailed case studies● Use named testimonials● Be authentic about social proof● Remember that social proof lives offsite too

Areas to focus

#5 Forms

Why bother?

● Forms turn anonymous visitors into sales leads

● They determine the level of qualification and information

What to do?

● Experiment○ more fields = more friction○ more friction = fewer leads

● BUT○ sometimes few leads = better win rate

Areas to focus

#6 Calls to action

Why bother?

● A call to action is the “conversion point”● Where the visitor makes their decision to

contact you or sign up for more info● The difference between conversion and exit

What to do

● Avoid using “submit”● And “click here” while we’re at it● Be specific ● Be positive● Tweak and test

Putting it into practice

Content marketingfor busy people

Session objectives

● Define “content marketing”● Illustrate the benefits of content marketing● Explore digital content types ● Demonstrate how to find the time● Real-life example

Definitions

“Content marketing is any marketing format that involves the creation and sharing of media and publishing of content in order to acquire customers.”

Wikipedia

“Content marketing is a pull, rather than a push, strategy. Content doesn’t interrupt, it attracts.”

Advertising Age

In case you’re not convinced

Social media sites and blogs reach 8 out of 10 of all web users and account for 23% of all time spent online. (CMI)

Blogs give websites 434% more indexed pages and 97% more indexed links. (Content+)

B2B companies with blogs generate 67% more leads per month on average than non-blogging firms. (Social Media B2B)

Definition

Attract (don’t sell)Show credibility Build relationshipsIncrease engagementHelp SEO efforts Drive leads and sales

No timeNot a great writerWorried people will steal contentNot sure what to talk about

why

you

sho

uld

why

you

sho

uld

Why you m

ight notW

hy you might not

Types of content

● Blogs● Social posts● Case studies● Whitepapers● Guides● Infographics● Emails

Things you’ll need

● Some research ○ (already have this from the marketing plan)

● A content plan○ (We’re already part way there)

● Good content○ (not that tricky)

● Platform ○ (We already have this)

● A way to measure success

Client/prospect persona

Your content isn’t for you

Questions to ask

● What motivates them?● What keeps them up at night?● Are they decision maker? Influencer?

Researcher?● How fluent are they?● What language do they speak?● Where do they look for information online?

Planning your content

Planning content

● What is the content?● Who is it for?● When will you produce it?● Where will you publish and share?● What’s the objective?● How will you measure?

Content platform

H.E.A.R.T Content

● Helpful● Entertaining● Authentic ● Relevant● Timely

Productivity trick

Powerpoint amnesty

Remember “mastering the marketing plan”?

PPT to PDF

PDF to blog post(s)

Then...

● Tweets ● Advertising ● LinkedIn posts● Google+● Emails ● PR (if it’s REALLY good)● Get creative

Thank you!Need some help?

Alex (Marketing) alex.tucker@practiceweb.co.ukAdy (Client Support) clientsupport@practiceweb.co.ukYour Account Manager darren.lewis@practiceweb.co.uk