ARTICLE EXCERPTED FROM FEBRUARY 2019

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Marketing Trends To Watch In 2019

Being a traditionalist just doesn’t work anymore. The profession is changing

too fast to continue with the same old skills and services, and marketers are well

positioned to drive that transformation.

So say IPA Publisher Michael Platt, two accounting firm marketers and

consultant Jennifer Wilson, of ConvergenceCoaching, in a January webinar

on leading change in 2019. They also discussed ‘what’s hot’ and ‘what’s not’

in accounting firm marketing.

Considering the impending retirement of baby boomer leaders, the rise of new

technologies and business models, and a range of other fast-moving trends,

Wilson, Platt and the other panelists discussed initiatives that reflect new ways

of approaching their work to ensure their organizations remain relevant and

competitive.

Indianapolis-based Katz Sapper

& Miller (FY17 net revenue of

$79.3 million) embarked on an

ambitious project to update the

firm’s vision, mission and values

– an exercise that helped drive a

new five-year growth strategy and

formed the basis for a deliberative

rebrand process that “wasn’t a

quick, fluffy exercise,” describes panelist and marketing director Jennifer

Moore during the Association for Accounting Marketing webinar.

The up-front work included creating a New Vision Formation Group of future

leaders, surveying employees and researching marketing trends. Moore says the

vision planning process led to increased support, helped firm professionals

better understand how the firm is different from others, and refined messages

on “how we talk about ourselves that resonates with others.”

February 2019 Vol. 33, No. 2

CULTURE

Intentional, Strategically Architected Culture Takes Center Stage 3

TRENDS

What’s Hot And What’s Not In Marketing 5

ASSOCIATIONS

BKR Leader Aims To Make Association Membership Even More Attractive 8

INSIGHTS

IPA’s Most Recommended Consultants Share Insights For 2019 9

BENCHMARKING

Benchmarking 101: Pricing Models 12

OVERHEARD

Take Aways From The 2019 Winning Is Everything Conference 13

TECHNOLOGY

Deloitte Report Explores AI, Other Technology 14

OTHER NEWS

Mergers 16 People 17 Firms 17

INSIDE PUBLIC ACCOUNTINGA publication of The Platt Group

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Moore says the strategic planning, and involvement of young

professionals, is well worth the investment of time. “Branding is not

a one and done thing.”

Platt predicts that 2019 is the year when firm culture will take center

stage and that marketers will play a pivotal role in defining, shaping,

nurturing, measuring and improving it.

Over the last decade, Platt says, firms have focused on increased

employee engagement while ignoring the bigger issue of how

culture can drive business results. While the formula appears elusive, research shows that tying culture

to results involves a three-pronged approach.

While employee engagement is important, their energies must be aligned with firm goals. The firm must

also be agile and adaptive to change, and the firm must be strategic about developing a culture that

supports implementation of the firm’s objectives. These, and other aspects of culture, can be measured

objectively and used as benchmarking tools.

Platt says firm marketers can take the lead by helping define culture that aligns with firm goals, creating

initiatives that develop culture, measuring progress and analyzing results. IPA is unveiling tools to help

firms do just that. Find out more online!

Karen Coviello, marketing director at East Brunswick, N.J.-based WilkinGuttenplan, (FY17 net

revenue of $17.8 million), believes developing emotional intelligence – or the awareness and expression

of emotions in an empathetic and judicious way – is becoming more and more important. Clients are

looking for an emotional connection.

“Customers are more engaged in learning about the stories behind

the brands,” Coviello says. “We have to figure out how to tell our

story in a compelling and interesting way.” Client testimonials,

images of young professionals in casual work settings, and

positioning accountants as good listeners and problem-solvers are a

few ways firms can create tighter connections with their customers.

“In the end it’s all about how well you’ve managed your

relationships. Embracing emotional intelligence will allow your brand to connect with clients and

prospects in a deeper, more authentic way.”

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Panelists Weigh In: What’s Hot, What’s Not In Accounting Marketing

E

Voice search / voice-enabled technology

Storytelling / brand story

Thinking like a CEO

Micro-influencers: brand advocates who have a deeply engaged, niche audience

Review marketing: online reviews are the new word of mouth

Content marketing personalization: connecting content and data

Targeted videos: advertise at moments that matter

Future-focused training and skills building (consultative, advisory)

Data-driven mindset: think outside of yourself and your biases, and instead, focus on what the

evidence says

Killing off sacred cows: letting go of long-held beliefs that may no longer serve the firm

Face to face in real life

Data! Data! Data!

Marketers repositioning firms to be advisory

Rebranding, retooling, retelling the story to be attractive to the NextGen

Using case studies to market

Live streaming for videos on social media

Aggressive pop-over, pop-under ads

Viral content strategies: content is created, users share it and it spreads

Click bait: consists of attention-grabbing headlines used for Web content to lure readers into clicking

on normally uninteresting content

Reliance on partners, senior managers for directing firm growth

Dependency on traditional service offerings

No internal communications strategy

Focus on charge hours only

Expecting the partner group to have all the answers

Operational silos

Treating all clients like “A” clients

Too much focus on customer relationship management

Generalized content

History, legacy, tradition: people want to feel like their providers are fresh and new

Traditionalists blocking progress or pushing for a mile-wide, inch-deep, tactics-only approach

Technical, compliance-based learning IPA

WHAT’S HOT AND WHAT’S NOT

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