The Accountant Marketer Book Launch event is coming!ㅤ Join us in London on 19 October
Elaine Reid
September 22, 2023
You might be trying to hire for an existing role, expand your team due to rapid growth or maybe you’re a one man band with plans to build a team. Across the industry accounting firms are dealing with the challenge of attracting (and retaining) top talent. Whatever your situation, if you’re planning to hire
The PF team
September 4, 2023
For many of us, summer brings a quieter few months in business. Lots of your clients go on holiday or simply take the opportunity to slow down a little after a busy first 6 months of the year. When it comes to marketing, slowing down or stopping altogether means it’s easy to quickly lose momentum
Karen Reyburn
August 25, 2023
As a percentage of sales, work towards the goal of your marketing spend being 3-10 percent of your firm’s annual sales, every year. Whether you have a large or small firm, that number can feel “too big” at first, when you consider it purely in terms of the pounds or dollars you’re investing. And if
Ashlea McElhone
July 28, 2023
So you’ve found a few marketing agencies that specialise in your industry. Great! They’ll know most of the jargon and be familiar with the apps you use. They’ll have had experience helping other accountants with similar problems in the past. But is that enough? You know you deserve a good marketing partner. How do
July 5, 2023
June’s PF marketing update brings an enjoyable and brilliant day in London at Lab Live, pre orders of the The Accountant Marketer (which are now open) and another group of creative accountants graduated from Accelerator! WOOP! PF Lab LIVE in London! It was a joy to spend the day at Lab Live with some
Kendall Hoover
June 30, 2023
If you’ve started exploring a few SEO basics for your website, you’re beginning to choose keywords for blog posts and landing pages. You might be using the Yoast SEO plugin for WordPress, or filling in meta tags on your website. Any keyword you choose is going to help you focus your content and communicate
Amy Reid
June 16, 2023
Recording videos can feel intimidating. Your concerns about how you’ll be judged, or feeling as if you don’t have anything interesting or new to say, can hold you back. Planning and organising every element of your video will alleviate your anxiety about what to say, and will help you be more confident in creating a
Camilla Duggan
June 2, 2023
It’s not a woke thing. It’s a welcome-all-folk thing. This blog is not about the greater work of workplace equity and diversity. Stephi, one of our Client Marketing Managers, has already written an excellent resource on how to build a multicultural team within your accounting firm. And you can apply each of the 3 actionable
Stephanie Coward
May 19, 2023
As a business owner running an accounting firm, your time is valuable. You want to spend it in the best way for your clients, your team and yourself. One way to maximise your time is to create marketing content which reaches and educates more of the clients you do your best work for and love
May 8, 2023
April’s PF marketing update brings the accounting world season of awards. It’s been brilliant to see some of our clients among those being recognised, here you’ll find some help on how to share your amazing achievement in your marketing! We too have had some celebrations at PF over the last few months, with three of
Alice Butler
May 5, 2023
Once upon a time, a marketing strategist and an operations lead were working in an accountancy firm. These two people represented divisions which were very different from one another, and yet they shared a common goal: to make the company profitable. Marketing was like a proud peacock, always strutting around and attracting attention with its
Erin Norris
April 21, 2023
As a senior content writer who writes exclusively for accountants, I spend hours with our clients mapping out engaging content. It’s in these conversations they regularly share they’re often concerned about what people think of their career. More specifically, the fact they’re an accountant must mean they’re dull, boring individuals. A quick Google brings
Stephanie Gonzalez
March 21, 2023
If you’ve recently started your accounting firm, you likely want to win some clients before committing to a marketing budget. Or maybe you’ve been running your firm for years and have dipped in and out of marketing, but are yet to set a proper marketing budget. Either way, you recognise you need some sort of
March 10, 2023
You’ve recognised you’re not quite ready to make a financial investment in your brand. You might not have the budget yet or maybe it feels too early in your business journey to make a £10k+ investment. Your current brand may not look and feel the way you imagined it. But make no mistake: you do
March 9, 2023
When you’re planning social media posts, knowing the guidelines and limits by social media platform help you immensely in knowing what you can share, and how you can help more people see it All social platforms are different – LinkedIn has a maximum of 10 minutes for an uploaded video, and landscape format works best.
March 2, 2023
In this PF marketing update, we share why we choose everyday to work with accountants, our plans for PF’s March team retreat and details of upcoming coaching and training sessions we’re running (all of which you can choose to come to!). As you’re reading through, have a think about the choices you’ve made for your
February 28, 2023
First, can we all agree that “chatGPT” does not exactly roll off the tongue. This hasn’t been cleverly crafted (by marketers!) to impress as a name – it’s a thing which has become a thing at faster speeds than anything else. It got to one million users in five days (a feat which took Netflix
Katie Stouffer
February 24, 2023
As an accountant, rebranding your firm is a big decision and you’re likely feeling a mix of excitement and nervousness. Excitement comes from recognising how a rebrand will connect you to the very best clients, set you apart from other firms and reflect authentically who you are, making both prospect and client sales easier and
February 10, 2023
According to Mark W. Schaefer, it takes 30 months to start seeing results when doing content marketing. Most businesses who start the content marketing journey give up after six months to a year. The ones who stick to it are those who are seeing results – they have more engagement on social media, more website
February 1, 2023
You’ve hired a marketing manager for your accounting firm. Exciting! Now it’s time to help them successfully market your firm. Although I stayed in a marketing role when I joined PF, it was a change of industry for me and I saw first hand the differences that exist in marketing different industries. Both myself
January 13, 2023
You deserve to do work you love with clients you love. But sometimes, some clients are a real pain in the neck. They don’t reply when you send things. Or they are rude to your team. They go against your suggestions and then expect you to clean up the mess. Or they don’t send documents
December 20, 2022
Whew! It’s hard to believe 2022 has come to an end. There’s so much we’re grateful for at PF this year and so many highlights from 2022. We could share about our new team members, how many Accelerator graduates we’ve had this year, or the fact we had our first in-person retreat in years (!!!).
December 16, 2022
You’ve had an issue with a client. You’re both feeling annoyed and frustrated, and you may also feel unsure how to move forward. This could have been down to a simple miscommunication, or an error in a service you delivered to them. You might feel like tearing your hair out because what you’re saying
December 9, 2022
A case study is a powerful way to prove to your ideal clients you have the skills to solve their problems. When you share case studies on your website, on social media, in prospect calls and follow-up emails, your ideal clients get to live vicariously through the experience of someone who was once where they
November 25, 2022
Email marketing is not dead. Let’s get that out there straight away. Email helps you stay connected with your clients, build relationships and trust with prospects and move those ideal clients through your buyer cycle faster. There’s a big difference between email marketing and good email marketing – and if you have an inbox of
November 21, 2022
When you sign up for the next Accelerator coaching group by 31st January 2023, you get FREE BONUS STUFF included with your space! Hooray! As an accountant and business owner, you likely have some knowledge of marketing. You occasionally post on social media, have written a few blog posts, or maybe you update your website
November 18, 2022
Selling feels like something which is primarily for new clients. You got the new client, check! Proposal signed, payment authorisation confirmed, and they’re off to onboarding. The team will take care of them from there, and you’re on to the next prospect call. Except the selling doesn’t (and must not) end when a client signs
November 4, 2022
Try this exercise with me. Close your eyes and picture a color that makes you feel peaceful. Take a deep breath breathing in that color. As you exhale slowly breathe out any other colors. The PF team tried this exercise just a few weeks ago at our in person team retreat. After the exercise we
November 1, 2022
Grab yourself your cosy beverage of choice and have a read through the highlights of PF marketing from October! Meet the newest PF team members! Alice and Henny have joined the team as Operations Director (a brand new role!) and as Assistant Content Writer! You’ll see both in Accelerator, Lab sessions and at times, in
October 28, 2022
When it comes to choosing which social media platform to use for your accounting firm, the options can feel pretty overwhelming. Each platform has its own features, algorithms, styles and there’s different ways to get the most out of each one. Combine that with the constant updates and new features being added, you can end
October 21, 2022
The short answer to this is YES, if the name fits your brand. If you’re considering a rebrand you likely already understand why branding is important for accountants. It goes far deeper than the name, logo and visual identity of your firm. It’s the overall impression that you leave with clients and prospects. Whether it’s
October 14, 2022
You CAN choose who you work with. Whether you’re just starting out or you’re an established firm, many of us feel like we need to take on every prospect who walks through our door. You can be selective about who you take on as clients. And you need to be. If you don’t, you’ll end
October 13, 2022
This blog is an extract of an interview Karen did with in collaboration with Bethanie from Unleashed Software as part of a series of webinars on Marketing for Accountants. “Advisory” services: What are they? Who needs them? And how in the world do you market them? When you’re considering building up your marketing strategy
PF team
October 7, 2022
When you’re building a new website (or having one built) for your accounting firm, it’s tempting to simply think you need a “fresh, modern new website”. Something that’s clean, with lots of white space, isn’t too embarrassing (perhaps like your current site), and has some big colourful buttons that your prospects can click to enquire
October 4, 2022
September was a big month for our team. We spent one full week out of the (virtual) office at a beautiful farmhouse in Scotland. All 18 of us from 6 different countries! This month’s PF Marketing round up shares the impact the retreat has had on our team and our clients and details on
September 30, 2022
If you’re asking what colors are right for your brand, good work! You’re asking the right questions. You know enough about brand to know that your colors matter. You know that when you scroll down the soft drink aisle looking for Coke – you aren’t looking for that scripted logo – you’re looking for that
September 23, 2022
“Being a business for good, is good for business.” The world is facing difficult challenges today and it can be tough to know where to even begin helping. As accountants you have the opportunity to make a massive impact because of the daily interactions you have with so many individuals and businesses. I’ve been mulling
September 14, 2022
Watch this 7min 32 secs tutorial video including examples from accountants who are posting content which truly reflects them and their firm: Here’s how it goes a lot of the time when it comes to accountants posting on social media: You grab a spare 10 minutes while you’re waiting for your coffee to brew and
September 2, 2022
Neurological studies have shown when you read or hear a story, your entire brain lights up. You experience the story as if you are living it. Here’s a little story from my weekend to get your neurons firing. On Monday I came back from a long bank holiday on the south coast of England. My
September 1, 2022
It’s time again for the free GOLDEN TICKET for our 12 week Accelerator coaching group. The Accelerator is your place to start. Don’t be deceived though: just because it’s a starting point doesn’t mean it’s basic, or simple. The accountants who join the group are placing themselves at the starting point, but you’re all
August 31, 2022
New team members, new challenges, new Accelerator coaching group and new weekly resources…there’s a lot of exciting PF marketing continuing on into September. You can read more details of the 100 day challenge and the next Accelerator group by scrolling down. Both have been crafted to help you to focus on creating content your prospects
August 26, 2022
Your website is your marketing hub, the centre of who you are. It belongs only to you. Social media platforms change often, or you could lose access, or their algorithms change and your brilliant posts aren’t seen. Videos are posted on different platforms; email systems and practice management systems change. Your website is yours: the
Chryzia Coz
August 19, 2022
Your prospects and those visiting your website not only want to know what your firm is like, and what services they might need, but who the real humans are they will be working with. Taking and sharing real photographs of your team helps your ideal clients and prospects build connection and feel like they know
August 12, 2022
Branding shows off your accounting firm’s personality. If you were choosing between two businesses, one with a clear professional brand and one that hasn’t put the time and effort into showing who they are, it’s pretty clear which one you’d pick. Branding shows clients what they can expect from working with you. It’s one of
August 5, 2022
I’m writing this fresh from my very first Xerocon! What an amazing few days myself (Steph), Camilla, Elaine and Karen had meeting up with clients, building new connections, listening to impactful speakers and soaking up the incredible accounting community. You can scroll down a little to see proof of how much we enjoyed ourselves! This
July 1, 2022
You’re feeling the overwhelm of trying to do “all the things” when it comes to your marketing strategy: blogs, social media, SEO work, industry events, and that’s all on top of your mountain of responsibilities as an accountant and business owner. You’re looking for something to take off your plate, and you’re wondering if email
June 30, 2022
June has been an exciting and busy month for us at PF! Two new team members joined our team, we’ve got plans underway for Xerocon next month and we’ve onboarded a new Accelerator group (you can read how they’re getting on below!). Our team have also enjoyed some #restpillar this month with both Steph
June 24, 2022
Engagement goes beyond simply posting things on social. It means interacting with the people you’re trying to reach with your social media posts. Engaging includes commenting, liking, and exchanging direct messages. This is one of the most important things you can be doing to succeed on these platforms. Social media is called “social” for a
June 17, 2022
When it comes to design, you may have looked at a logo or a selection of images and thought (or even said) “I’m an accountant, not a designer. You’re the designers: you tell me what looks good.” You trained and qualified as an accountant, you learned the accounting rules, you built your accounting firm. You
June 10, 2022
When you want to increase your revenue, or begin growing your business in a serious way, you wonder if hiring a salesperson will solve this problem. There are various reasons hiring a salesperson feels like a solution to the problems (or opportunities) you face. Maybe you find selling difficult (or even hate selling). Maybe sales
June 3, 2022
You are busy. You are trying to do all the things. You’re doing some marketing, but you have no idea if the lead you got last week is from social media or a blog post you wrote. Are the many hours you’ve put into creating the perfect Instagram platform even working? Your time is
May 27, 2022
The purpose of an About page is to show potential clients 1) you understand them and know who they are 2) the real people they’ll be interacting with when they choose you as their accountant. Traditionally speaking, About pages of websites have been filled with accolades of accountants who have 20 letters behind their name-
May 20, 2022
Sure, sure, social media is good for marketing. It helps you build connections and show the human side of you and your firm. But as an accountant do you REALLY have to use social media for your accounting firm? We’ve worked with accountants who swore they “hated” social media. We’ve had clients who were afraid
May 13, 2022
You may have thought marketing wasn’t the best use of your time in the past, but you’ve now recognised marketing is an integral part of your firm’s development. But how much time do you need to be spending on it? The time you spend on marketing will mostly depend on where you are in your
May 6, 2022
Your accounting firm’s marketing will be the best it can be when your team is involved. Your clients and prospects need to see you, as the owner, are not the only person in the firm. There’s a team behind you who supports you and they are as much part of your firm, your brand and
April 30, 2022
We got asked last week: how much time we thought was spent on the planning of a video vs. actually recording it. Our first instinct was to say 70:30. 70% planning the video and 30% actually recording it. When you plan for a marketing action (recording a video, posting on social media, drafting a blog
April 29, 2022
You’ve produced a first draft of something you know is going to be helpful for your audience. You’ve answered a question you get asked a lot, or written notes about how your firm solves a problem you know your ideal clients are struggling to solve on their own. Now you need to choose where
April 22, 2022
You know you are the bottleneck in your accounting firm, and it’s time to scale to solve the problem. You desperately need a vacation, but you can’t seem to pull yourself away. The hamster wheel keeps spinning and you continue to run. When you take an afternoon off your phone is blowing up and the
April 15, 2022
Your cornerstone asset is a visual summary which explains how you do things in your firm. It sits at the heart of who you are and how you do your work and it needs to be crafted for your specific audience. It is different from any other piece of content (and other visual assets you
April 8, 2022
Marketing actions may seem like something you assign or delegate to someone else. Need a new website built? Hire a website designer, have a meeting or two, and let them get on with it. (They’re the designers, after all: they know what to do.) Need a PDF guide? Come up with a title and ask
PF Team
April 1, 2022
You have big goals this year: maybe you want to bring in more profitable clients, or grow your team with people who live your values, or spend less time in the office and more with the people who are important to you in life. Whatever your goals, they’re all connected to your marketing, and you’re
March 28, 2022
In preparation for our team retreat this week the whole PF team, and some clients, have been reading ‘Atomic Habits’ by James Clear. The book intends to help you “design habits that work for you rather than against you.” We’ll be sharing more of our learnings from the book after our retreat, and how
March 25, 2022
As the leader of an accounting firm you are responsible for your brand. How you and your team feel about the brand is a reflection of you and the way you set expectations. For yourself, your team and your clients. With your brand you make a promise to your clients. To deliver a service in
March 18, 2022
You’re outsourcing multiple areas such as marketing, social media and website management. You may even have a business coach. You’re outsourcing to keep you focused, get more done in a shorter amount of time, get help in the areas you lack skills and be supported in your journey towards your goals. But what if your
March 4, 2022
You’re thrilled about your new brand and are ready to share it with the world. You’ve put so much work into this new brand – determining your values, recognizing your tone of voice, identifying the clients you want to speak to and the ones you don’t… It’s finally time to show off all that work!
February 28, 2022
Conversations. You have them every single day. With clients, with family, with friends, with your team, with yourself (yep, those thoughts in your head count!) We’ve been working on and paying attention to the language we use in conversations: how to ask better and more curious questions, how to really listen to what our
February 25, 2022
When it comes to outsourced monthly marketing you have many options to choose from and it can feel overwhelming. Marketing may be getting pushed down your priority list because you have no idea where to begin or how to keep consistent content going out that is right for your firm and your ideal clients. Price
February 18, 2022
Team retreats are exactly that: a retreat from the daily work you do as a team. We might think of them as a retreat from life and the world, the whole team staying in a remote cabin in the wilderness, playing paintball games in the woods and doing trust falls. Or a few people gathered
February 11, 2022
Knowing what your firm’s values are, and applying and living them out, is so important for your company culture. These are what help you be successful and strong: and once you have them, you have to live by them throughout your firm’s journey. Your values are your guide for every decision you’ll make for your
February 4, 2022
Having your own client community helps you to build trust, relationships, friendships and gives you an opportunity to show your value, encourage conversation and help your clients get inspired by each other and your team. Although your firm will be what connects your community, the focus needs to be on your clients and
January 31, 2022
January always feels like a strange month… and the start of 2022 is no different. It brings a real mix of emotions with it. On the one hand it feels good to be back in the routine of work and daily life after a couple of weeks of never knowing what day or time it
January 28, 2022
The best marketing is audience focused, which comes from having a strong united brand. To have a strong united brand, everybody in your firm needs to be involved in the marketing to a degree, but it starts with the directors and founders. This concentric circles visual below helps you see where and how to involve
January 21, 2022
Our attention spans are shorter than ever. When it comes to design, a quickly put together brochure or a mediocre website no longer grabs our attention. There is so much media for us to consume on a daily basis and we can only take in a fraction of what we see. You need to be
January 14, 2022
Good marketing isn’t about getting more leads. Even if you think you want more leads, often what you really want is less hassle and trouble on the marketing front. You’d like that beautiful drip feed of the best kind of clients who don’t need six emails, four meetings, two videos, and three revised quotes to make
December 23, 2021
You have pushed through some really tough things this year and are feeling ready to be completely “off off”. You need the rest. And it’s time to enjoy it. You’ve shown up day after day, week after week for your clients and spent another year guiding them through really difficult times. For that we are so
December 17, 2021
You started your own accounting firm because you have the entrepreneurial spirit. You’re agile. You continually think creatively about ways to grow, expand and bring more revenue into the business. When you get to the point of an entirely new service line, a new brand, a new niche, or something BIG, you get excited. Whether
December 10, 2021
You’re busy going through a rebrand and you can’t wait to show it to the world. Before you do so, the first people who need to experience your new brand are your team. They’re the ones who will be living out your brand day to day so they need to understand it and see how
December 3, 2021
You know what it’s like when you really connect with a piece of content. You’re engaged with a blog, you’re hanging on every word of a podcast, you’re frantically retweeting a relatable tweet. You’ve found the answer to your question and it just clicks. A shared knowledge bomb, idea or opinion unlocks your struggle in
November 30, 2021
I’m writing this while sipping my first festive coffee of the season… a Caramel Waffle Latte. Delicious. This month was Thanksgiving for our clients and team members in the USA and with Christmas fast approaching (only 25 days to go!), we felt this was a good month to reflect on and share what it is
November 26, 2021
You’re working on your brand and you have a tagline you’ve thrown around for awhile, or a member of the PF team throws out an idea and you’re wondering – do I need a tagline? How could I use it? Will it make marketing easier? And, most importantly, how do I come up with a
November 19, 2021
As an accountant, you care about the numbers and so naturally that’s where your focus is. When it comes to outsourcing your social media, you want to know how much it’s going to cost and how it’s worth it for your firm. As a business owner, you recognise the importance of social media in connecting
November 12, 2021
Having a friend design your logo feels like a savvy decision when you’re just starting out on your business journey. We’ve had many accountants come to us with the same story: they were overwhelmed with all the steps involved in getting a business off the ground when their lovely friend came along and offered to
November 5, 2021
One of the most important things for an accounting firm is your brand (you can read more about why in Katie’s article here). Your brand is the identity of your accounting firm: it is how you communicate who you are, how you speak, how your firm looks. Your brand is the whole experience, and it
October 29, 2021
For those of you who attended Thriveal’s Deeper Weekend last week, you’ll have listened to Kendall’s talk about why goals matter so much for your marketing. The message Kendall shared is a really powerful one for all accountants to listen to and so we’ve turned it into this week’s marketing tip! There’s also a video
Award ceremonies, conferences and in our case, a PF Scottish contingent brunch in Edinburgh… this month events were firmly back in the calendar! We were so proud to see our clients Jonathan and his team at Raedan win ‘Small Firm of the Year’ and Karen Kennedy’s firm, Kennedy Accountancy, be shortlisted for ‘New Firm of
October 22, 2021
As an accountant, you are used to looking at the numbers. That’s what you’re best at and it’s why your clients trust you the way you do: you help them with and advise them on their numbers so they build the best businesses for them. When it comes to marketing you’re also looking
October 14, 2021
When people visit your website, read your blogs and see your social posts, they get an impression of the personality of your firm and of the people within it. This impression is formed in part by the visual elements of your brand – your logo, design, images, colours. And it is also influenced by
October 8, 2021
Recognising the responsibility you hold for your accounting firm’s marketing is one thing. Starting to create content, or be more involved in it, is another. Team involvement is a whole different question. How much do your team members really want to be involved in marketing, anyway? After all, they’ve been hired as an accountant, or a
October 1, 2021
Creating your own branded social media posts is one of the many ways you can contribute to your marketing quickly and effectively. We love it when accountants are looking for ways to involve yourself in your own marketing! The more brand consistency you have across your posts, the quicker you build trust with your audience
September 30, 2021
September’s monthly update introduction looks slightly different than usual. Here’s a video from Steph sharing why that’s the case and a reminder of what this monthly update is and why we share it as an email each month (if you’d like to receive our monthly update as an email, you can sign up here). Enjoy
September 24, 2021
There could be a number of reasons you’re considering putting marketing on pause. You might be feeling a little out of control due to the loss of a big client (or several clients), feeling like there’s other areas of the business you need to focus on. Maybe you think you already have too many clients
September 17, 2021
When you get a logo designed, you are ready and waiting for it to AMAZE you. You’ve done the brand strategy work…if you’re working with PF you’ve gone through Accelerator and learned about brand and values and audience and messaging…you are excited and it’s going to be the best ever!! …but what happens if it’s
September 10, 2021
You’ve got enough work. You don’t really need any more clients right now, and in fact you’re pretty overwhelmed dealing with the ones you have. You’ve got *plenty* of business. So how is marketing going to help you? Isn’t the purpose of marketing to bring you new leads? That feels like the *last* thing you
September 3, 2021
Especially within the past 6 months or so, accountants are looking for your people. Employees who love what they do, are good accountants, and will help you serve your clients as you grow. Because you are busier than you’ve ever been. Throughout the global crisis, businesses have recognized more than ever they need a good
August 27, 2021
You’ve seen what original content marketing has done for other accountancy firms. Maybe it was a viral post on LinkedIn, or a YouTube video with tens of thousands of views. You’ve even heard the statistic that 70% of a buying decision is made online before a prospect gets in touch, so you know how important
August 20, 2021
Multiculturalism can help you find a balance during volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) times that require your accounting firm to be adaptable. You can adapt to this fast environment by looking at the team around you and taking advantage of our connected world. VUCA times can be overwhelming and stressful when it comes to
August 13, 2021
Hiring a new team member for your accounting firm who then doesn’t work out can feel like a very heavy weight. You’re frustrated and disappointed at the time you’ve wasted. You likely feel deflated, discouraged and nervous about the lasting impact this could have on you, your firm and your team. And it affects future
August 6, 2021
You’ve just finished completing a project for a client and you are ready for a case study! Rather than telling your potential customers how great you are, a case study will allow your clients to do the talking. Video case studies are a powerful marketing tool. They offer proof and reassurance to your audience that
August 3, 2021
The very best video coach is you, recording a video, every day, over and over. The best initial writing training course is you, writing, every day, over and over. The best way to learn social media is by posting on different social platforms, every day, over and over. As much as reading books, watching videos,
July 30, 2021
As I type into google “the best sleeping bag for summer/autumn in the UK” I’m reminded just how impactful Marcus Sheridan’s big 5 blog categories are, and why we suggest accountants prioritise them when they’re writing blogs and creating videos. We live in a world now where it’s second nature to go to Google to
July 22, 2021
There are only so many hours in the day and as much as you might want to, you don’t have to say yes to everyone, right away. The thought of starting a waiting list can be really daunting but one of the best things you could do for your accounting firm. Considering a waiting list
Content marketing means giving actual, real help to people in different forms of content – blogs, videos, guides, resources. And the best content marketing gives away as much information as you possibly can. They already know they have a problem, or an issue: that’s why they’re looking for help from an accountant. Sharing helpful content, helpful
July 16, 2021
As a creative agency providing outsourced marketing services to accountants, you might expect the last thing we’d suggest you do is hire a marketing person or marketing team. Actually, that’s exactly what we want you to do. No matter how much an outsourced agency can help you, there’s no substitute for someone (or a group
July 10, 2021
As we keep hearing about being “real” and “authentic” in marketing, and being “more human” in the content we create and share, we have to have the swearing conversation.
July 9, 2021
You know who you want to work with and you’ve built your website to reflect that, so you attract only the best clients for you. But what if your website turns away people who think their business is too small or too big, but actually could end up being a perfect client for you? Recently,
July 2, 2021
It’s easy to be turned off by LinkedIn. With all the professional jargon, random DMs and connection requests and perfectly posed images, it can quickly feel like there’s no value in the platform at all. Like everyone is fake and trying to sell something. As an accountant who cares deeply about your clients, the last
June 26, 2021
As we read No Rules Rules, or watch a business documentary, or consider applicants who want to work with PF, or think about the changes we will or won’t make: we need to be the sword of Gryffindor. We take in that which makes us stronger.
June 25, 2021
We like you because you’re ambitious. You are enthusiastic about marketing and you want to do more NOW. Your enthusiasm is an asset – a business opportunity that you can make use of. Marketing when you’re excited about it gets the results you want, so let’s get you going now. You get out what you
June 23, 2021
You’ve read through some of our content, watched a few videos, looked through this very website. You are READY TO GO. You want to start marketing, you want your marketing done and you want it done now! No more delays! Hooray!….oh wait. Now why in the world would we ask you to wait, when you
June 18, 2021
You have a client testimonial and you know that using your client’s words in your marketing is one of the most powerful pieces of content you can create. Because your client’s stories are marketing gold dust. And by that I mean the words and phrases your clients use to explain their experience of working with
June 11, 2021
As accountants, you are natural planners and enjoy finding clarity in financial chaos. When it comes to marketing, the similar approach of finding clarity from creative chaos applies.In marketing you get to embrace your creative side. You get to experiment and try things until you find what works. For accountants, creativity can cause a sense
May 28, 2021
I want to let you in on a little secret. Everybody’s first draft of anything is (at least) a little bad. But in this instance, bad is good. Because, the first draft of your blog only serves one purpose – to exist. As famous Author Jodi Picault says: “You can always edit a bad page.
May 27, 2021
Your marketing is not for you. Your website, your emails, your social media posts, your team, your systems: none of them are for you. They all exist, as does your accounting firm, for the people and businesses you serve. Everything you do in marketing will come back to this. Building a website? Make sure you’re
May 22, 2021
When you fail. When something goes wrong. When the conversation was difficult, or the client left, or got angry at you. When the applicant or team member didn’t work out. When you screwed up, when it broke, when you missed the deadline. When someone complains, or is upset, or doesn’t understand. There are two questions
May 21, 2021
You’ve heard about the power of branding and as an accountant you want things done right from the start. You want the right logo, colours, style, and an amazing website. You want to impress people and you know brand is part of that. But in the first few months of business, with a whole lot
May 15, 2021
Whenever I travel anywhere, whether it’s for a day or a weekend or a week or longer, I always have ONE THING that I for sure want to do. Just one thing that matters the most, and if i do that, it doesn’t matter if I achieve anything else.
May 14, 2021
Technology has made it possible for anyone to shoot and edit videos. Even accountants who aren’t familiar or comfortable with video can make any video look more professional and appealing through basic video editing. Simply resizing, trimming and combining clips, as well as using filters and transitions can significantly improve the quality of your videos.
May 7, 2021
It’s happened. That big client you knew was a major portion of your revenue, and possibly a big risk to take on, has left. Or cancelled. Or gone out of business. Or, you’ve lost several clients all at one time – and most likely, as far as you can tell it’s not from anything you
April 30, 2021
Getting a new website built is a big investment. While there are plenty of free DIY platforms to build a site on, and lots of free image libraries, you still need the words, too. When it comes to website copy, there’s far more to it than simply words. Doing it yourself may seem like the
April 28, 2021
2020 was one of the most uncertain years in history and the world is now a different place because of it. And yet through it all we saw something remain the same: marketing. At least, the kind of marketing which is about helping people. That is the best kind of marketing: helping people and sharing
April 23, 2021
What on earth does website hosting even mean? You know (or you know now on reading this) you need it for your website, and it seems important…and it also seems like a whole hazy technology sector you’re not even sure you have the capacity or interest in understanding… and can someone please just tell you
April 17, 2021
I got distracted this week. I had brilliant new ideas about how to help our clients and a message I wanted to make sure we get across, and ended up spending most of a day working on a video and some content on this topic and all the new ideas when really…I would have done better to just keep going on the projects I’ve got before me.
April 16, 2021
You are an accountant who has been doing video, and you’re thinking of using YouTube to level up your video game. To bring more awareness of your accounting firm and help the right people find you. You’re on the right track, my video creating friend, and getting started on this journey earlier is better than
April 3, 2021
At the beginning it’s “hard work, and saying yes to just about everything”. This is how you succeed. You move to working less, and saying no to almost everything. Hard work you replace with creativity (the ability to see opportunity) plus risk (the willingness to go for it). And instead of saying yes to almost everything, you work on saying no to almost everything.
At the beginning it’s “hard work, and saying yes to just about everything”. This is how you succeed.
You move to working less, and saying no to almost everything. Hard work you replace with creativity (the ability to see opportunity) plus risk (the willingness to go for it). And instead of saying yes to almost everything, you work on saying no to almost everything.
March 27, 2021
There is SO much more to question asking (and answering) than we realise. As the owner of a creative agency whose purpose involves understanding our clients better so we can help them create better marketing…asking questions is one of the most important skills we have. How we ask questions and how we listen, can entirely change the answers we receive.
There is SO much more to question asking (and answering) than we realise. As the owner of a creative agency whose purpose involves understanding our clients better so we can help them create better marketing…asking questions is one of the most important skills we have.
How we ask questions and how we listen, can entirely change the answers we receive.
March 26, 2021
Your accounting firm is launching a new service and you want to tell clients and prospects ALL about it. You’re tempted to email your database and tell them about your new service. Hurry, we have a new service! It’s great! Buy now! You think you’ll craft an email to tell them what it does and
March 19, 2021
Recording videos for your accounting firm feels difficult (or even impossible), and facing this task as an accountant feels even harder. You didn’t set out in your accounting business to be a videographer, but you’re starting to realise how powerful video is for your clients, your prospects, and for the future of your firm. You
March 12, 2021
Posting your content to social media takes time, and you know there are apps which can do it all at once for you. Saving time, reaching more people… it’s a win win, right? So which app do you choose? There are many apps which can do the job…but before we dive into recommendations, you have
March 5, 2021
Putting content you created out into the world can feel a little scary. It can feel a lot scary. Lots of times we hear from accountants who fear sharing blogs they’ve written, videos they’ve recorded, social posts they’ve crafted. And most of the time when we get to the heart of it, it’s because they’re
February 26, 2021
Finding the right images to support your marketing is difficult. And having so many sources to choose from makes it even harder! But as you may already know, including good quality imagery consistent with your brand is a way to build trust with your buyer and help them decide even faster that you’re the firm
February 19, 2021
Getting a negative review feels either frustrating or scary or both. I’m presuming the review is a reflection of a client (or former client) who is disgruntled, and the review itself is angry, inaccurate (at least in parts), bitter, or even point blank lies. Negative reviews do happen, to the best of businesses. It is
February 12, 2021
How much posting on social media is enough? The short answer is about 3-5 social posts per week. The long answer is, ‘it depends’. There isn’t a magic formula for this because what works for one brand, doesn’t work for another. While you can read up on case studies to see what worked for other
“I just trust my gut”, you think. You hire someone you feel right about, and reject to the ones you don’t. A new prospect says and does a few things which feel dodgy, but seems like a nice guy, so you take him on as a client anyway. Many weeks or months later something happens and you think, “I knew it. I KNEW IT.”
February 5, 2021
There’s a big old elephant in the marketing room and it’s called pricing. Pricing is such an important topic to address specifically in your marketing and yet, time and time again, it’s the one most commonly neglected by accountancy firms. The one which has the least content written or created about it. I mean it
January 29, 2021
You had a call with a client you’d like to work with and it went really well. You got along and it’s a great fit. You sent the proposal and didn’t hear back right away, so you know you need to follow up. But how? When? Will you be too pushy and send them away?
January 22, 2021
Regardless of where you traditionally do your networking, the ability to reach more people always grows when you are doing business online. When I was a child, it never occurred to me I could have a conversation with someone from across the ocean without paying through the roof in “long distance” phone charges- and even
January 14, 2021
You just got a new lead. Maybe even a few of them. How do you respond? YAY! New lead! They look great – this kind of company, this kind of enquiry, more profits for me, all is well!! Nope. Ugh – don’t like this lead, don’t want it, go away. Not another one!! We actually
December 18, 2020
So you’ve got an idea of your onboarding process and are excited to put it into action (if you don’t have one yet, check out our onboarding kit). Then you ask yourself, how do I get started? What pages and forms do I need? Will the process be manual or automated? The list goes on.
December 12, 2020
Right, you’re going to be serious now. You’re going to focus your energy and attention on marketing a bit more (maybe this is your 2021 plan). But you know marketing always gets put off. You plan an hour or some time to “do marketing” and then you get emails and messages and phone calls and
December 7, 2020
As 2020 draws to a close, we can all agree it has been a tough year for many, and in so many ways. As a small business ourselves and having the pleasure of working with small businesses, we’ve seen businesses showcase their exceptional entrepreneurial skills – turning their talents to different crafts such as producing
December 4, 2020
How many times have you walked into a situation and felt like you should know something that you don’t? Think about school when the teacher asked you to read a book the week before, and you never managed to open the book. When the teacher threw out a pop quiz, you felt unprepared and even
December 3, 2020
When you’ve recently rebranded, and are incredibly proud of the way your new brand shows who your accounting firm truly is, it’s time to show off that brand in a whole variety of merch. But choosing a supplier for great merchandise (or swag) is an important decision. You want high quality of whatever it is
November 28, 2020
This week is the American holiday of Thanksgiving. As a dual British-American citizen, it’s still a holiday I celebrate here in Scotland, and it really is one of my favourite holidays of all. Because the premise is: things are (or have been) very hard, so you gather together with family, eat good food and lots of it, and you give thanks for it all. For the food, the family and friends and tribe, and all the good things you’ve received or experienced even through the hard times.
November 27, 2020
While it may seem like a good idea to just pick a new website template from a platform like WordPress, Rocketspark, Squarespace or Wix just to “get it done” or keep costs down, it’s actually going to cost more in the long run. You can find out more about these costs in Do I
November 20, 2020
I’ve been having various levels of back pain for the past seven weeks. (Just in case you don’t read the full note: don’t worry. I’ve seen a doctor, several physios, and am doing the work, and it is getting better. It’s just slow. That’s sort of the point of the note.) When it first started,
One of the most common fears we hear from our clients when they get started with us is the fear of failure. Of everything going wrong. Of spending lots of money on marketing and it not working. Unfortunately, for many of our clients, these fears stem from a negative experience they had with marketing
November 14, 2020
Not long after I set up PF, I identified what I saw as the core foundational “pillars” of the company. Things I personally stood for and what I wanted the agency to stand for, too. Those are creativity, integrity, generosity, and rest. (For a while there was one called “service”, but I decided that was less of
November 13, 2020
You know you need this marketing…thing. A new website. A refreshed (or entirely new) brand. Monthly outsourced marketing. Social media support. Custom pages for your proposals. Whatever it is. Maybe you had an amazing meeting and you got all excited and YES THIS IS WHAT I NEED and they said they’d go away and put
November 7, 2020
I believe all humans are creative. It’s a quality we all have – innately from being humans – no matter what our role or job or how we perceive our fit into society. I believe a creative God created humans, and we reflect that creativity and have these creative qualities from long before we even know anything about ourselves. And as a qualified accountant myself, who then set up a creative agency to support and help accountants, it took me many years to realise those two things were the beauty – and conflict – of this agency I run.
November 4, 2020
SEO (Search Engine Optimisation): the dreaded thing you know you need to do…but have no clue where to start. SEO involves increasing quantity and quality at the same time: more people visiting your website (quantity) and only getting leads who are your ideal client (quality). This means delivering your content – blog posts, video, social
October 30, 2020
When you’re getting a logo designed, you might expect your designer to give you multiple logo designs to choose from. From past experience you might be anticipating anything from 2 to 10 options. You think that the more options you get, the better it is because you get your money’s worth. This is not true.
October 22, 2020
? All you want is a blog post title which will target your ideal audience and guarantee they click, then read, then buy something or sign up as a client. Is that too much to ask? Your title functions as your blog post’s logo. Just like your accounting firm’s logo, you want it to
October 16, 2020
Like most accountants, at the end of the day you care about the numbers. How much does it cost to get my marketing done? But it’s good to ask whether that IS what really holds you back in your marketing. When you look further below the surface, what scares you the most is not just
October 9, 2020
You want leads and you want them quick. That’s fair enough when you consider the pressure that most firms are under. Any of these sound familiar? You’ve lost a big client and it’s worried you You see all these other firms on LinkedIn getting loads of clients and you want that too You’re budget conscious
October 3, 2020
We don’t like change. No matter how we dress it up, even when sometimes it can feel adventurous or exciting or bold or brave, there’s still a part of us which is uncomfortable with any change, and therefore resists it. Some of us are more like that than others. Or perhaps what I mean is,
October 2, 2020
Accountants, you are troopers. When things get busy, you put your head down and work incredibly hard to support your clients and get things done. But whether it’s the busy season, the catch up after a well needed holiday or the knock-backs of a worldwide pandemic – when the work piles on, often the marketing
September 18, 2020
You’re considering a rebrand for your accounting firm, which means there are a range of situations you could be in right now: I like my firm name and logo, but I’m open to hearing whether it needs to be updated a little My firm name is traditional or dated and I’m wondering what the benefit
September 16, 2020
Your prospects may use a range of different software and systems but as you are the expert for your offering, you need to determine the best process for them to follow when working with you. If you change your process for each prospect, you will end up spending more time, effort and money than is
September 10, 2020
Your logo is important. It is the visual representation of your brand’s personality, and plays a critical role in the way people perceive your firm. A logo’s job is to trigger recognition of the service your firm offers, so you want your design to create a strong first impression on the kind of people
September 4, 2020
It’s an overused and over abused term “business coaching.” Time and again accountants put their hope in a business coach who promises them the world. Often that results in a bunch of gimmicky content and outdated sales tactics. While this might work in the short term- there isn’t a long game in mind- not to
August 28, 2020
In our blogging breakthrough sessions, many of our clients have shared the same issue when it comes to getting their blog out there. You just don’t feel confident to hit publish. First, I want you to know this isn’t exclusive to the blogging breakthrough course. The confidence barrier pops up in our accelerator sessions, in
August 21, 2020
It’s easy to get a list of things you want to do to market your accounting firm. There are things you have learned will be the most effective and need to get done, and there are things you’re excited or curious about which you’d like to try. But of all these marketing ideas, you want
August 14, 2020
A blog post exists to be shared and seen. Remember the phrase – if a tree falls in a wood but nobody was there to see it, did it really happen? In the same way, if you write content providing answers to the questions your ideal clients are desperately seeking, and they never get to
August 6, 2020
OK, so you need a “lead magnet”. One of those PDF guides like “10 ways to improve your cash flow” – maybe for good measure, “…to improve your cash flow during the Covid crisis”. There. Bam. You’ve got a PDF guide, a title, and all you need is to throw in a few things you’ve
August 1, 2020
You know what’s more dangerous than a really sharp knife? A dull one. This week I was chopping walnuts with my favourite red kitchen knife, which my sister gave me for Christmas years ago. Probably more years than I even realise, because lately it hasn’t been chopping as cleanly and I kept thinking, “I’ll need
July 30, 2020
There are a lot of marketing analytics out there, an infinite amount it seems. So choosing which ones to track can be a challenge. It may even lead you to wonder why bother tracking any at all? Or even worse, you may keep trying different marketing actions based on only a few numbers. Potentially
July 23, 2020
Having too many prospects: what a wonderful problem to have, right? But the way you deal with this can affect your conversion of the right prospects. It’s okay not to take on everyone straight away. We know you may feel like you are turning business away but if you put pressure on yourself, your team
July 9, 2020
Well designed images within your social media posts build buyer trust. The better your posts are and more consistent with your brand, the faster your buyers will take action. Since you only have around 5 seconds to make an impression, you want it to be a good one. On social media especially, you only
July 3, 2020
You’ve made the decision to hire a marketing manager so you can focus on advising clients and managing staff. What is the practical next step to take to find a marketing manager? You know you have the time to spend up-front in training. You’re tracking your marketing budget and results and know you’re ready to
June 23, 2020
Writing is a creative thing. It’s often the reason as an accountant you think you’re not a writer (or not a good writer) – as if you have to “be creative” to be a writer. The fact is, every human being is creative. And accountants are no exception. You’ve got creativity within you just as
June 18, 2020
Your most important marketing platform is your website. All the marketing you do needs to lead back to your website. Your website is like your accounting system (Xero, Quickbooks etc.) and the marketing you do (sending emailers, posting on social, creating PDF guides) is like the apps that link back to your accounting system (Receipt
June 12, 2020
There are fewer things worse about social media than being stalked by sales people. I suppose being stalked by in real life might be worse, but I digress. More and more, social platforms are being bombarded with people trying to sell products or services we ain’t buying. And why aren’t we buying? Because we don’t
June 5, 2020
In a recent Accelerator session, one of our members said “I notice you always reference books in our call. It would be helpful if you could recommend a list of books that we read to help us with our marketing. #TAYA!” So, here’s the list! These are my top five – personally as a business
May 29, 2020
Your clients are really, really thankful for what you’re doing for them right now. You’re helping them get funding and managing payroll and answering questions and (literally in some cases) saving lives. Saving businesses for sure. Although the current time has a lot that’s messy and awful, and we won’t pretend for a second it’s
May 28, 2020
Whether you’re the owner or the marketing manager of an accounting firm, getting buy-in for your marketing strategy is vital. It’s also hard. You may feel like you’re banging your head against the wall trying to get your team on board with your plan. They don’t seem as enthusiastic. They weren’t hired to be marketers.
May 22, 2020
Paid social can be enticing. The promise of leads, bought and paid for delivered to your website is attractive for sure but if done prematurely it can be a drain on your time and money with little to no results. So when as an accounting firm are you REALLY ready to take the plunge? Paid
May 16, 2020
The most significant change happens in small increments, day after day. Month after month, year after year. In the past year, I’ve lost over 52 pounds (almost 4 stone) by counting calories every single day. Walking, every single day. Cutting out sugar, and choosing not to eat it every single day. In the past 6
May 8, 2020
“People buy from humans.” You hear this all the time. Your prospects need to know what it will be like to work with you, which means showing them who you truly are (a human with interests, imperfections, and strengths) from the moment they visit your website, get your proposal, or interact with you on social
May 4, 2020
Let’s say you’ve made really good progress in understanding your own worth, and value. You’ve addressed the services you offer, and what you charge for them – and maybe even your entire brand, too. Whether you’ve literally rebranded, with a new name or logo or identity, or are just doing the hard work that sits
April 22, 2020
You may be writing more than usual at the moment, even if it’s just a few blogs or emails, because it feels urgent, considering what’s going on in the world. Accountants have seen some incredible results lately as a result of continually providing relevant content to their target audience. New leads and sales, increased income
April 21, 2020
*Did you win a golden ticket code?? Use it here – remember it’s a one time use!* This year, to recognise the immense effort being made by accountants all over the world to create content (particularly during these times), we are going to GIVE AWAY five free spaces on the 12 week Accelerator course. This
April 18, 2020
Yesterday I realised for about the third time in two days I spoke to an accountant who had something they weren’t doing, but really wanted to, but they keep not doing it. Like… recording video (at all, or consistently) sharing things that are a little more personal (emotions, mental health, fear, strong feelings about something
April 17, 2020
Marketing credits are the currency we use at PF to estimate the content or design work we do with you. Whether you’re on a monthly retainer with us or just need a quote for one thing, we use credits to estimate this. We originally created marketing credits for two reasons. It’s hard to see the
April 15, 2020
All your clients, from the very best to your most difficult, are looking to you for help and the best clients understand how much value you provide. You are likely feeling the pull of wanting to be helpful, while also wanting to stay in business yourself. How do you charge your clients for services during
April 10, 2020
Free things, and special offers, are going out everywhere for accountants right now. This isn’t an exhaustive list, because it’s specific ones we chose from people we know and trust. So if you love PF (or like us a little), you’ll like these people and their kind offers, too. We’ve included our own offer of
April 9, 2020
Your website is your best tool to build trust with the kind of clients you want to serve. Although it may not always be the first page a prospect is led to, your home page generally receives the most traffic. A prospect might visit one of your blogs from a social post or be led
Accountants are creating content like never before. Your three enemies to marketing – fear, perfection, and time – have been wiped out. You have bigger things to fear, no one cares if your blog post is perfect, and you’re just making time wherever you can find it, because you have to. This content you’re creating
April 4, 2020
As an accountant, you’ve started creating content like never before. You’re sending emails, recording videos, writing blog posts, creating website pages, setting up Facebook groups. You’re just..helping people. Communicating. Giving your take, your perspective, your thoughts, your feelings. “Here’s what we know – and we’ll be talking to you about it personally as soon as
April 3, 2020
Choosing the best image for your social post is one thing but getting your image to look good on all your social media platforms can be frustrating. You might find your image looks perfect on Facebook but ends up looking weird and cropped when posted on Twitter. We know that as accountants you regularly
April 1, 2020
A coworker of mine (not naming any names but rhymes with “baron sleigh turn”) mentioned she once had a job where they exchanged secret Santa gifts. She received a pink coffee mug filled with chocolates that said “I love chocolate” on the side. Sounds nice eh? My coworker hates pink and barely likes chocolate. So
March 31, 2020
(A 10 point guide) Think of that question everyone keeps asking you Pull out your phone Hold it in front of your face Hit record Start talking Say everything you need to say on the subject, and then stop Press stop Hit the share button, and choose the social platform you use the most (or
March 28, 2020
Many of you accountants are (and you never imagined THIS before the current climate!) running Zoom webinars for your clients with helpful information about COVID-19 (or more specifically all the rules and regulations – or lack thereof – in relation to this crisis). Now you want to share that recording. Here are a few tips
March 27, 2020
Phew. What a long year this week has been! Do you feel me? Accountants we talked to this week are tired, with the weight of their clients hanging heavily on their shoulders. You have a dual burden of aching and longing to help ALL the people coupled with the global anxiety of the world and
March 26, 2020
So everyone is working from home now and there are so many tips. So much advice being given about how to use this well and how to manage your team and what apps to use and what tech to use and how to make sure you stay productive and keep the enthusiasm high and replace
March 21, 2020
There’s a lot out there about how to “use” your coronavirus time. Or your quarantine time. To rise to the challenge, be strong and valiant, own this and crush this and win win win. Last week I was feeling that a bit. I thought “My business is already remote, so this is business as usual”.
March 18, 2020
Okay, raise your hand (virtually and from a distance) if you’re already sick of all the COVID-19 emails. And the coronavirus emails. And the “we thought since times were tough you might want to look at OUR company” emails. Fortunately I haven’t gotten too many of the latter, but I know some of you have.
Question today: “Decided this morning I’m going to setup a Facebook group for my clients, the other advisers that work with my clients (IFA’s, Lawyers, Lenders etc) so that everyone can chat/share and generally get through this shit together. You guys got any guides on setting up a private FB group?” You’re starting to realise
March 17, 2020
Question: “We have a new person who’s supposed to start soon. We’re working remotely now, so do I postpone their start date, or can I get them settled in effectively even if it’s not in person?” For many of you, remote working is not the problem. You’re all set up for that, and everyone has
March 16, 2020
*IMPORTANT EDIT: We’ve recently become aware of “Zoombombing” which means people hacking into your Zoom meeting or webinar. It’s dangerous but it can be avoided. Please make sure to read our friend Jonathan Fox’s detailed post on Zoombombing here. Question today: “Do you have any links or PF content for a sort of cheat sheet
March 14, 2020
Okay so, the world has gone a bit mad. I had some fears too, and they’ve gone up and down a bit as shown by this handy graph. Here’s the things I’ve been telling myself, my team, and pretty much anyone I ended up talking to this week about the coronavirus (so, everyone). On levels
March 12, 2020
You’ve decided to use video content for your accountancy firm and gone through the creative process of producing what you’re absolutely sure is compelling content for your future clients. Now that your video is ready, where do you publish it? Do you post it to Vimeo or YouTube? Where you post your video content makes
March 7, 2020
This week (as you’ll know unless you were living under a rock or not using the internet), QBC London was cancelled out of “an over abundance of caution” with the current #coronavirus situation. Protecting people, just in case. Making that kind of decision in the first place has to be really hard. I’m sure they were discussing
March 5, 2020
Whilst hiring a marketing person in-house may seem like the perfect answer if you are feeling stressed and pushed for time, it may not fix all your issues. You may find you don’t get the results you wanted, and are spending more time explaining or fixing things. The person you hire might not be a
February 29, 2020
Last year I was asked to sketchnote the five values for a company called Diagnostax. I got to know them through one of the owners, Gwil, who I met at an accounting conference. I was walking through the hordes of people and Gwil literally stopped me and said “You’re Karen Reyburn, right? The one who
February 27, 2020
Creating and sharing blog posts helps build trust with our audience. But finding time to write is hard when you have a busy schedule. Even once you’ve freed up that time, knowing what to write about can be just as challenging. We’ve been asked about the value of custom written blog posts many times, and
February 19, 2020
Your accounting firm’s success in marketing is directly relatable to the involvement of your team with that marketing. But what if your team isn’t really keen on actually writing (or creating) content? Blog posts. Social media. Recording videos. What if it’s not their skill area? What if they just don’t feel like it? What if
February 14, 2020
It’s SO important for your firm to have brand guidelines in place so all your marketing is consistent and gives the same impression to your target audience about who you are, your authority and expertise. It makes any content or design work easier and faster to create too – for you, your team, or your
February 7, 2020
Running social media campaigns can be demoralising. You’re posting regularly, just like you’ve been told to, but you’re not seeing the results you’d hoped for. Maybe it’s time to knock it all on the head and start concentrating on other channels? Probably not. Developing your social media channels is like building a pyramid. When at
January 31, 2020
At PF, we don’t really have offices. We’ve got an address in the UK, and we go there every month or two for meetings and connecting with our accountants, but day to day, the team members work all over. From home or a coffee shop or a cave on an island or wherever they want
January 30, 2020
Whether you’ve got an outsourced team or someone in your office managing your marketing, it’s important to provide feedback in the right way so it saves time and effort for you and your marketing team. It ultimately gets you to the finished product you had envisioned (or perhaps not envisioned). Because of this, your feedback
January 24, 2020
This is a pre-emptive blog post. Right now most of you are head down in tax work, trying to fend off everything else that dares to get in your way. Stay strong. I know from experience once taxes are done and you’re back in the land of the living again – you’re going to want
January 17, 2020
“Content marketing is simply the act of teaching and problem-solving so as to earn buyer trust.” But what happens when the content well runs dry? You’ve answered all your clients’ questions and new clients keep asking the same ones. Well, first, hurrah for you because you’ve created a stockpile of content so good you are
January 10, 2020
Hiring is exciting. You’re taking on new clients and you (and your team) literally can’t handle the work. Yay! Growth! Hiring is scary. You’ve either hired people who haven’t worked out, or you know someone who has. Some stories are very, very bad. When you start out hiring, or if you’re using the old ‘gut feel’
December 20, 2019
Congratulations! You’ve done some marketing soul searching and come to the realisation you need a new brand. You’ve broken down the wall and now admit that something about your brand or logo isn’t resonating with the right people, or communicating what it needs to. But here lies the “problem”. You’ve heard that developing a brand
December 13, 2019
Recording video is hard. You rarely think about ‘how to be natural’ day to day and yet when that little red light goes on suddenly something changes and you’re under pressure. It’s understandable, as there are a lot of considerations. “Is what I’m saying making sense? Do I appear professional enough? Does anybody care what
December 7, 2019
Recently in an Insta story I mentioned I was reading the book “Dare to Lead” by Brene Brown, and said it was “hard but good”. I had several messages almost instantly from a variety of people asking, Why is it hard? Whenever that happens it’s an indicator to me that I’ve hit on something that
December 3, 2019
As you continue to create your own unique, client focused content, you begin to notice patterns relating to the content you create. There are key problems faced by your clients over, and over, and over again. And the advice you give them often returns to a few key points around which you base more detailed
November 30, 2019
It’s winter, and that means darkness. I live in Scotland, and in the summer it’s almost never dark at all. The sun comes up so early (and so calmly) that you hardly even notice – even if you stay up or get up to watch it, there’s just sort of a general lightening of the
November 29, 2019
Storytelling isn’t all about you. Before we get into specific tips on how to use the storytelling framework, it’s important to understand the power of story doesn’t mean the power of your story. It’s not about filling your website with your firm’s story. Don’t fall into the ‘me, me, me’ trap of trying to be
November 23, 2019
Has this ever been said to you? When you tell someone about a problem you’re facing right now, something like…. …you’ve got too many prospects to follow up on, and they’re all good. …your offices are getting too small, because you’ve been growing so fast and there are too many team members now. …you’ve been
November 22, 2019
You can get business even though you have an ugly logo. People can still decide to work with you even if your accountancy firm name is boring, or your website is indistinguishable from most other (bland) accounting firm sites, or you aren’t creating fresh regular content. It can happen. It just will take much longer
November 16, 2019
When I buy a book, I do this very odd thing where for a good few months (or even a year or more) I talk about the concept as if I know what I’m talking about….before I read the book. I’m not sure why I do that. Maybe it’s preparing my mind to read. No
November 15, 2019
You’ve been feeling the pain of hiring in your accountancy firm for some time now and can’t quite figure out why you aren’t recruiting the right team members. Or why people are leaving after having been with your firm for only a few months. Or, you’re finding that you have the right team members but
November 9, 2019
The Greatest Showman is one of my favourite films. It’s got catchy music, a great cast, and a solid message about not letting business and money take over. And it’s got some good solid quotes that made me stop and think, especially this one when Hugh Jackman’s character is rushing off to yet another round
November 8, 2019
As accountancy business owners you want to be as confident as possible that every penny you’re investing is being put to work, whether it’s making the most of office space or getting marketing done. On a recent call with an accounting firm , Karen and I were asked more specifically about old media. The firm
November 2, 2019
Sometimes you just don’t know. Or you feel like you can’t. What moves you from that, to exploring whether you could? Or to a place of knowing you can, and doing it? Earlier this week my sister and I were hiking Lookout Mountain in Phoenix, at sunrise. I’m in Arizona in between conferences in the
October 31, 2019
We’re big fans of Marcus Sheridan’s ‘They Ask, You Answer’ principle (you may have heard us say this one or two or forty times already). Your clients have questions they need answered in order to trust that you’re for real before they buy. The purpose of your content is to answer those questions. When
October 26, 2019
I do enjoy travel, and sometimes get a good bit of work done when doing so. But I used to find there were all these things i wanted to get done…but I wasn’t at my iMac with the nice Yeti microphone and the webcam and the camtasia video editing software and the faster speeds and
October 24, 2019
Anyone who has been through a rebrand or branding project will know that once you’ve approved your shiny new logo, the designer sends over a bunch of logo files. You’ll be given a file that ends in AI, another in EPS, a few in PNGs – and more! These are the same file formats you
October 19, 2019
On Monday, for the first time in 28 weeks, i stepped on the scale and had a gain of 1.4 pounds…and absolutely no idea why. I have only gained twice in that time period, and both times I had specific reasons that helped it make sense, and both were under 0.6 pounds each time. But
October 18, 2019
We don’t buy like we used to. And neither do your prospects. Ten years ago, we would make our buying decisions based on things like gut feel, word of mouth and price. We visited shops and browsed. We chatted to our friends and found out what they had purchased or signed up for and what
October 12, 2019
Some days, or parts of days, you’re just not productive. You’re not targeting your goals or firing on all cylinders or crushing it. You’re not reading impactful books or watching helpful documentaries. You’re not going to the gym or cooking a healthy meal or having insightful conversations. You’re just…tired. Or are you? Are you ever
October 11, 2019
What happens when you realise your brand isn’t truly reflecting who you are…but you know the process of change will take a long time? And you’re not sure if you’re ready (with everything else you’ve got going on right now)? Your brand is, at its core, the summary of who you are and who you
October 5, 2019
My company needs a marketing manager. I’m hijacking my Karen’s notes this week to ask for your help. No matter how much we do in terms of recruitment, the best hires often come from someone knowing someone else. We’re firm on what we want (and don’t want) at PF, we have a fairly intensive hiring
October 4, 2019
Ahhhh social media. That old chestnut again. It’s not about whether or not you need to use it; it’s about the rules of engagement. Much like going to the gym, you’re thinking: how often is enough? What do I use? Will I look stupid? When all you REALLY want is to just be healthy. Here’s
September 28, 2019
You know when you get one of those emails or texts that gets your heart really racing? Something has gone wrong or has been difficult with someone (from a friend to a client to a supplier or whoever), and you’ve been communicating with them for a little while. And at first you were okay, just
September 27, 2019
It’s the start of ‘event season’ for our clients and friends in the accounting industry. Whether you’re gearing up for the popular events like Xerocon or Thriveal, or travelling to a smaller events like “Accountants are Creative Too”, you’ll hear about products and services that you think could be game changing for your business. When
September 21, 2019
Some mornings, I wake up with a lot of thoughts already swirling around in my head. It’s like I put them to the side when I went to bed, and the second I open my eyes (or before) they leap upon me again and fill my head before I even have time to grab coffee.
September 20, 2019
Once you’ve hired a marketing manager, naturally you’ll want them to thrive and succeed in your firm. Understanding your marketing manager is cut from a different cloth is the first step toward success. Your marketing manager might work differently to the rest of your team. They won’t be accustomed to sitting behind a desk dealing
September 17, 2019
“I like this island, because it slows you down whether you want to or not. The island itself literally won’t allow you to rush.” My brother in law said this as we were driving along the winding, rutted, curving roads of Mull. The sea was crashing on our right, the sun glowing through the clouds
September 13, 2019
To know if you need a new brand or website, you must first understand the true meaning of a brand. Your brand represents everything about you and your firm. It’s the emotions your clients and prospects feel when they meet you, speak to you, see your offices, view your website, follow you on social and
September 7, 2019
Still on holiday this week (now I’m on the Isle of Skye). So instead of a full Note, here’s a sketchnote from an event I went to, which gave me a great deal to think about as a business owner. The topic was “strategy”, which can sound really boring. It’s been used and overused until
September 6, 2019
You might remember a while back we wrote a blog about the onboarding process and called it ‘The Machine With the Human on Top’. The blog talks through the importance of creating an experience for your client by using a balance of automation and personal touch. Onboarding is just one element of your marketing. What
August 31, 2019
I’m on holiday on the Isle of Mull (my favourite island of them all). So, instead of a Note this week, I’m going to suggest you watch the “Call to Courage” by Brene Brown, on Netflix. I watched it last week – and I tried to watch it whilst doing other things. Ironing, sketchnoting, emails,
August 30, 2019
We’ve talked about what to do when communication goes cold after you send a proposal. But what if you get ghosted by an existing client in the middle of your work with them? You’re past the sign-up. You found the right solution to their problem. The work has kicked off and everything is going smoothly
August 24, 2019
I get stuff done on deadline. But only when the deadline involves other people. Deadlines work for me because I care about other people. Sometimes to the exclusion of myself, which i’m working on, but I really hate letting people down. If I say I’ll send something Friday, it may be midnight, but I’ll get
August 23, 2019
Your buyer needs captions to engage faster with your videos. Think about how you watch videos. When you’re watching a video (usually on your phone first), do you instantly watch it with full attention, with sound on? Nope. Most of the time, you watch it with captions to see if you want to keep watching.
August 17, 2019
My new favourite leggings are from a company called Sweaty Betty. I like what they make, but that isn’t all, and it’s not enough. I like what they say in their marketing, and who they are, and the way they interact with me as a human (not simply a “buyer”). A few weeks ago they
August 16, 2019
So you’ve written content for a guide you’ll use for clients and prospects, and you’ve found a designer you like and trust. Wonderful! What next? To truly capture your brand and your voice, your chosen designer will need a little help to get going. If your designer just asks for the content and nothing else,
August 10, 2019
People hear things when they are ready to hear them. This is a little story about someone who recommended a book to me….which I’ve been recommending to, like, everyone all the time everywhere. I thought. It’s Saturday morning. My friend James texts me something he’s been thinking about, so i ring him and we chat
August 9, 2019
One of our clients once said to us “I’m not using Instagram for my accounting firm! I’m not a girl.” While we and our client had a good-hearted laugh about this, we also realized there are some massive misconceptions about Instagram in the accounting world. Contrary to “popular” belief, Instagram isn’t just for girls and
August 3, 2019
I’ve been thinking for a long time about the creativity of accountants (the good kind). In the past, i would say most accountants wouldn’t consider themselves creative. That word is for artists, photographers, writers, graphic designers. People who do creative-y things. But where does that impression come from? Why is it we think some people
August 2, 2019
We all know now that writing content is important. What you want to know is how on earth do you get it done (and get it done well) when you’re an accountant, not a writer. As Ann Handly said so succinctly in her wonderful book ‘Everybody Writes’: “If you have a website, you are a
August 1, 2019
Grand plans for your firm, know you need to do marketing to get there but not very sure where to start or when? As with everything, putting it off and over thinking makes it more daunting. That’s exactly what our past Accelerator members found before they built up their knowledge through the 12 weeks of
July 27, 2019
The answer to being more productive may not be more work. It may be rest. I know the value of hard work: and I really enjoy it. I love being a business owner and I’m even grateful for finding the line between business and perso
