Establishing Your Marketing Growth Goals

Now that you've established the type of accounting/tax practice you need to develop and your ideal client (20% of your clients generating 80% of revenue, Pareto Principle), now we need to establish goals. Although I don't know your practice, here are several goals worth considering:

• Acquire $50,000 - $75,000 each year for three years

• Acquire 15-20 Google Reviews and 3-5 Yelp Reviews to bolster your local reputation

• Develop one niche within the next 18 months

• Update your base (general) website and separate niche website to support your niche

• Establish yourself as a expert within a niche within 24 months

• Outsource your marketing so the marketing actually happens

Finding Accounting Marketing Consultant

Now that your marketing growth goals are established, it's important to find a marketing consultant that truly understands marketing for accounting firms and has a track record of proven results. Before hiring this marketing consultant, they should be able to clearly spell out the plans for marketing your firm and growth each year.

In addition to spelling out the plans, this marketing consultant should provide access to other accountants who have hired them in the past. After speaking to 2-3 of their clients, you should have enough to make an informed decision. These accountants should be able to:

• Share how long they have worked with this consultant and annual business results
• Share their leads per month and if the quality improved over time
• Share if the marketing consultant delivers on promises
• Share if the marketing consultant works with accounting firms like yours
• Share if the marketing consultant is honest and realistic

Your marketing should do the heavy lifting for your firm, gradually improve your reputation over time and expand your geographic marketing area over time. Realistically, you need to follow the marketing consultant's lead for 6-12 months before drawing conclusions and recommending changes.