Outsourced Marketing for Accountants - Practice Growth

Build Your Firm (BYF) has over twenty (20) years of experience working directly with CPA's and Tax Accountants helping them to develop their practices. Their Outsourced Marketing Program is dedicated to the accounting industry and has proven to be very effective for many accountants. This program is closer to a partnership than your typical marketing agency relationship and many accountants work with Build Your Firm for 10-20 years.

Over the course of twenty years, the program has been updated and works for firms below $4 million in sales. It has worked in large markets (Los Angeles, Dallas, Houston, Boston) and small markets (Spokane, Grand Rapids, Gainesville) and has helped many practitioners develop attractive niches as well. Our largest client has over $20M in sales.

BYF's marketing system is custom designed around each practice and niche. What works in Los Angeles does not necessarily work in Arkansas or New Mexico or Alaska. And what works for firm with $3M in sales does not necessarily work for a firm with $500,000 in sales. Fortunately, BYF has worked with start-ups and multi-million dollar firms.  And yes, we've had Outsourced Marketing engagements in Arkansas (two in fact), New Mexico and even Alaska.  

Here are the core elements of BYF's program:

1. Designed only for accountants (CPA's and Enrolled Agents)

2. BYF manages the marketing and lead generation for you

3. The accountant (you) evaluates each prospect/lead, prices each engagement and close. If the prospect does not meet your expectations, you are under no obligation to engage.  Some leads close immediately and others take time.  

4. All firms capitalize on BYF's niche development and expertise. BYF supports over 45 accounting niches.

5. BYF manages all websites, email newsletters, video marketing, blog posting and social media marketing for you.  The goal is to make this process turn-key so you focus on prospects and clients.  

6. BYF excels at reputation management and establishing your accounting practice as one of the best local accountants to hire (or work for).

7. BYF manages business-to-business direct mail marketing for industry specific niches.

8. BYF manages all SEO, Local Search and blog posting for you.

9. For select niches, BYF will design a trade show booth for you.

10. BYF excels at strategy and execution.

11. BYF provides a marketing plan upfront, annual marketing changes, and periodic recaps.

12. BYF excels at fast deployment of your marketing plan (website development, re-branding, direct mail, opening new offices, scaling up Google Reviews, etc.).

13. BYF is results oriented (dollar growth) and not big on meetings.

14. BYF excels at online lead generation (SEO, PPC, niche development) but supplements it with direct mail and niche development.  

15. BYF is realistic, results oriented and turns away engagements that are not sustainable and structured for mutual benefit. Each Outsourced Marketing engagement starts with a three year agreement and most engagements last 9-18 years in length.  The accounting business is a singles business with very few triples or home runs.  It is a get rich slow business that works on premium pricing, niche expertise, scale and cash flow automation.  

Because BYF's approach is different than your typical marketing agency relationship, these are common observations.

- Most Outsourced Marketing engagements have a retention rate of over 80% and many firms stay in the program 10-20 years

- Even after the Outsourced Marketing engagement concludes, the accountant continues with the websites because they make money for the firm

- Clients often end their relationship with BYF after they retire and exit the industry.  A few have sold their practice, moved and gotten back into practice and re-hired BYF for Outsourced Marketing.  

- Accountants prefer organic growth over practice acquisition because the cost is lower, retention rate is higher and quality of client is higher

- Accountants with sales below $4 million seldom engage with a custom marketing agency 

- Accountants with fewer than 50 employees seldom handle the marketing in-house