What’s it like being CMO and partner of a large firm? What metrics do you watch and what resources do you refer to for professional development? In this episode of Accounting Marketing Doesn’t Suck, host Hugh Duffy talks with Jeff Antaya of Plante Moran. Tune in to hear about the firm’s strengths and weaknesses, how going digital impacts marketing and business development and why having writers on your team is paramount to creating new and unique content that people want to read. Join us!
Guest Bio
Jeff Antaya, CMO of Plante Moran
Jeff Antaya is a Partner and the Chief Marketing Officer at Plante Moran. He leads a team of approximately 85 individuals focused on growing the firm. His responsibilities include social media, brand development, marketing technology, communications, and digital business attraction and business development. Jeff has a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting and an MBA from the University of Detroit Mercy. Jeff is a founding member of the firms PRIDE affinity group focused on our LGBTQ staff.
Jeff began his career as an accountant with PWC and eventually moved into the cellular phone industry, working at both Verizon and Nextel Communications. Over the course of 10 years, he held various sales and marketing executive positions at Nextel and played a significant part in the company’s growth into a fortune 100 company before it was acquired by Sprint. His position at Plante & Moran has allowed him to merge his skills in accounting, sales, and marketing to help Michigan’s preeminent firm grow and expand.
Jeff is actively involved in Detroit and serves on various art and social service boards and advisory groups.
Memorable Quotes
“In this world of professional accounting, it’s like a chemistry set. It’s some amount of marketing and some amount of the partner and staff’s involvement and each person is unique in the mix we come up with that creates the right success.”
“A big part of our PR strategy in today’s day and age is social media. We really encourage each of our staff to be active. Three to four percent of our web traffic comes from our social media.”
“We use CRM extensively. Not only does it track all of the contacts and the organizations that we have as clients and referral sources and prospects, but it does track people’s interaction with the firm and our digital content.”
“We have found in this digital world that there are people out there who have a digital relationship with us that may not have an individual or personal relationship with us.”
“Each partner in the firm is required to have at least 64 or 65 practice development activities a year, half of which have to be in person with a prospect. It’s a strict metric that we follow.”