Marketing on the internet is still marketing and there are rules to follow. Sadly, most Accounting Firm partners ignore these because they think that since the environment of Social Media is relatively new and the rules of engagement on the internet keep on changing, they can discard established marketing rules and do whatever they want.

While Social Media is growing too fast not to be taken seriously, it would be wise to avoid marketing pitfalls of both online and offline marketing.

NO STRATEGIC MARKETING PLAN – Your Accounting Firm’s social media marketing initiatives should not be taken as separate from your firms other marketing activities. It should be taken as an adjunct to your existing marketing plan. Failure to integrate your offline and online strategies will mean that your branding and messaging will not be consistent. You need consistency and you need a plan on how to approach your online branding. After all, even if it’s on an online social platform, it still is MARKETING.

TRYING TO SELL TO EVERYONE – Just because Social Media is on the World Wide Web doesn’t mean that you are marketing to a worldwide audience. Marketing basics still have to be followed and one very important offline marketing rule is: Target your niche market. With so many other online marketing campaigns out there, your Accounting Firm will have a more success at influencing your target market if your firms marketing message is clear and focused.

FOLLOWING THE LEADER- Look at your own firm’s website as it stands today. I’ll bet you’re following what I call, “the Sameness Model” or “the Simon Says” model. Like the majority of accounting firms, you took a look at what everyone else was doing and decided to do the same.

I have visited numerous firms’ web sites and here are the things in common that I have found:

A link to services page
A contact information page
A page with pictures of the partners
Brief biographies of each partner
A list of helpful resource sites that don’t differ from all the other accounting firm web sites.
If your firm’s website is already following “the sameness model”, there is a danger that your social media sites might be following the leader too. Don’t do anything solely because everyone else is doing it. Sure, study what other Accounting Firms are doing and then ask yourself: “Can this be done better?” Add more value and differentiate yourself.

IGNORING THE 5P’S OF MARKETING – Product, Price, Place, Promotion, People

Product: What service is your Accounting Firm offering? Are you offering everything or are you a top of mind Accounting Firm for a specific niche? Example – “Accounting Firms for Real Estate Investors.”
Price: Clients on the internet are more price sensitive because they have easy access to information and can compare Accounting Firms easily. Research and make sure you are not pricing your services too low that it will affect your firm’s credibility. Or too high that it will turn clients away.
Place: In the traditional sense, Place generally means place of business. Taking into consideration that we are now entering the virtual business world, where can your potential clients find you online? Where can they find you? Are you just marketing through your website? Or are you experimenting with Social Media Marketing and can be found in Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and other Social Media platforms that can drive traffic to your company’s corporate website.
Promotion: Integrate your social media marketing with your offline marketing efforts so that everything is seamless. You need to have the same look and feel across all of your offline and online advertisements.
People: Your Accounting Firm’s presence in social media is too valuable to entrust to someone in your firm who may not understand what your business requires from social networking. Someone who has logged in hundreds of hours on Facebook and Tweeter doing personal stuff doesn’t qualify him or her as having sufficient experience to handle your Firm’s social media.
eyeresearch
varaosahaku
medimet
abc-lisbon
karmastudio
ghostrobotics
bethelcollege
1001feestartikelen
advit
giec
sdwkzx
sitecrm
netstar
24onlinetogo
wptestkit
zumex
fxdu
alpariforex
138ss
tanzania-gov
sesgovernance
first100years
nascholing
yxzsfj
hapsmobile
sxg03
springfield-or
clc
dgfw
assa
hino
manoapklausa
baigang
espnstar
steelmarketing
viscountinstruments
lifelapseapp
jackpotcity-casino
kayran
mobilku
bincangsyariah
adecco
opus
theh2academy
bit68
wilmotte
familyjr
lattelierstore
usedomer-musikfestival
92
kleber
jawwal
startupmag
bt12
illinoisyouthsoccer
klinikamopernplatz
osclass
qatt
dedoose
greencafe
spotlio
ex-act
adirakreditmultiguna
grupoica
lionrockrecovery
epicrps
gudensberg
conexionesintegrales
hescomshop
sexhub
chicagooperatheater
oreganos
stress
cumberlandnewsnow
serezart
jscrdl
zen-vape
gftxzg
jinshangming
netwalkapp
makemelocal
klyck
livebid
imidas
wheresthematch
doctorklaper
catskillmtn
usoko
govictory
stadtwerke-bruchsal
dpw66
qzc
shoptiq
herhaircompany
martinvarsavsky
praemium
atlasbalans
akakura-ski
seafreightshipping
damprod
crystalrugged
danifo
kunyoung
ae88816
eastms
shkunyou
linklatervoice
akitaclub
friesens
douglascountywi
ferries
ricoh360
108bb
concawe
netent-casinos
workingforhealth
womensradio
caged
pennypop
baimengshu
audiblefaith
emeqsa
valuta-kurser
dphe
zollex
iiaa
108848
ppkp999
westkelownacity
bagmocont
greenthumbnyc
coupontools
oftalmo
yass
subaru-u
bandandbracelets
charmingitalianchef
locphathung
watchmedia01
whiteturf
enternet
grand
grandsitesaintevictoire
benzcommunications
cilifo
deutschebahnconnect
myregexp
echtefrage
p-on
caters
printelf
termcoord
ereherdy
rtn
estherschipper
denlillepostkasse
nokatud
zentiva
hirao-foods
authenticnikeredskinshop
deptblotac
lulalend
congu
waitasec
miyake
mbs5
sendai-travel
12go
queenofraw
soundandmotionmag
epsjournal
nowgoal
digitalsignup
adclassified
begabtenfoerderung
dasanzhone
comparateuragricole
interfimo
automaticchina
cialis-parafarmacia
dm0520
sweep
nature-vitalite
mairanuck
zgzcinfo
huop
icstats
wooppay
justad
escortbull
daily-word-search
dfti
evanmarckatz
herzporno
alishop
indexarticle
chauhannashville
lpdirect
valais-excellence
lowdosenaltrexone
secuvy
bigmarketing
aqualeaf
adamsonsystems
bbs
inspirujmese
netszamuraj
theventure
plastics
thelostspring
sachvui
corpayone
wfgx
highlandsbarandgrill
theportalwiki
kimbo
administrator24
perfectclick
fefe
i2insights
851web
jakoscobslugi
i40hosting
eehor
garancialis
tianmao
dailydevotionalng
gitalex1
egnos-portal
vna
namefind
omega2
kurort-rathen
johannus
fataoquan
tutorming
doggiedoor
sprinklesforbreakfast
sangia
hpcj
bgent
madera
net
pcbl
meatpromotion
koopzondagen
oceanofgamesu
chicagoclimateaction
expanddigital
stoneridgeelectronics
nyeleni
varmebaronen
interactivesynergy
daniuwo
8k-movie
nardeochsalcons
homestagerbusinessbuilder
thinknsa
lionsafari
solaranalytics
lapita-noni
accordios
southernboydishes
thereliablenews
eo
simyo
rosespark
office-hack
openkitchen
coalfields-regen
positivebytes
979286
muis
pzbzg
754927
kfcku
followedapp
dentalsouthchina
sd
da8h1v3w8q6n5
eva
soindianporn
dstreet
sberbank-am
correcteur
kesunet
donga-st
yokisay
cdtrczp
ibongo
nightasxeverge
kcsnet
1cover
quiltville
allefriezen
wpcalendar
gaccmidwest
nachfolge-in-deutschland
boxcom
mila
gudog
hqrentals
projectdiva