The best way to use email marketing for accountants and tax pros is definitely NOT to send out a “newsletter”.
Instead, here at TaxProMarketer, we’ve fine-tuned a formula for tax and accounting firms to get a little “ninja” with their email marketing. And by that I mean, sneakily-effective email that sucks in referrals and builds long-term relationships with prospects and clients.
You see, we’ve been writing, managing, and sending email marketing for accountants and tax professionals since 2008.
In that time, we’ve sent 5,691,896 emails (and counting) on behalf of tax and accounting practitioners like you across the United States.
So, we’ve learned a thing or three in the process.
And based on our testing, here’s the BEST way for a tax or accounting professional to use email in their practice…
We talk about the lead capture in other places, and what makes that so important … but what do you DO with that lead, once you capture their information?
Ah, there’s the rub.
The above provides the answer.
When you get a new lead, or you add someone to your email list, there should be an (automated, but warmly personal) “welcome” to the relationship.
This doesn’t have to take place in one email, but can be spread out over a couple weeks and it should accomplish the following …
- Make sure your new subscriber feels welcome and appreciated.
- Set clear expectations.
- Deliver on what you promise.
- Give people a reason to like you.
- Follow up, in a properly-timed way, with what sets YOU apart as a tax or accounting firm.
What’s beautiful about this structure is that you can automatically “sell” your prospective client on using your services … without having to lift a finger.
Every lead gets followed-up with, and every prospect begins (over time) to feel like they know you, they might even like you, and they’ll almost certainly TRUST you.
Because your follow-up can be trusted. Your word is kept.
Many times, new leads become clients during this early, welcome process.
But what if they don’t?
Ah, you see … that’s when the magic can happen.
The part we haven’t yet addressed is nurturing.
This is the hard part, because it requires weekly labor on your part … but oh, is it ever worth it.
Many people in our industry press the quote-unquote “easy” button, and inflict upon their clients the generic “tax tips” newsletters (and call it email marketing for accountants and tax pros).
And then they wonder why they don’t get many referrals.
There’s a simple explanation for that by the way: your clients are savvy to the fact that YOU did not write that … so why should they pay attention to it any more than they would to something they could just as easily find online from a Google search?
Instead, your prospects just feel like “they’re being marketed at”. Which ain’t a good look.
So how do you nurture your list through email?
1. Come across as a real person.
I’ve already covered this, but your clients don’t really care about the three updates to the Net Operating Loss Carryover rules for TY2018. They just want someone to handle it for them so they don’t have to worry about them in the first place.
So imagine that you are writing to a PERSON and not that you are “writing an article”, and you’ll be leaps and bounds ahead of your competition.
2. CONSISTENCY.
This is huge with email.
When you only send something monthly, both our internal testing with tax firms, as well as industry standards, stipulate that unless you are in front of your list on a regular basis (weekly is perfect for us), then you are losing ground.
The open rates go down, the complaints increase and generally there is the sense in the eyes of the recipient of: Hey, who the heck is this emailing me? UNSUBSCRIBE.
3. Harvesting.
What I mean by this is that within your emails, on an occasional basis (i.e., NOT in every email!), you give your list a chance to respond.
This can take the form of having a call for specific questions to be emailed to you, asking the recipient to take an action (whether through social media, calling your office, or some sort), or (and this one is big) giving a special offer to your list from time to time.
Whether it’s tax planning, a return review, or an invitation to try out additional services from your firm, give your list a REASON TO RESPOND.
Keep it simple, and don’t be overly-aggressive, but DO NOT MISS THIS STEP with your list!
When you do all these things — and combined with the welcome sequencing — well, then you can then get REALLY ninja and create massive growth using email marketing.
If setting up a system for your email marketing seems like an overwhelming task, well, you’re not alone in that feeling.
After all, to do it properly, you need …
- Sending infrastructure (a compliant and effective email marketing platform)
- Smart, behavior-based list management
- Landing page design tools
- Domain reputation management (because the “ESP’s” — like Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo, etc. — all track each and every domain from which email is sent, and reward/punish deliverability according to the sender’s reputation)
- Lead magnet creation (and delivery) tools.
Oh, and there’s one more BIG thing that you need to be ready to create…COPY.
Lots, and lots of words.
So, imagine every component of your relational email marketing system completely done for you …
Imagine …
With less than five minutes a week, you can begin today sending emails that are received by your clients and prospects like YOU wrote them (not some commoditized “tax tips” articles), and which ensure significantly-increased new client referral rates, longer client retention and a position of dominance and thought-leadership in your local market.
