Over the last several years, CPA firms have been going paperless – not only in their tax and accounting processes – but in their marketing strategies as well. There are many advantages to going somewhat “paperless” in marketing, but like all strategies, there are the right and wrong ways to go about it. Although you may always need a few print brochures on-hand for meetings, conferences and events, email newsletters and targeted email campaigns can be a cost-effective and efficient way to reach a very broad audience with essential communications about your firm.
Here’s a brief overview of some things to do in your email campaigns, and some things to avoid. While these suggestions may seem obvious, you would be surprised how often they are not followed.
7 Tips for Email Marketing Success
1. Have a purpose for your communications and online marketing strategies.
It is imperative to grasp the goals of your marketing efforts and lay out a strategy to accomplish these goals. As Tom Peters says, “Begin with the end in mind.” Are you sending out e-newsletters in order to drive new business to your firm? Then be sure to include articles or images that tie in to the services you are promoting. Have appropriate calls to action that your readers can respond to. For example, your clients in the medical industry might be interested to know that they can “contact our expert in healthcare practice accounting today.” Include this type of call to action either as a clickable graphic that readers can respond to or as a closing or footer to a related article.
2. Newsletter content should be targeted to your readers’ interests.
According to a survey conducted by HubSpot, “one of the most common responses indicated that when people decide to subscribe to emails from companies, they expect the emails to be relevant to their interests. In fact, 38% of respondents specifically referenced the word ‘relevance’.”
Business people will be interested in business strategies, news and information related to their industry. Individuals may not care about those topics, but they may be interested in estate planning, retirement planning or saving for college. Many CPA firms regularly send out one ‘generic’ newsletter to all of their readers, regardless of their interests. Don’t make this mistake.
3. Welcome new subscribers and make your unsubscribe process simple.
A solid welcome message can help keep your unsubscribe rates low. If you haven’t already included a welcome as part of your email marketing best practices, consider doing so now. Your welcome message should (at least) include the following information:
- Your firm’s contact information and links to your website;
- The frequency that readers can expect to receive your communications (weekly, monthly, etc.);
- What type of information they can expect to receive from your firm; and
- A reminder that subscribers can unsubscribe from your communications at any time.
- The CAN-SPAM Act requires that you provide a link for subscribers to opt-out of, or unsubscribe from, your email communications. Don’t frustrate readers that may want to unsubscribe by making this process difficult. Your unsubscribe or opt-out link should be easy to find, should not involve a three step process, and should be honored as soon after the request is made as possible (preferably immediately).
4. Let readers know who your messages are coming from.
Keep your brand intact, even if you are distributing multiple email newsletters. If you send several niche email newsletters, the design should be similar enough for each that your readers will recognize the consistent branding. You should also provide links to your firm’s website or microsites to make it easy for prospects to find you.
5. Embrace brevity but don’t skimp on impact.
Let’s face it… we live in a time-crunched world. Keep your email newsletter articles as short as possible to communicate your message and still provide real value to your readers. Email newsletters are not the place for lengthy dissertations. If you cannot avoid a long article, consider splitting it up into several parts, posting it on your website, or summarizing the article and then offering your readers a link to the full whitepaper.
6. Personalize your emails with dynamic fields and human interest content.
What is a dynamic field, you ask? It’s just a fancy way to describe fields like [firstname] or [date] in your marketing messages. Try to send email communications to your individual subscribers – personalizing each message with their first name. Personalization can help your readers be more receptive to your messaging. However, take care to make sure that your database includes the name that your subscriber commonly uses in their daily interactions as their first name. For example, if your first name is Chris, but you ask people to call you by your middle name in your daily life, then you will see “Dear Chris” as a dead giveaway that the sender does not truly know who you are. This would be a rather impersonal greeting.
Somewhat personal articles about your firm and the people who make your firm great are also important to include in your online marketing efforts. Professional service providers want to convey a sense of trust and credibility to their contacts but should also remain human and accessible in their communications. Consider including congratulatory pieces when members of your staff celebrate life’s milestones. Many of our clients have been able to spark interactions with their contacts based on the very human information provided in the firm’s email newsletter campaigns like graduation, wedding and birth announcements; career milestone and retirement announcements; staff involvement in charities, chamber of commerce events, or other philanthropic endeavors.
7. Be sure to encourage feedback from your readers.
Email marketing makes it easier for your readers to provide more feedback. Your B2B email campaigns should provoke readers to ask questions, inquire about services, or simply comment about the articles they’ve read. You can also use business customer surveys and distribute them through your email marketing platform. An open dialogue, more feedback and timely replies from your firm will result in more business opportunities.
Whether you create your own e-newsletter or use a service, be sure to implement these best practices, avoid these mistakes, and enjoy the benefits provided by today’s advancements in marketing and communications.
