Richard L Klein – CPA PC: The Long Island Accounting Blog
As a CPA firm, it can sometimes be difficult to find the right things to say and/or write because lets face it, the accounting industry is not built upon sharable content. It is a rigid industry with strict standards and not much room for variation. As the internet age continues to develop however, more and more firms are realizing that content marketing is here to stay. So as I write on my blog, I think to myself what it really is that I want to say…and what do people actually want to hear. It’s a natural question that leads to the obvious, yet seemingly inconclusive answer: The topics I cover and the content on my site should be exactly what my clients have to say, or questions they have.
I want my clients to feel up to date on new laws as well as how they will affect them. I can talk about the industry in general and search far and wide for great accounting content but why do all of that when the content I need is directly in front of my eyes!
I think about what my clients say and how they feel and realize that just by listening, there is tons of content waiting to be developed and marketed to the world. I want to place my firm in the spotlight through blog posts, videos, case studies, testimonials, etc. and my clients are the best source of content for all of this. Rather than creating content about random accounting information, I feel it is best to approach accounting content with the clients thought in mind. This will lead to majorly increased relevance and improved social communication.
While surfing the Internet, I found the following four concepts on communicating with clients to be especially important. I feel as if these are the keys to building highly positive client relationships:
- Answer questions. You hear accounting questions at work and even at social events. If your clients are calling you wondering about something, chances are good that others are wondering about the same topic. Jot down these questions as you hear them and when it’s time to write a blog post or another kind of article, you can choose a question to address. Being known as the accounting firm with the answers to the questions people are asking is a very good thing for your brand. It’s also a chance to demonstrate your expertise and build goodwill.
- Arm readers for change. Is there a new tweak to the tax code that will affect some of your clients? Take a proactive stance and address the change in a post, explaining the issues it will cause and letting readers know how to prepare themselves to handle it. They’ll thank you not only for the good advice, but for keeping them aware and on top of their game. And of course, they’ll probably come to you for help implementing whatever changes are necessary to meet the new requirements.
- Share your saga. Have you ever had a rough time finding the right way to handle something? Be honest – we all have at one time or another. You can share your struggle, including the missteps along the way, in a post for your readers. They’ll benefit from learning the answers you ultimately found as well as the results of the less effective strategies you tried first. They’ll also appreciate that you are willing to share the story, and that you’re the kind of person who keeps trying until you get it right. Wouldn’t you feel better about trusting an accountant that tried, failed and kept trying all the way to success than one that gave up early or never even recognized failure?
- Let them speak for you. Well written case studies are powerful tools as well as interesting to read. They don’t have to be long, either. Just explain briefly the challenge that existed for your client, then describe how you solved it and the result. It’s best to get the input of the clients in questions and use their actual words as much as possible, because readers can often relate well to the client’s experience. Besides, when the client says you’re an amazing problem-solver it makes a much bigger impact than when you say it about yourself.
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