integrated digital marketing strategies
DESCRIPTION
Know digital is important but don't know where to start or what tools to use? This presentation gives you a rundown of the top tools, how to use them most effectively and how to combine them in an effective campaign. You'll also get a peak at what's next with mobile, location-based marketing and social bridging.TRANSCRIPT
Digital Marketing
Effective Techniques for CPAs
What do you want to get out of this session?
Accounting marketer?
CPA?
What’s your experience been?
What would you like to come away from the session with?
©R2integrated 2011
Today you’ll learn:
Why digital marketing is crucial for business development
The key tactics every marketing plan for accountants should include
What’s next for accounting marketingMobileLBMSocial Bridging
All infused with case studies
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DIGITAL MARKETING AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
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• Seeks out trusted peer recommendations offline and online to learn how other companies have handled similar business challenges.
• Researches recommended companies online
• Controls the conversation by arranging to be contacted at their preferred time and format.
Web is a crucial part of the buying process for a new generation of B to B buyer
B to B Buyer Transformation Survey conducted by DemandGen Report among 100 B to B buyers spread across a number of vertical industries including: business services, finance, healthcare, manufacturing, software/tech and media/internet.
DIGITAL MARKETING AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
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The internet is a decision engine for buyers of professional services
DIGITAL MARKETING AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
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How do you stand out in this process?
• Get found in long tail and geographically-specific searches
• Use a variety of platforms to demonstrate your expertise and subject matter authority and engage with prospects and clients
DIGITAL MARKETING AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
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KEY TACTICS
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Model for an integrated digital marketing strategy for accounting firms
KEY TACTICS
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Online marketing helps firms grow faster
• Firms generating 40% or more of their leads online grow 4X faster than those with no online leads
• High growth firms obtain 63% of leads online while average firms obtain 12%
• Greater engagement with online tools is associated with faster growth
“Online Marketing for Professional Services Firms,” Hinge Research Institute, 2011 http://www.hingemarketing.com/uploads/Hinge_Online_Marketing_Study.pdf
Online marketing increases firms’ profitability
• The greater a firm’s online lead generation, the greater its total profitability
• Firms generating 60% or more of their leads online are 2X more profitable than those generating less than 20% of their leads online
BUTAccounting was among the least likely to adopt online marketing and grew relatively slowly
“Online Marketing for Professional Services Firms,” Hinge Research Institute, 2011 http://www.hingemarketing.com/uploads/Hinge_Online_Marketing_Study.pdf
Most effective tools
• Blogging• White papers, ebooks and articles• SEO• Company newsletters • LinkedIn• Twitter• PPC• Online video
“Online Marketing for Professional Services Firms,” Hinge Research Institute, 2011 http://www.hingemarketing.com/uploads/Hinge_Online_Marketing_Study.pdf
SEO: Optimize for the long tail
• Make sure your CMS is optimized correctly
• Conduct keyword research to identify the terms you can own
• Optimize across all properties
• Look for inlink opportunities
• Maintain
KEY TACTICS
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Take advantage of owned publishing platforms
• Website, blogs, social networks, etc.
• Use an editorial calendar to keep you organized
• Leverage content across platforms
KEY TACTICS
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Website
Become a resource and build trust by providing valuable content
Original content• Speaking engagements: PPT or
video• Blogs• Time-sensitive content: alerts• Tools: tax planning guides, etc.• Articles• White papers
Your analysis of important syndicated content• News items• Articles
Position your accountants as thought leaders in their area of expertise
KEY TACTICS
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Allow people to connect with you
• Make the bio an aggregation of all the relevant content about that person
• Show the range of an accountant’s expertise: case studies, related services, blog, video, etc.
• Provide a sense of personality so it’s easier to connect
• Use an engaging office shots for bio photo
Give people a sense of the personalities they’ll be working with
KEY TACTICS
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• Provide value • Engaging subject line but keep it to 30
characters• Design for the scanning reader but plan
for image blocking• Have a clear focus and theme for each
email• Clear calls to action• Incorporate video• Include social sharing links but make
the content share-worthy• Test for best send times, design, CTA,
etc. and measure effectiveness
Build a relationship through regular content
KEY TACTICS
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MarketingSerpa 2010 Email Marketing Benchmark Report
Blog
• Could be general, industry or service-focused
• Be concise and insightful—don’t write a dissertation
• Write for the scanning reader—bulleted lists, videos, charts, graphs, photos
• Think of content in multiple ways: text, video, PPT, interview
• Post regularly• Use API feeds to deliver this
content to your website• Use an editorial calendar to keep
you organized
Be the resource for your specialty
KEY TACTICS
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• Make it personal not anonymous
• Promote your content
• Share others’ content
• Connect with journalists, clients, prospects, referral sources
• Engage leads
• Can also use API feeds to deliver this content to your website—but not if it’s already promoting content currently on the site
Expand your reach and raise awareness
KEY TACTICS
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• Anonymous corporate logo
• Haven’t posted since February 1
• All about them
• Haven’t updated since their merger
What NOT to do
KEY TACTICS
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Slideshare
Create a library of your presentations
• Helps you expand your online footprint and support SEO efforts
• Make sure you tag your PPTs
• Reinforces your credibility
• Use API feeds to deliver this content to your website
KEY TACTICS
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YouTube
Don’t need to be expensive or professionally produced—short, rough and ready style using a flip cam gives a sense of immediacy
Keep them short—under 2 minutes
Talk about issues you’re passionate about
Tag your videos
Use API feeds to deliver this content to your website
Give people of sense of the experience of working with you
KEY TACTICS
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The hub of your professional activity
OPTIMIZE YOUR PROFILE
• Use keywords for SEO in the title and overview
• Make sure it’s complete—include a photo
• Regularly update your profile
• Add any apps or features that allow you to show off your thought leadership and link to your properties
• Give recommendations to get them
KEY TACTICS
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The hub of your professional activity
SHARE YOUR VALUE
• Post an update
• Participate in groups
• Answer questions
• Personalize invites to connect
• Follow companies
• Congratulate connections
KEY TACTICS
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Promote your value and recruit
• Share info about your community involvement
• Share thought leadership
• Share valuable info from 3rd party sources
• Use for recruiting
KEY TACTICS
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Use events to bridge offline and online efforts
• Maintain existing relationships with clients and referral sources
• An opportunity to engage with prospects
• Use QR codes to easily drive the audience to online content
• Use hastags to share the event with an online audience
• Leverage the content in blog posts, social posts, etc.
Build relationships in person
KEY TACTICS
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CASE STUDY
Create campaigns around specific business issues
Freed Maxick’s Tax Credit Locator—a mix of traditional and new media
• Print: direct mail, ads, including QR codes
• Radio
• SEO
• Blog comments
• Promote on social networks: LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, including ads
• All drove people to the website
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CASE STUDY
Create campaigns around specific business issues
Freed Maxick’s Tax Credit Locator—a mix of traditional and new media
Results for 10 week campaign
• Average 5-8 new prospects per day using the tool and 490 new prospects
• 35% (or 171) of prospects eligible for tax credits
• $75k worth of engagements to date
• Website traffic spiked 20%
• We have answered over 500 questions relating to tax credits via all channels
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WHAT’S NEXT
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WHAT’S NEXT
Mobile
Who checks how many web visitors come from mobile devices?
Who has a mobile version of their website?
Who has a mobile app?
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Types of Mobile Optimized Websites
Subdirectory vs Subdomain
Subdirectory: www.example.com/mobile
Subdomain:m.example.comtouch.example.comexample.mobi
Use a subdirectory to maintain SEO.
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Stuytown
Mobile Friendly WebsiteSite renders ‘as is’
WHAT’S NEXT
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Mobile Optimized Website(Optional $): I/A and Mobile Content
RoseNYC
WHAT’S NEXT
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Predicting App Success
WHAT’S NEXT
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Predicting App Success
WHAT’S NEXT
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Cost considerations
Mashable, February 2011
And this does not even include marketing the app!
WHAT’S NEXT
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Custom Mobile App
CASE STUDY
MyLawyer Accident AppAllen, Allen, Allen & Allen, Richmond, VA
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Location-based Marketing
• SEO: claim online properties
• Gamification
• Targeted marketing by location
WHAT’S NEXT
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CASE STUDY
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SCVNGR is a client
LevelUp Your Startup
Goal: To support the local community of entrepreneurs
Level 1: Startup legal package
Level 2: A startup accounting package
Level 3: Opportunity to pitch their company to top-notch VCs
Only 10 deals available—sold out within an hour
CASE STUDY
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Delivering ads to mobile audiences
Goal: To grow its customer portfolio for small business insurance programs
Audience: Mobile small business owners
Solution: Location-based ads that Integrated with existing outdoor advertising—Ads served up before and after logged on to public wi-fi
Results: Click-through rates five times higher than the company’s average rate for traditional online display ads.
British specialist insurer
CASE STUDY
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LBM Takeaways
Think creatively about:
• Your goals: awareness and community service vs business development
• Who you are trying to reach
• Their online behavior
• Where and how you could connect with them
• Potential partners
Owned properties are on the periphery of decision making
WHAT’S NEXT
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ID, activate, and engage with the key battlegrounds
that we do not own and control
Build brand love and content amplification in the places
customers expect you to be
Attract and Engage Acquire and Advocate
Communities of Interest
and InfluenceSocial CRM
Integrate
Ongoing Listening and Monitoring People, Places and Content
across Social Spaces
Social bridging is the key to success
WHAT’S NEXT
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To sum up
• The new B2B buyer is starting their buying process online and turning to social networks and industry blogs to help them make an informed decision
• Build your publishing platforms first and then develop integrated campaigns to to drive qualified traffic and encourage conversions on your properties
• Plan for mobile
• How could you take advantage of LBM?
• Expand your horizons beyond your properties to engage prospects and influencers where the conversations are happening
©R2integrated 2011
Questions?
Contact Me:
Leigh George, PhD, Senior Digital Marketing Strategist
410.327.0007 x 1211
http://www.linkedin.com/in/leighgeorge
@leighgeorgeImage Credits:Businessman at computer: denemarkphotos.comConference: unienterprises.com
©R2integrated 2011