Practical marketing pointers from Shane Lukas at AVN
Marketing experts tell us to post frequently on social media, regularly contacting our clients, getting our firm name out there at every opportunity. In this 24/7 world we live in, there’s an expectation to be producing new content all the time.
Whether you outsource your marketing or do it in house, technology makes it easy to create and promote reams of content, marketing messages, emails etc. All of which makes sense if we want to keep top of mind with clients and prospects.
But the very ease with which we can create our marketing messages is a problem.
All too often it leads to bland, generic content that washes over the target audience in a blur of sameness. If you’re lucky (and persistent), your firm name might become vaguely familiar over time. But nothing distinguishes you from thousands of other accountants.
How to create memorable marketing
In this sea of sameness, what stands out is being authentic. The value of authenticity has never been higher (in fact, ‘authentic’ was the word of 2023 for the Merriam-Webster Dictionary). As AI has made it easier than ever to create convincing text, images, videos and audio, being genuinely human is more valuable than ever. When you inject that authenticity into your marketing, it becomes distinctive and memorable.
The phrase ‘people buy from people’ gets used a lot in marketing – because it’s true! Marketing that reflects your own personality and what’s important to you is far more compelling than a corporate-sounding message.
So say what only you can say. Your experiences and what you’ve learned from them are unique to you. Don’t be afraid to show who you are. If you’re worried that this might be off-putting to some people, do you want to work with them anyway? If they don’t like what you stand for, are they likely to be a good client?
How AI helps you to be more human
Ironically, AI can help you to be more authentic. But only if you use it in the right way. The explosion of this technology means we’re awash with content written by AI. And because AI can’t create, only regurgitate what already exists, it doesn’t have that all important personal touch. In fact, research by marketing whiz Neil Patel found that human generated content outperformed AI written content by 94% and generated three times more traffic.
However, AI can be an invaluable tool. The key is to use it to brainstorm ideas, not to create the actual content. Say, you’re marketing to the construction industry, ask ChatGPT or one of the many other platforms available to give you some ideas.
For example, you could ask it to create a content calendar for blogs for that particular sector, based on what’s relevant at each time of year. Or ask for an outline for an email about the benefits of getting tax returns submitted early.
Once you have an idea of what to write about (which is often the hardest part) you can start to create your content. You could even ask AI to suggest the best way to structure your content, whether that’s for a blog or for a marketing email.
And of course, one of the best ways to communicate a human story is to use client case studies and testimonials. After all, what’s more relatable than a real person sharing a problem that the reader also has and explaining how they overcame it?
Keeping up with this rapidly changing world can be hard. Being authentically yourself and communicating on a human level will help you stay on top.
There are dozens more practical ideas for developing and growing your accountancy firm in The Accountants KnowHow Club. It’s packed full of tips, training and resources to help you take your business to where you want it to go.