Marketing | CPAmerica International's Blog

CPAmerica International Launches New Website

January 14, 2013

Home Page of the New CPAmerica Website

Today, CPAmerica is launching its new public and members-only website. The new website is available to all existing CPAmerica members.

Before the launch, CPAmerica had two isolated websites, those websites have now come together to give members a smooth and user-friendly experience while accessing services through the association.

This project became a top priority in for the association in 2012 since the websites are used by personnel at all levels within member firms.

The simplified design and navigation complements CPAmerica’s rebranding which included a new logo and updated brand standards in 2012.

Among the updates, the new home page of the website showcases the association’s strategic vision and how it affects the members and their clients. It also displays the achievements and news of those within the organization.

CPAmerica has scheduled five live introductory webinars of the website to give members a guided tour of the new site. The introductory webinars will run Jan. 21 to 25.

2 Comments | Information Technology, Marketing | Tagged: CPAmerica International, Marketing, Website | Permalink
Posted by cpamericaintl

Is Your Firm Culture in Line With Your Firm’s “Brand”?

November 14, 2012

“Strong brands are built from the inside-out” – Karl Speak, Brand Tool Box.

CPAmerica International recently held a sharing call with professional services brand building guru, Karl Speak. Karl spoke to a group of marketers about the three immutable truths of professional services brand building.

His presentation had many high points, but the idea that firm culture affects branding struck me as an often-overlooked truth.

As marketers, we have the task of creating a stronger brand (or in some cases creating a brand altogether). To accomplish this task, many marketers fall back to the usual advertising campaign and planning events for prospective clients, without analyzing the brand that already exists inside the firm.

According to Karl, attempting to brand could be a futile effort if the marketer has not done the work inside the firm first because the working values of the firm will eventually become the firm’s brand as it is perceived by clients and prospects.

Firm culture includes how your employees feel about working at your firm, how they work with other employees and how engaged they are within the firm.

Many can agree that strong brands are built on passionate cultures. Firms that have big success tend to run like well-oiled machines and have low staff turnover. It may even be safe to say that these firms have already figured out what their internal brand is all about and are capitalizing on it.

By determining the “brand philosophy” of the firm, marketers can then focus on the vision, core values, brand position, brand identity and other key communication messages.

The reason the environment inside the firm is so important is that it WILL inevitably work its way out to the client – whether it’s good, bad or ugly. The interaction between firm staff and clients will create the alleged brand of your organization and create a lasting impression on your current and future clients. If this is not in line with your efforts, all of that branding could be lost in the noise.

If staff members are believers in the firm, they will translate that same affinity to the work that they do and the clients with whom they interact. So begin branding your accounting firm by analyzing the firm’s culture.

“If as a marketing director, you do not have an effect on your firm’s culture, you are working with one hand tied behind your back,” – Karl Speak

You can find Speak’s e-book on Leveraging the Power of Personal Brand to Build a Strong Professional Services Brand here.

If you would like more information on how to become a member of CPAmerica, please fill out this form.

Elizabeth Zadezensky is the Marketing Communications Specialist for CPAmerica International. She manages all of the association’s external communication, including branding, social media, press releases, event marketing collateral and the website for CPAmerica and CPAConnect.

Leave a Comment » | Marketing | Tagged: Brand, Marketing, Marketing and Advertising, Professional services | Permalink
Posted by cpamericaintl

How to Get Your Firm’s Message to More Clients and Prospects

October 2, 2012

When it comes to marketing your CPA firm’s services to clients and prospects, the discussion often evolves into a question of two alternatives: online or print?

View a Sample of CPAmerica’s E-zine

While the decline of print is undeniable and online marketing through email, social media and websites dominates the landscape, the best value for your marketing dollar is actually a combination of all of them.

To reach all or most of your target audience, the magic is in the mix.

Of course, the key is for your client or prospect to notice the newsletter, news bulletin, brochure or other marketing piece you have sent to them, associate it with your firm, read it, and then, hopefully, act on it, now or in the future.

CPAmerica’s E-ssential$ Bulletin e-newsletter to clients, which is subscribed to by one-third of CPAmerica firms, has average open rates in the 25 to 30 percent range.

That’s 5 to 10 percent higher than the national average – but still leaves 70 percent of clients and prospects untouched.

E-mails are opened most by the clients who know you best.

But for those who aren’t as familiar with you, there is so much else competing for their attention, that your message may be ignored and quickly deleted on a busy day.

Print newsletters or mailers are best used for prospects you don’t know or clients you see less often. Almost all print mail is delivered directly to the intended recipient and, in today’s world, can stand out more than the proliferation of online marketing messages.

Print also has the advantages of enhanced readability, especially for longer articles, as well as portability and longevity.

Print publications can be taken along and easily read anywhere, and saved for future reference. Emails tend to be read and deleted. Regardless of how much we wish it were otherwise, some audience members will always prefer print, and others will always prefer online.

Newsletters, whether they are print or electronic, are a professional, subtle way of image building, of placing your firm’s name in front of your clients and prospects on a regular basis.

The publications reinforce that your CPAs are knowledgeable in a wide range of financial subjects, that they do more than tax returns, and that they care enough to regularly provide their clients with tips and expertise to help them in the day-to-day running of their businesses. Read the rest of this entry »

Leave a Comment » | Business, Marketing | Tagged: Internet marketing, Marketing, Newsletter, online publications, print publications | Permalink
Posted by cpamericaintl

Want To Impress your Clients and Help Your Firm? Become a Media Star

May 24, 2012

Star Plus (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Is your firm overlooking one of its best opportunities to bring the kind of attention to your firm that makes clients and prospects sit up and take notice? And at no cost?

Your firm undoubtedly is full of financial experts – be they in tax, retirement planning, fraud prevention, real estate, management consulting or any of a dozen other specialty areas.

Coincidentally, business editors across the country are constantly looking for financial experts to quote in their business stories, interview on their news programs and write for their trade magazines.

Anyone can buy an ad, but being selected by the media as an expert tells your clients and prospects that your firm is deserving of special attention. Not only is being quoted by the business press free to your firm, it gives you and your firm a form of credibility and stature that money cannot buy.

Once you become known to financial writers, you may find yourself called on time after time to comment on the latest business happenings. Or you may be asked to write your own column for the public. What clients wouldn’t want the expert in the field as their CPA?

So how do you go about getting the attention of business editors? There are many ways.

Read the business section of the paper. Watch the financial show you’re interested in appearing on. Take note of the kinds of stories they run, who the reporters are and how your expertise might fit in. Read the rest of this entry »

Leave a Comment » | company culture, Marketing | Tagged: Certified Public Accountant, Expert, Marketing, Press release | Permalink
Posted by cpamericaintl

Regional Meetings Specialize in Member Sharing Sessions

April 25, 2012

Now that tax season is officially over, it’s time to start our events and member sharing opportunities. Here’s a summary of the first events coming up in May.

Northeast Partner Meeting – Friday, May 11

The Northeast Partners’ Meeting is just around the corner. The meeting will be held in Hanover, just outside of Baltimore, Md., at The Hotel at Arundel Preserve. The attendees will love the contemporary feel of this property, as well as the ease of access since they are located close to the airport and close to main interstates for those driving in.

The agenda for this particular meeting will consist of all member-sharing sessions. The group will begin with a session on niches within their region. This session will consist of a panel of partners from member firms that have well-developed niches. Panel members will be asked to share how they effectively structured and strategically grew their niches.

Next, they will talk about the growth strategies that firms are considering. Attendees will touch on business development, succession of rainmakers, base erosion with clients going out of business, marketing strategies, mergers and acquisitions, as well as growth in connection with growing their CPAConnect affiliation.

The afternoon sessions will focus on partner accountability, performance, compensation and buy outs. Attendees will share information with each other about how their firms handle these issues. They will wrap up the day with general member sharing, including topics such as developing future leaders, staff utilization, and roles in the firm.

Central/Mountain Partner Meeting – Friday, May 18

CF & Co Lobby

The Central/Mountain Partner Meeting will be held one week after the Northeast Partners’ Meeting, in Dallas, Texas. This year, CF & Co., L.L.P. has graciously offered meeting space for the group in its new office building.The meeting will begin with a niche services sharing session, followed by niche breakouts. After lunch, attendees will discuss firm management and HR issues. Other discussion will center on business development, recruiting, retention, leadership challenges and economic trends.

The planning committee (all agendas for our meetings are determined by a group of members) for this meeting did switch things up a bit by adding in breakout sessions on A&A- and tax-related matters.

They will end their day with a general member sharing session focusing on different practice management topics.

We’re excited to welcome our newest member firm Gollob Morgan Peddy PC. This is the firm’s first official event as members of CPAmerica International, and we’re excited that they’ll be participating in this wonderful opportunity for member sharing.

If you want to know more information on how you can join these meetings as a member of CPAmerica, please fill out this form for more information.

Heidi Dublin, Events Manager for CPAmerica International. As a part of the Events department, Heidi plans and organizes all of CPAmerica’s conferences, including the Marketing Roundtable, A&A Conference, Technology Roundtable, Leading Partner’s Retreat, Firm Administration Roundtable and the Tax Conference. You can follow her on Twitter @HeidiDublin.

Leave a Comment » | Business, Conferences, CPE | Tagged: best practices, Business, Marketing, member sharing, regional meetings | Permalink
Posted by cpamericaintl

Is Your Best Day Behind You or Waiting to Happen?

April 11, 2012

I’d like to pose this interesting question – one that may not have occurred to you. Are you still learning, or are you gliding or losing ground?

At any point in our lives, but perhaps a bit more so for us “boomers,” we should be looking for ways to improve, every single day.

I realize that “always improving” may sound obvious but, imagine for a moment that your best day is behind you. That you will not learn any substantial new thing. That you have already done your best work. No matter where we are in life, I can’t imagine we want to see ourselves this way.

A couple of ways to make sure you are still moving upward and forward might include taking a look at your reading list, your conversational habits, and your work habits.

I travel quite a bit, and it’s tempting to sit back and read a leisure magazine or just listen to music while I’m on a plane.

However, I’ve found that this is a great time to read an article in a professional periodical or a relevant article from the Harvard Business Review. Even an article from my Internet searches on a topic that I have heard about but don’t really understand stretches me and helps me learn something new. Whether electronic or hardcopy, I still try to read the Wall Street Journal each day – especially articles in the marketing section that often give me ideas I can apply in my business environment.

As I have gained a bit more “experience” in life, I have found it interesting and rewarding to try to refrain from telling my life stories and replace that inclination with asking open-ended questions of people from whom I can learn. Read the rest of this entry »

Leave a Comment » | Business, Continuous Improvement | Tagged: advertising, Business, Marketing | Permalink
Posted by cpamericaintl

CPAmerica International's Blog

CPAmerica International Launches New Website

Is Your Firm Culture in Line With Your Firm’s “Brand”?

“Strong brands are built from the inside-out” – Karl Speak, Brand Tool Box.

“If as a marketing director, you do not have an effect on your firm’s culture, you are working with one hand tied behind your back,” – Karl Speak

Want To Impress your Clients and Help Your Firm? Become a Media Star

Is Your Best Day Behind You or Waiting to Happen?

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