Surgent's Getting Ahead: The Art of Marketing for CPAs

Overview

To many clients, CPA firms all look the same. While services and specialties may vary significantly from one firm to another, it is hard for the average person to see this by simply looking at the sign outside our office door. Is there any way to make us stand out more to the outside world? Through surveys, statistics, and examples, this course looks at how CPA firms can develop a marketing plan beyond just relying on referrals. We look at the pluses and minuses of various marketing channels, regulatory constraints, and how to measure success in the competitive financial services space.

Prerequisites

Basic knowledge of marketing concepts

Objectives

• Identify common problems involved in marketing CPA services
• State the common elements of a marketing plan for a service organization
• List ethical considerations and common state regulatory requirements CPA firms must abide by in their marketing practices
• Describe what survey data and statistics show about the effectiveness of various marketing channels
• Describe how to develop metrics to measure the success of marketing efforts

Highlights

• Challenges of marketing CPA firms
• Developing marketing strategy 
• Elements of a marketing plan
• Example: CPA firm marketing plan
• Marketing regulatory/AICPA issues
• Picking the right marketing channels 
• Marketing channel statistical analysis 
• Developing marketing metrics