It’s not how we wanted to start 2021, but the fact of the matter is we’re back in Lockdown and are likely to be for some time. However, your firm’s marketing and messaging over the next 12 months will be paramount to the future of your practice.
There are four key areas that I believe accountancy firms should have on their to do list for 2021. They are:
Client engagement
Review your current client communications across the firm. Don’t just look at your own initiatives but review what everyone else is doing (it can be quite alarming how client communications vary within a practice). What forms of communication take place and how regularly do they happen, e.g. phone calls, proactive emails and letters (i.e. non-assignment related), zoom calls, newsletters, webinars, social media interaction, etc. Is there a consistent approach or is it haphazard? Ideally setting out a client engagement plan on a quarterly basis will help keep the communications focused, informative and help to develop client relationships further.
This year, there are lots of topics that your clients will need to be informed or reminded of. This includes ongoing issues and support for businesses negatively impacted by COVID-19; Brexit and how that is unfolding on a day-to-day practical level; and the Budget on 3 March and who knows what will be announced then! Plus looking ahead there is phase 2 of MTD on the horizon which will include VAT registered businesses with a turnover under the VAT threshold. Whilst this does not come into effect until April 2022, based on your experience of Phase 1 of MTD, do you really want to leave it until the last minute to start migrating these clients across to MTD compatible software?
Review your website
When was the last time you had a good look at your firm’s website? Is it still fit for purpose, or could it do with an upgrade? Our article ‘New Year, New Website’, sets out what steps you should take to evaluate the effectiveness of your website and how to make it work harder for you.
Maintain/raise your profile
In the absence of business and social events such as face-to-face networking, corporate hospitality events, business awards and so on, what are you doing to keep your presence high in your local area or in a specific industry?
Many networking events have moved to an online platform to help keep businesses connected, so where possible do attend and share tips and advice that other businesses may find useful. I’ve seen more firms being proactive with their social media platforms since the start of the pandemic and this is another great way of reminding people of how you can help and to disseminate information which they would benefit from hearing (and in many cases which they are not receiving from their own accountants). Writing articles for the local press and magazines or perhaps trade industry articles is another useful way for maintaining a presence in your marketplace, as is placing adverts in such publications.
Staff engagement
With many staff back to working from home again, and likely to be doing so for a longer period this time, how are you keeping them engaged? This is not just about keeping tabs on the client work they are doing but also checking to see how they are coping with the situation. The NHS website ‘Every Mind Matters’ is a very useful resource to help everyone cope with the challenging situations we all find ourselves in.
As with client communications, there are many ways to keep in touch with your team, not just on a one-to-one level, but also to bring them together in their teams or as a whole firm. Zoom and MS Teams have been perfect to facilitate this for both work-related discussion and social interaction. You could also consider having a staff newsletter.
Firms that take on board the above areas, will be better placed to handle whatever life throws at us in the coming weeks and months. At the moment it’s impossible to set in place a 12-month marketing and communications plan, so focus on the next 3 – 6 months at the most.
If you would like some assistance in implementing any of the above, do get in touch, you can use our online enquiry form to do so.
