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Do I need social media to create an effective marketing strategy?

Written by Step Change Marketing | May 12, 2015

Stump The Strategist

Watch below as we answer:

Q: I have an accounting firm that I want to grow. There's been no marketing in the last few years. Is social media a good place to start?

  • Featured strategists are: 

    Adam Long – General Manager, Step Change Marketing

    Andrew Durack – Head of Copy and Insights, Step Change Marketing

    John Hagerty – Managing Director, Be Business  

     

  • About Stump The Strategist:

    • Questions from the floor, answered live in nine minutes
    • It's opinion, not advice
    • Step Change charges clients for advice, Stump The Strategist is free

A:

  • Break down your marketing plan into three distinct sections. First is attraction marketing: Grab the attention of people who don't even know you exist. Then, think about engagement strategies: How do you engage those people? Finally, use commitment marketing: Get these people secured in the sales pipeline

  • Get referrals from existing clients. Communicate with them, do a satisfaction survey, and let them know about all the additional services you have

  • Social media is not always the answer. The biggest lie about social media is that it's free – it's not! If you’re an accounting firm then Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest won't be worth your time

  • LinkedIn might be more worthwhile for all your staff. It allows both engagement and commitment strategies, and it's a credibility point. Aim for 500+ connections

  • Another great marketing strategy is to use Google My Business. This is a new system developed by Google, which allows customers to search businesses across categories. If your customers give you good reviews, you will quickly become the most recommended on Google, which will boost your public profile

  • The next step of brand positioning is to map out your competitors' strengths and weaknesses. For example, if one of your competitor's strengths is how fast they are, does this mean they aren't thorough? If this is the case, you might position your brand on being thorough

Get more Stump The Strategist HERE