Marketing: The Secret to Growing Your Firm?

Hinge, a leading branding and marketing firm for professionals, recently released its 2023 High Growth Study. One notable takeaway – the difference between high-growth firms and medium-growth firms comes down to one surprising factor: Marketing.  

High-growth firms put time and money into Marketing to grow credibility, build brand awareness, and establish a digital presence.  

The right Marketing Team can grow your firm.  

With the accounting profession at a crossroads, we decided to dig deeper into what firm partners should consider if they are serious about investing in their Marketing Department. 

Enter Mike Jones. 

Mike has 15+ years’ experience helping accounting firms create authentic brands that drive business. One of Arizona’s Top 40 Under 40, Mike is the CEO of the award-winning B2B Marketing agency Resound, and we had a great conversation about how firms can best leverage their Marketing Teams.  

Together, we compiled this list of ways to get the most from your Marketing Department:  

• Put quality over quantity. The right team can identify what levers drive revenue and execute strategies custom-designed to pull those levers. Cooperative high performers stay ahead of industry changes and apply evolving best-practices to achieve goals. It’s not about the size of your team – it’s about their expertise.  
• Prioritize communication. Just a small amount of your time can ensure that Marketing is aligned with the current strategy and vision. They need your perspective to ensure that they are effectively communicating the right message to the right audience. Prioritize communication with Marketing on a set schedule, even if only quarterly. 
• Take time to truly understand. A quality Marketing Team can translate the value of their activities into actionable takeaways the company can use and build on. Make sure you understand what Marketing is communicating to you. If you don’t, you’re likely to overlook opportunity. 
• Invest in the Marketing Department. 
  • Provide resources – software, tools, processes – that facilitate efficient communication and workflow. 
  • Provide opportunities for ongoing training. Some firms even allot “X” days of annual training right in staff contracts. Tools, AI, regulations all evolve so quickly – supporting your Team’s education will keep them sharp and build success. 
  • Provide space to ideate and brainstorm. Meaningful ideas take time to percolate. If your Team is cranking out content nonstop, they simply won’t have the ability to be thoughtful and creative. 
• Consider the culture. Managing your Marketing Team may mean balancing the structure and rigidity required by most CPA firms with the flexibility that many creatives prefer.  
• Let them diversify. Sometimes working with one brand can feel limiting — encourage your Team to spread their wings through strategic side projects. If your firm supports a local non-profit organization, let Marketing take the lead.  
• Avoid cookie-cutter tactics. Too often firms simply mimic their competitors, resulting in a group of virtually indistinguishable companies. Firms can easily lose their identity.  
• Give them space to try. Don’t be afraid to let Marketing break out of the box a bit. The most creative approaches are often the most successful. In a more traditional industry, it doesn’t take much to stand out. 
• Look outside the profession. Looking for inspiration outside the accounting industry can spark compelling ideas that cut through the noise and differentiate your firm. This can come in the form of peer mentorship, or influencers from other industries. Here are some of Mike’s favorites:  
  • Ross Simmonds: An e-commerce Marketing professional with an impactful newsletter – his case studies frequently have takeaways applicable to the accounting industry. 
  • Seth Godin: This legendary professional is a prolific author and entrepreneur. His focus — being specific about what you do and who you do it for — is especially meaningful for CPAs. As mentioned earlier, firms can lose personality when they try to be all things to all people – Seth’s work encourages Marketers to develop a brand identity and lean into it.  
  • Marketing Millenials: A fantastic source of case studies seen through a millennial generation lens, this site is a window into a variety of strategies and industries. 
  • Tom Goodwin: A strategist in the world of tech, Tom focuses on how people are relating to and interacting with technology. His insightful blog reveals nuggets about human behavior that can be effectively applied to our audiences. 

If you nurture your Marketing Team – if you invest in their success, genuinely communicate with them, and allow them to employ fresh, creative, but still on-brand approaches – they can be key to your firm’s growth.  

In an increasingly competitive industry, you need to employ every tool in your toolbox. Let your Marketing Team surprise you.  

Many thanks to Mike Jones of Resound for his contributions to this article.