online newsletters for accountants: a complimentary...
TRANSCRIPT
Online Newsletters for Accountants: A Complimentary How-To
Sandi Smith Leyva, CPA, CITP, CGMA, Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor, Xero Certified Advisor
Where to Get This PowerPoint
• http://AcceleratorNewsletters.com/thank-you/
About You
• Accounting Professional – Looking for client retention and
marketing options
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About You
• Services – Software consulting, setup, conversion, training,
troubleshooting, reseller – Controller, CFO, bookkeeping, accounting, payroll – Tax, write-up
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About Me
• CPA • Started writing in 1990 • Wrote books for the AICPA in the late 1990s • Started writing articles for Intuit in 2001 • Still writing….
About Me
• What I Write: – Website/Blog content – Bios – Case Studies – Marketing materials – BizBoost News client newsletter for
accountants
Agenda
• The one secret you must know about accounting newsletters before you invest in one.
• The benefits you should expect to get from investing in an online newsletter.
• When you should start a newsletter (some of you start too early!).
Agenda
• Several places to find pre-written accounting newsletters (including our competitors!).
• How to spend less than ½ hour per month on your newsletters.
• How to build your list and/or see if anyone is reading it.
1 Secret About Accounting Newsletters
• Shhhh: Hardly anyone reads them – Open rate is about 15%
• Average open rate is 20% • Look for the highest open rate you can
– Don’t cover material you would charge for • The business owner doesn’t care; that’s why they are hiring
you • Instead keep it strategic general business or strategic
educational
Benefits
• Stay in Touch with Clients – low-cost • Client Retention
– Solves the Biggest Complaint – Lack of communication
• Upsell Opportunities – I bet all of your clients do not know everything you
offer
Benefits
• Permission to Pitch Periodically • Warm Up Leads
– Only 3% of people buy on first contact with you • Re-Use Newsletter Content for Blog and Get
SEO Benefits • Get Content from Articles for Social Media
Tweets and Posts
When Should You Start
• After you have a great website OR • After you have 5-20 clients at least
– You do not need a website to send a newsletter
Places to Find Newsletters
• BizBoost News – http://acceleratornewsletters.com/client-
newsletter/bizboost-news/ • Cloud Accounting News – only for Xero
consultants – http://acceleratornewsletters.com/client-
newsletter/cloud-accounting-news/
Places to Find Newsletters
• Our Competitors: – Mostad
• http://www.mostad.com/cpanewsletters/clientnewsletterpdf.php
– BizActions – Thompson Reuters • http://www.bizactions.com/solutions/newsletters/
– PDI Global – Thompson Reuters • http://www.pdiglobal.com/content-publications/online-email-
newsletters
Places to Find Newsletters
• Our Competitors (not sure if they have stand-alone newsletters): – CPA Site Solutions has a newsletter with their
websites – ClientWhys – BuildYourFirm – TaxProMarketer (Build A Herd)
Places to Find Newsletters
• Our Affiliate (I do receive a commission) – Ed Lyon Wire Service – 26% open rate – http://bit.ly/taxwire
• Our Former Partner: – GhostPartner, Inc. - The QBC, Tax, Xtra (NAN)
Spend ½ Hour Per Month
• Handle 1-2 months’ worth in one sitting – Delivered to Constant Contact
• Schedule the date, select your list
– Paste to your WordPress blog
Constant Contact Demo
• Contact List – Adding Clients
• Email – Scheduling Draft
Build Your List
• Routine for adding new clients • Opt-in on website for leads
– Offer free report
Build Your List
• Invite your other channels – social media, LinkedIn connections and groups
• Collect business cards and request permission at local networking meetings
• Signature line • Business card
Your Questions
Measuring Effectiveness
• Open Rate • # Unsubscribes • Response /Inquiries • Sales or Responses after sending out a
newsletter • ROI per channel: Revenue/Costs
Your Plan
• How much revenue would you expect to generate from a newsletter? – Recovering lost clients – Upsells – Warming up leads – New sales – 97% who are not ready to buy the first
time
Your Plan
• You’ll need: – List management like Constant Contact – Newsletter like BizBoost News – Do it yourself or done-for-you
Our Offer
• BizBoost News – $199/year through March 31, 2013 – Then $249/year
• Constant Contact account – 30% off through March 31, 2013
• new accounts and current trials only