Online's Rise: Why Digital Marketing Needs to be a Core Competency in Public Accounting.

• Author: Oliver, Blake
• Position: Tech Talk

When I say "digital marketing," what do you think of? Probably the barrage of ads on social media that drove you to slick e-eommerce websites over the course of the last year to purchase products you never knew existed, but now can't live without.

No? Just me? Somehow I doubt that given the incredible growth of e-commerce since 2020. There are lots of people buying a whole lot more stuff online these days.

The pandemic drove online buying into the mainstream, and not just for consumer products. Business owners also are becoming more Comfortable than ever purchasing products and services online. And yet, digital marketing also known as online marketing remains a low priority for most accounting firms.

In some ways, it's understandable. Firms already have plenty of work to do. And when you have more work than you can handle, generating leads isn't .1 top

But marketing doesn't have to be just about your prospects. At accounting firms, marketing should be just as much--or even more--about your clients.

Marketing is about reinforcing your reputation as an expert and making sure your clients know about the different services you oiler.

Client referrals are likely your biggest source of new business, so marketing should be about creating an amazing experience that makes them want to refer you to their friends and family.

The benefit of marketing to your existing clients is that you can sell more to fewer clients who are also a better fit for your firm.

It used to be that we could accomplish all this without even having a website. And many partners did and still do. They might not call it "marketing," but that's what it is.

Speaking at local events demonstrates your expertise. Your clients come to your office to drop off documents and chat, reinforcing relationships. You create a professional office environment to build trust in the quality of your work and reputation. This is also marketing.

Marketing is how you present your firm to the world.

But the pandemic has disrupted all of this by forcing many of us to get comfortable doing many things that we used to do in-person, online.

In the past, business owners may have preferred to buy professional services exclusively from their local networks. Now they are quickly becoming comfortable working with professionals whom they have never met in-person.

Pre-pandemic, business owners may have preferred to stop by your office to drop off documents and talk about their needs. Now they are more likely to...