About a month ago, one of my LinkedIn connections who works extensively within the professional services arena posted about the #MannequinChallenge. She asked in her post, “who will be the first accounting firm to do it?”
Although it seems no firm immediately answered her request, there are a few that have come into the fray in the past couple weeks.
The first I noticed is from my acquaintances at Prager Metis in New York City.
Although a typical Mannequin Challenge video utilizes Rae Sremmurd’s “Black Beatles” in its soundtrack, these guys deviated from the norm. Not that I’m at all complaining. AC/DC is for all time.
Then I discovered other firms soon after. Below is from Wermer, Rogers, Doran & Ruzon from Joliet, Illinois. They did a special Christmas theme!
We also have the Norman, Oklahoma office of Eide Bailly.
Now let’s go across the pond to BKB Accountants in Poole, England. Watch out…this is the explicit version.
PricewaterhouseCoopers even got in on the fun in Hungary…
Switzerland…
…and Canada.
Those are the only ones I’ve noticed so far. Any others out there? I’d love to hear about them!
Finally, I want to end today by sharing with you a wonderful video from this past spring. California-based Armanino created this announcement about their new casual dress code policy.
There’s a fantastic use of creativity here, and I love that they went in this direction. It definitely isn’t something you would expect to announce this sort of thing, but it’s so apropos in terms of the instructional manner of it. Props to their video production people for truly embracing the 50’s educational film aesthetic, from the grainy quality to the peppy muzak to the baritone-voiced announcer. And here’s another interesting bit of trivia – “Jimmy” is played by Sean Taylor, Senior Tax Accountant at the firm. In a recent interview with Jeff Phillips from AccountingFly, Sean mentioned that he had never acted in anything prior to doing this video. I would’ve never guessed – he came off as an absolute professional. Well, maybe the fact that he had no experience contributed to his stellar performance.
Anyway, those are some pretty dope videos I wanted to share before the holiday. It’s always nice to see fun and creativity running rampant in firm culture. I’ll try to sneak in one more post before 2017, but until then, follow me on Twitter at @HeyNickNappo (changed my handle back) for more good stuff!
Here we are in the second part of a three-part series. May I present to you…five more of Accounting Today‘s 100 Most Influential that are new to the list.
Brian Fox – Founder/President, Confirmation.com
For those of you not in the accounting industry, an audit confirmation refers to when the auditor sends a letter to the entity’s debtors and creditors (those who owe to the entity and those to whom the entity owes) verifying the accounts payable/receivable amounts shown in the entity’s books. As you can imagine, this process can get pretty tedious and complicated. That is, until you look to Confirmation.com for help. Brian Fox started his company in 2001 as a means of “improving the audit confirmation process for the banking and accounting professions.” His current product line, however, is applicable across all industries. From accounts receivable/payable confirmations to Employee Benefit Plan audit confirmations to bank confirmations and even for legal confirmations for auditors, Confirmation.com not only economizes the audit confirmation process, it makes it interactive. Both auditor and audit client can now engage in the process together, thereby making it more collaborative and efficient, and prepared for the accounting industry’s future.
Russell Fujioka – President, Xero US
While we’re on the subject of collaborative accounting software, let’s check in with what some consider the national leader on cloud-based systems. Xero has really increased its stronghold in the North American market, carving a niche in small businesses and entrepreneurs. Their cloud-based products cover all aspects of accounting, including inventory, payroll and invoicing, and have even extended their services to mobile devices. Smart, considering that by the end of the decade, everyone will be on their phones. Another benefit of Xero is their Partner Program, in which practices who get more of their clients on Xero’s software climb the partnership levels and receive benefits. All the more reason to become engaged with them. I could go on, of course, but I’ve got four more people to cover. Visit xero.com to learn more.
Charles Hylan – Partner, The Growth Partnership
The Growth Partnership is a St. Louis-based practice management firm, and like many others, they work with accounting professionals in the areas of running and managing their practices, conduct leadership trainings, and specialize in marketing consulting as a means of facilitating growth. What I really like about them, though, are their values. Each one of them is minded towards creating a true firm of the future, especially “think strategically, critically and creatively” and “communicate and collaborate robustly”. The firm of the future, in my opinion, is centered around transparency and open communication between all levels of the practice, thus contributing to a more positive work environment centered around the development of its professionals and firm growth. Furthermore, creative thinking is what will drive the industry forward, as people such as the Most Influential build their companies by chartering new territories in all areas of the professional realm. As they say, doing what you’ve always done will get you what you’ve always gotten.
Finally, the last value is “work hard and have fun”. And rightfully so, if you don’t enjoy what you do and feels like work, how are you really spending your life?
Olivia Kirtley – President, IFAC
Since taking the helm of IFAC’s Board in November 2014, she has positioned herself as an industry leader with respect to increasing globalization in the accounting industry. IFAC is an international organization “dedicated to serving the public interest by strengthening the profession and contributing to the development of strong international economies.” It recently released a 2016-2018 Strategic Plan, which details how to maximize opportunity in global markets and alleviate risk. It states,
“IFAC is uniquely positioned to spearhead initiatives that demand:
•a global reach
•freedom from commercial and political interests
•the ability to create dialogue and debate.”
This speaks volumes to the potential of the industry to truly expand its reach within a global economic ecosystem, not just within the context of business, but in society. Principles of accounting exist in everything, if you think about it, and IFAC’s work in identifying trends and insights will undoubtely serve the profession well as it moves forward. To read the entire plan, check it out here.
Art Kuesel – President and owner, Kuesel Consulting
Kuesel Consulting has been in operation since 2013, but before then, Art Kuesel held various marketing positions within the accounting industry. His understanding of firm operations on the inside has contributed to his knowledge of what it takes to grow an accounting firm, enhancing the value and scope of what a marketing department can accomplish. Click here for an interview with him at the AICPA Growth & Profitability Summit in Orlando three years ago, speaking about marketing trends in accounting.
One thing I really like about his site is the section for recipes. He’s actually got a testimonial from a client, speaking on behalf of his guacamole. I must say, the chipotle chilies in adobo sauce have really piqued my interest – I love the idea of a slightly smoky guacamole. But here inlies the talent in marketing. Because he has the recipe section on the website, he sticks out in my mind for reasons other than just accounting and marketing.
And with that, I’m going to lunch. Come back next week as I wrap up this series!
This is the first blog post of the rest of my life.
In less than three weeks, I will be finishing my two-year-and-three-month tenure at Myles Wealth Management, a financial services firm in Florida, NY. Although it seems to have passed quickly, as time always does, I have grown in so many ways and learned so many lessons that will undoubtedly bring me into the next stage of my career.
What is that next stage, you ask? Plain and simple:
I want to be in accounting marketing.
If you go back on this blog, you’ll see that I’ve had an affinity for the accounting marketing field for quite some time. However, after I got the job at Myles, I made the decision to not continue regularly with posting here because 1) I got really busy, and 2) writing about accounting when I was in the financial services industry would’ve been something of a conflict of interest, n’est-ce pas?
But now that my time at Myles is ending, I’m incredibly optimistic and excited. Sad, of course, that I’m leaving, and a bit nervous about the uncertainty that lies ahead, but the way I see it, this is the first time in a long while where I’m boundless. I can pursue the journey to the exact spot where my dreams lie and where my aspirations soar above the clouds. In other words, I can really set out scott-free to be like some of the cool people I’ve read about and spoken with in accounting.
Yeah, I know. Marketing for the accounting industry. Some dream, right?
But the truth is, it speaks to me in multiple ways.
1) It’s the perfect mesh of the business and creative acumens, both of which I want to experience in a career. I enjoy working in a traditional office setting, and I also believe in everyone utilizing their own unique talents and gifts in the achievement of a common goal. In my case, that’s creativity and the ability to formulate marketing strategy.
2) I feel creativity is very much alive in the accounting marketing arena. These past few years I’ve posted about the winners of the Association for Accounting Marketing’s Achievement Awards, and their work, whether in the traditional or digital forms, is exemplary of excellence in design, content and strategy. Furthermore, it challenges the notion of accountants being humdrum, narrow-minded people, as the marketing of some firms embraces a side of accountants that are not frequently seen. That’s attractive to me as a marketing director because I want to create work that defies stigmas and challenges perceptions in a way that’s fun, relevant, and resonant.
3) The accounting industry is young. Enrollment in university accounting programs has significantly increased over the past decade, as has the number of graduates hired by CPA firms.* There is also much discussion about millennials in the profession, and how preceding generations can retain them in the industry through a shift in workplace culture and workflow dynamics. In this way, I want to work hand-in-hand with millennials as we become the prominent age demographic in the workforce by 2020, and subsequently, its next leaders.
4) It’s no secret that CPAs are the most trusted business advisors among SMB’s and the C-suite. That, and their influence extends across a multitude of industries, making them an integral component of an economic ecosystem, and the very kind of professional with whom I want to associate myself.
Again, I’m incredibly optimistic to see where my career takes me. I joined the Association for Accounting Marketing in late May, and I’ve already made some great connections within the NYC Metro chapter. Of course, the journey will have its challenges, but I’m more than ready to face them. I will work hard, and keep my ambitions (and ego) in check, and look in as many ways as I can to contribute to the evolution and growth of the accounting profession.
Right now, though, I’m gonna hit some golf balls with my dad. Looking forward to talking with you again soon!
I know it seems like I post practically annually now, what with the craziness of my life, but maybe I’ll pick this blog back up again…maybe. I’m doing slam poetry now in the Hudson Valley, so that’s taken up a lot of my time.
But, I just had to come back and give my take on some of the winners of the Association for Accounting Marketing’s 2016 Marketing Achievement Awards! There were some pretty cool things this year that I’d be remiss if I didn’t talk about. So here we go.
Integrated Branding Program – Budget > $100,000: LBMC
We’ll start off by looking at the integrated branding platform of this Tennessee-based firm. Their website is clean and simplistic, with a clear layout that provides users concise avenues to the firm’s services and industries. The clarity of the site is no doubt synergetic with the organization which LBMC’s professionals bring to their work, as well as the strength achieved by their clients through the client-firm relationship. Their social media presence is also quite strong, as their Facebook is chock-full of pictures of staff at events and valuable industry insights, their Twitter is updated 3-4 times a day with links back to the blog on the website, and the same can be said for LinkedIn. This is a great example of a really solid integrated branding program, with a design scheme that resonates with the mission of the firm, and comprehensive social media activity that sets the standard for what an accounting firm’s social media presence should be.
Next we’ll move up to Cleveland to view one of the best accounting firm blogs I’ve ever seen. Why is this blog so great, you might ask? It’s cleanly organized into all of the firm’s niche practice areas, including Business Advisory, Risk Advisory, and its Wealth Management division. The blog is updated on an almost-daily basis with content from each of those areas, and many of the firm’s partners contribute articles according to their areas of specialty. If a firm is able to market itself through custom content reflecting the expertise of its own professionals, that’s always better than buying into a service that produces ready-made content. Although I’ve been guilty of that in my work at my own firm, we’ve also created our own content, which has been consistent with my objective of authenticity in the presentation of our brand image.
Another cool thing about Skoda’s blog – the colors really pop. Very nice on the eyes.
Events – Budget Above $25,000: Barnes Dennig
I’ve never written about the events category in this AAM-MAA series, but I find it very interesting that AAM included it in the awards mix. And it’s fitting that this Kentucky-based firm took the prize. If the photos on their Facebook page is any indication of the work they put into their niche industry and community events, they’ve certainly got it going on. Not to mention the great things they do to reinforce a positive internal culture, like holiday parties, 5Ks, soap box derbies and other fun stuff. Check them out here.
Marketing Campaigns – Social Media: WeiserMazars
I wrote about these folks from the New York area a couple years back when I mentioned their awesome #WhenSharksFly campaign. Well, they returned this year with a couple other campaigns to market their cool, fun vibe they exude in their daily work. #BestAdvice depicts the firm’s professionals as they hold pieces of paper (or even sticky notes) that give little pieces of advice they hold dear to their hearts as they move through the strife of busy season. Seems to me this advice could also be taken by other accounting professionals across the country, which is a pretty cool thing. Another campaign they marketed which I particularly liked was #DearBusySeason, in which the staff held sticky notes with thoughts they wanted to articulate to the season if it were personified, and if they were given the chance.
One of the best reasons to execute a social media campaign such as this is the increasingly prevalent younger demographic. Firms across the country are trying to recruit and retain them, and as studies have shown that Millennials are drawn to authenticity, the best communications outlet in this regard is social media, since it’s perhaps the best way to market one’s authentic self. Not to metion, they will be largest demographic in the workplace by 2020, so if a company can market on their terms, it would only help them in the long run.
Website – Firms Between $10-24.9 million in revenue: Henderson Hutcherson & McCullough (HHM)
I guess for this article we won’t be crossing the Mississippi River, so let’s go back to Tennessee. HHM’s website has many things that I like – a sleek, bright, minamalist design, the utilization of Parallax scrolling, and the employment of soft, bright, welcoming colors and fonts, all of which create an appealing portrait of the firm’s modus operandi. I especially like their slogan, appearing in big bold letters upon first arrival, “Moving Business Forward”. With the train tracks as a background, one gains an understanding of HHM as a firm that constantly looks to the horizon for their clients, and like a train, never falters at anything in its path. If I’m ever in Chattanooga, in fact, I’d love to visit these folks. Their website just makes them appear to be that cool and likeable.
Video & Multimedia – Program Budget Above $10,000: Rea & Associates, Inc.
Nope, definitely not crossing the Mississippi. This Ohio-based firm does things with their YouTube channel that I’ve never seen before. Not only do they maintain a wide variety of content, ranging from branding videos to videos showing community activities, but they also maintain a collection of Excel tutorials. This example of content marketing is unique in that we often see firms conveying their expertise in industry matters, but not in the technical minutia of their work. Their Excel tutorials are extremely informative and comprehensive, and are no doubt relevant to accountants from all lines of work. According to Jason Blumer from Thriveal CPAs, accountants should be “brothers in arms”, and I believe the Rea squad embraces that philosophy as they selflessly share knowledge for the benefit of the profession as a whole. Props to them for being an invaluable resource to the accounting community.
And that’s my spiel for this year. Congratulations to all the winners of AAM-MAA, and I hope it was a fun time in New Orleans at the AAM Summit! Find me on Twitter at @NickNappoMWM to connect and keep in touch.
“At first I could see nothing, the hot air escaping from the chamber causing the candle flame to flicker, but presently, as my eyes grew accustomed to the light, details of the room within emerged slowly from the mist.Strange animals, statues, and gold – everywhere the glimpse of gold.”
-Howard Carter, upon entering King Tut’s tomb, 1923
Well, hello, there.
It’s been two seasons since we last saw each other. I’m sure you understand – it’s been an incredibly busy spring and early summer for me, but incredibly rewarding all the same.
Time has passed in the marketing world, too, and we’ve just recently passed the 2015 edition of the Association for Accounting Marketing’s annual AAM-MAA Awards. I know you all enjoyed my recap of it last year, so I thought I’d make a return appearance to do another one.
Let’s take a look at just some of this year’s winners.
Branding/Logo: Untracht Early LLC
I must say, this is an interesting logo from this firm, based in the New York metro. Let’s dissect it, starting with the colors. Purple is a very soft color, but studies show it can be linked to creativity and wisdom, as evidenced by its use in the logo for companies such as Yahoo!, Taco Bell, T-Mobile, and the SyFy channel. In this case, we can classify gold as yellow, which is a harder, bolder color, but represents clarity and optimism. Think Yellow Pages, Best Buy, and National Geographic. And, of course, the ubiquitous Golden Arches. 😉
The combination of the two colors represents an accounting firm that will provide clarity to a company’s operations using innovative solutions. Combined with the company’s slogan, “Pivotal”, we can understand that the firm’s professionals provide solutions that are not merely necessary during crucial times, but are insightful in ensuring the long-term stability and growth of a company. I also like how the “e” seems to continue into infinity, meaning the possibilities for a relationship between the firm and its client are endless. At least that’s how I see it, anyway.
This Buffalo-based firm won last year for their integrated PR campaign, and their blog is no exception to that streak of excellence. If you visit http://blog.freedmaxick.com/, you’ll find weekly articles written by principals of the firm that are thorough, insightful, and highly referential to current tax laws and economic trends. I feel that blogs are one of the best ways to communicate a firm’s knowledge of current trends to its publics, and Freed Maxick does a great job of leveraging the knowledge its principals possess to provide helpful insights to its clients from all of the different industries the firm serves. The variety of posts are incredibly comprehensive as well – just check out the long list of tags on the right-hand side. The firm definitely covers all its bases with their blog.
Internal Programs/Corporate Responsibility-Above $25 million in revenue: Anders CPAs + Advisors
I must admit, I’d never heard of this St. Louis-based firm until today, but I’m really impressed with their marketing platforms. They have a beautiful, detailed website, and their inbound platforms such as blogs and social media are current and consistent. I do want to draw attention, though, to their community service and corporate responsibility programs, which I understand why AAM wanted to commend. Anders gives to tons, I mean tons of charities and organizations in the St. Louis area – just visit http://anderscpa.com/about/community-commitment/organizations-we-support/ to see all of them. They also have an active Women’s Initiative, which seeks to enhance the careers of women in the firm through networking opportunities, leadership roles, and other events.
People often ask why being giving back to the community is important for the company, if it doesn’t imminently increase the bottom line. The way I see it, people are doing business with people. And these people have thoughts and feelings, and passions that drive them. To participate in activities in the surrounding community shows these people that a company empathizes with those passions and interests and expresses that empathy through its actions, and for that reason, the people will hold that company in a higher regard. Because before people do business with a company, they first have to like a company, regardless of the quality of service the company provides, and before people are accountants or advisors…they’re human beings.
Website-Above $25 million in revenue: Clark Nuber PS
To learn more about this Bellevue, WA-based firm, visit clarknuber.com. What struck me first was the logo in a simple white Helvetica typeface with a red underline. I’m most accustomed to seeing that typeface in places where the expression of the identity of the entity is meant to be simple and candid, for example, the American Apparel logo or in the game Cards Against Humanity (which I’m kind of awesome at, by the way). Nonetheless, I think the use of the typeface in the logo, as well as everywhere else in the website, is symbolic of the simplicity, clarity, and honesty the firm provides to its clients through its service. From a design standpoint, this clarity is also evident through a clear outline of the website’s sections with the subtle use of Parallax, and the nice use of the color red. All in all, a solid website with a nice hint of understated creativity. Check out the “People” section under “About”, too. I love how none of their partners are wearing business attire. I guess if that’s how they meet their clients, that’s how they wanted to appear on their website. But that’s really cool, I must say.
Social Media Campaign: Anders CPAs + Advisors
Let’s go back to St. Louis to finish up. These guys really know how to leverage social media. From posts detailing industry trends and insights that link back to inbound platforms on the company’s website, to clever campaigns involving the professionals such as #WhereIsAnders, which logs vacation pictures of the employees, as well as countless pictures of firm events and seminars, this firm presents a holistic campaign across Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, chock-full of everything that comprises the firm’s image and DNA. And that’s what social media is for, y’know? It’s for communicating the elements of the firm that extend beyond just the work of the firm, ultimately making the firm seem more like a person. I especially like the Anders sunglasses that make appearances throughout Facebook posts – it’s a really fun addition.
And, of course, a shout-out to the WithumSmith+Brown folks, who won again this year for Multimedia Campaign. Those State of the Firm videos are absolutely infectious. Amongst their other great videos, of course. Visit http://www.youtube.com/user/WithumVids for more.
To see the full list of this year’s winners, visit http://connect.accountingmarketing.org/blogs/aam-staff/2015/06/08/aam-announces-the-category-winners-of-the-marketing-achievement-awards?CommunityKey=8d252816-102e-4546-b912-ece808c1f7a5&Tab=. Yeah, not the cleanest URL, but it serves its purpose. Also, connect with me on Twitter at @NickNappoMWM.
Well, time for brunch. Have a great weekend, everybody! And a Happy Fourth!
So tonight is the Golden Globes, and I’ve made some predictions with the lovely and talented Ms. Emily Miller. I couldn’t find the reblog button on her page, so here’s the post: https://emilymiller91.wordpress.com/2015/01/09/golden-globes-predictions-2015/
Otherwise…I honestly don’t know how often I’ll be able to keep up this blog anymore. I’m busy with work, and to be honest, I’ve got other things going on that will hinder me from writing. If I find something absolutely amazing, however, I’ll post about it.
So before I go, actually, I want to share with you something I found through Sarah Cirelli, the WithumSmith+Brown Interactive Marketing Manager. This is a video from Cassons, an accounting firm in Haslingden, Lancashire, England.
They made a trailer about their firm and made it look like an action movie.
Lately I’ve been thinking about how business-to-business (B2B) marketers reach their potential clients, as opposed to marketers that target the average consumer. This thought train rolled into the station at a very serendipitous moment, as the Association for Accounting Marketing (AAM) had their annual Marketing Achievement Awards gala just a couple weeks ago. The ceremony honored the best of accounting marketing within the past year, awarding accounting firms for their efforts in the categories of branding, collateral, marketing campaigns, media relations, advertising, and websites, among others.
Now, I seem to have had much greater success with my accounting articles, so I think I’ll follow suit this week. I’ll be taking a look at several of the winners from the evening, and discussing how they’re great examples of B2B marketing from the lenses of branding, message, and creativity.
So here we go!
1. Warren Averett – Branding: Logo, New or Refreshed
Let’s take a look at the logo – it’s crisp, clean, and contemporary, which is everything a corporate logo should be nowadays. What I like about this particular logo is that it’s reminiscent of the Microsoft Word 2010 logo, seen here: https://www.tcd.ie/CAPSL/TIC/assets/img/misc/word-2010.png
Logos are incredibly important because they are the biggest piece of brand identity for the company, but they also responsible for conveying the essence of the brand in a single image. And if it’s done properly, a logo can say so much. This one, for example, may seem simple, but there’s much more than meets the eye. Its predominant colors are grey and blue. Now, according to a great article published on Business Insider last fall, blue “exudes trust and confidence”, thereby signifying a team player, and grey represents more logical, analytical, and independent qualities of a person.¹ Mix these two together, and you’ve got yourself a great accountant and advisor.
This Alabama-based firm actually does asset management and outsourcing management as well as the typical accounting, auditing, and advisory, so the use of these colors not only represent a strong business partner, but a holistic approach to a variety of professional services. Combined with a dependable sans-serif typeface, the entire logo communicates the mission of the Warren Averett family of companies – “helping [clients] make the most of opportunities to create, grow and protect value (warrenaverett.com)”.
There’s something fishy about this particular campaign (ba-dum-tish). WeiserMazars, based in the New York metro, won an award for their integrated online campaign, “#WhenSharksFly: Take a Bite Out of Busy Season”, and for good reason – it’s clever, witty, and fun. The concept is simple – take an inflatable shark and let him fly around various scenarios relevant to CPAs during their busy season in spring, in order to bring various “survival tips” to the firm’s followers. If you take pictures of him, you can post it on Facebook here, bit.ly/fb_whensharksfly, and there’s your Facebook portion of the campaign. Next, take the campaign to Twitter using the hashtag, and the same content from Facebook can be shared on another social media platform while the firm’s employees from across the country can intereact with the content. Then, of course, you top it off with a great YouTube video, as seen above.
Although the campaign may not do much in terms of content marketing, as is the trend with professional services organizations, it’s a great way to show a lighter side of an accounting office and connect with other firms by way of tapping into common experiences. On Twitter, the campaign trended among professionals of WeiserMazars, but there were also some outsiders that joined the fun, and that’s the goal when you implement an integrated online marketing campaign. You want to generate engagement across all people, especially those who may come in contact with your firm only sporadically. Who knows? There could be a potential client among them.
Also, one of those pictures depicts the shark floating outside one of those Halal food trucks in NYC. Like, what more could you possibly want to see on a firm’s page?
3. SS&G – Campaign: Total Spend of $25,000 and Above
The ads of the Cleveland-based firm’s “Words” campaign can be found here. http://ssandg.com/words/ The idea is this:
“Utilizing clean, eye-catching designs, a conversational voice, and playful wit, this campaign demystifies the tax, assurance, accounting, and consulting processes by turning negative notions on their heads, ultimately inviting clients and friends to experience the difference of our warm, welcoming, user-friendly service.”
If you take a look at the website, you’ll see seventeen different words on the left-hand side, each a common term in the CPA vernacular that may seem overused and meaningless. Each of the ads, that run in print format as well as digital, takes one of those words and associates it with the unique processes of SS&G as they maintain relationships with their clients, thereby bringing clarity to those words within the context of SS&G’s own unique brand image. On top of that, the ads maintain a fresh, clean look with bright, inviting colors, and an old-style serif typeface that reflects a professionalism that’s established, yet approachable. All in all, great ad campaign.
4. Freed Maxick CPAs – Media Relations: Integrated PR Campaign
Freed Maxick is a firm headquartered in Buffalo, with offices around upstate New York. These professionals make a very strong effort to stay connected on social media, and their different public relations efforts are a testament to that. With presences on all major social media accounts, as well as the production of blogs, press releases, and thought leadership initiatives, the firm stays on top of what’s happening among their clients and around the industries they serve. You can see more of what they do at http://www.freedmaxick.com.
According to an article from AccountingWeb, the firm increased their revenue by a whopping 110% from leads generated through advertising on Twitter. Their feed also has over 24,000 followers, and they’re able to engage them with trending hashtags and analytics that help determine what’s on clients’ minds at the present time.² I also checked out their media guide, and their digital media strategist, Emily Burns-Perryman, is listed as a contact, but I love how they also have regular CPAs on the contact list, too, if any member of the press has questions regarding specific areas of expertise. This is a prime example of how public relations should involve all members of the organization, because as a company needs to reach out to the public, every member of that company needs to contribute their voice in order to develop a strong brand image. After all, it’s everyone’s company, and everyone has something unique to offer, so why should they not have a say in how the company is perceived? That’s what makes PR strong.
5. Weinstein Spira – Website: Firms between $10 and $24.9 million in revenue
The last firm we’ll look at today is this Houston-based firm that won in the websites category. Take a look at weinsteinspira.com. This is a great site because all the information you need is right in front of you, and easy to access. It cuts through the clutter. Also, going back to what I mentioned about the logo, different shades of blue are used throughout, which reflects teamwork and partnership, and there’s also a lot of white, which represents organization and clarity. And every piece of information you’ll need is easily accessible through a menu, with just enough text to get the message across, in a casual, conversational tone. This is really the model for what a strong professional services site should be.
Also, I need to give a shoutout to WithumSmith+Brown once more – they won awards for their blog, as well as their awesome multimedia campaign I wrote about several weeks ago. Great job, everyone!
By the way, if you’re in accounting or accounting marketing and you want me to write about something, let me know! I’m always looking for fresh ideas. Hope to see you around!
Introspections of a marketing gentleman 