Digital Marketing

Direct mail marketing for accountants and public accountants

In the accounting industry, direct mail marketing can be very profitable. Accountants and accountants are fortunate to be in an industry where they can buy a database, which provides accurate information on potential clients. This makes direct mail marketing a very profitable approach to developing new customers.

The first thing a CPA Accountant will need to do is purchase a list of companies that meet the criteria that a CPA Accountant establishes to qualify a client for their firm. There are many criteria a CPA accountant can choose from, but the most common are location, number of employees, sales volume, and industry. Some listing companies will even provide limited credit information. In general, it is best to select the locations closest to your office. Most compiler companies use postal code databases to establish locations. Consequently, the CPA Accountant should begin by providing the zip code of their office working in an outward radius until the desired number of businesses on the list is reached.

Once the criteria is established, the Accountant is now ready to purchase a database. Info USA and Dunn & Brad Street are perhaps two of the largest companies that collect and sell database information for resale. It is recommended to buy the list from one of these two companies. They are reliable and have been in business for a long time. Unfortunately, there are many companies that sell unreliable listing information with high error rates. Many other companies are basically list brokers who bought a list in bulk from one of those two companies and then resell it to them. It makes sense to always buy your list from a database compilation company, which has a proven reliable record.

With the list purchased, the Accountant now has a defined target market of potential businesses that could be good clients for his company. Direct shipping to the defined destination is profitable. The CPA Accountant is not incurring marketing costs outside of his target market. Radio, television, and newspapers broadcast or publish for the general public. Advertising in these media would subject the CPA Accountant to incur communication costs outside of their target market. Direct mail targets the cost of communication to your defined target market.

There are three basic rules that the CPA accountant must follow in direct mail marketing. The first rule of thumb is to always use professional letterheads and envelopes. Accountants often generate their own stationery “at home”, giving it a “home look.” Direct mail from the CPA is the first representation of your company’s work that a potential client could experience. The CPA wants their marketing piece to be of the highest quality. A direct mail marketing letter from a Certified Public Accountant that appears professionally to a profession or business will be opened, while a letter that appears low-grade is often simply discarded.

The second rule is never to use bulk mail or postage labels. When unsolicited mail is received, the business owner will examine it and make a decision. Does it look like something I should open? The decision is then based on the visible attributes of the CPA’s direct marketing wraparound tagging. If the envelope label was with a pre-printed mailing label accompanied by a mass mailing stamp, the letter will most likely never be opened and thrown away. However, if the Accountant directly labeled the postage-paid envelope using a metered or regular first-class stamp, the envelope will appear important in influencing the decision to open the letter.

Once the business owner decides to open the Accountant letter, they will always scan the piece to quickly discern if it is of interest. The third rule is to always keep the letter short and to the point. The potential customer will quickly determine if it is interesting and short enough to read without taking up a lot of time. A common mistake CPA accountants make is trying to write long, lengthy letters to “sell themselves.” This is a very costly mistake. The goal of the letter is to initiate a positive response. Once a potential client responds positively, you will be given the opportunity to convey those things in subsequent conversations and meetings to entice them to use the services of the CPA Accountant.

In addition to the three basic rules, it is always recommended that the CPA Accountant include a business card with the direct mail letter. This will allow the prospective client to locate the CPA Accountant’s contact information and retain it for future reference. It is also recommended that the CPA Accountant refrain from using postcards in direct mail marketing to the accounting industry. They have an appearance of merchandise that diminishes the perception of the quality of the accounting firm. Lastly, always use industry-specific direct mail pieces whenever possible.

In short, direct mail marketing for CPA accountants can be very profitable. Using target markets avoids spending advertising dollars outside of the target audience. It is important to always follow the three basic rules of direct mail marketing for accountants and public accountants. The costs of violating those rules can be enormous. Marketing to CPA accountants doesn’t have to be expensive, but it can be very profitable if implemented correctly.

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