Are You Keeping Clients Informed on New Policies and Industry Changes?

You’re deeply familiar with the recent release of the ERC Voluntary Disclosure Program – but do your clients know about it? When major policy changes like these strike, it’s critical to your clients’ financial success that they get the right information at the right time. That’s the magic of running a tried-and-tested ongoing thought leadership program: in one email blast, you can share game-changing industry updates with your clients quickly and effectively.

But let’s back up. Let’s say you’re already sharing updates with your clients by phone, Zoom, or in-person. While this certainly builds rapport with your clients, there are better ways for you to use your potentially billable time while still retaining your reputation as a trusted advisor.

That’s the role of a structured thought leadership program. With a little planning and the right technology, you can keep your clients updated in a way that benefits both your business and theirs.

Rethinking One-to-One Communication

There’s a distinct time and place for one-to-one communication. Recall a conversation you shared with a client that resulted in something positive: a revelation that saved their business money, the deepening of your working relationship, an upsell, or a referral. Now, recall another conversation that was ultimately a drain on your time and energy. If you’re like most firms, it’s those rare experiences like the former that make us continue enduring the latter. It’s the proverbial needle in the haystack.

There’s a better way to find the needle than sifting through the hay one piece at a time. We’re not suggesting you replace one-to-one communication with mass thought leadership emails. Instead, we suggest you reframe your approach to client communication to make it more efficient.

One of the best ways to uncover client needs is to allow them to “self-select” into these more intimate, one-to-one calls from a broader, more generic initial message.

Let’s revisit the ERC Voluntary Disclosure Program example. To use this strategy on this piece of industry news, you might write up one email that highlights who is impacted by this new program and how you can help, prompting them to book a call through a link. Then, if your client relates to this information, they’ll contact you directly. If not, it’s no loss to them (or you).

Here are a few other reasons why this thought leadership approach to sharing industry updates is better for both your firm and your clients:

• Your clients receive accurate information from a trusted source. Your clients work with you for your expertise. However, if you’re not educating them on important topics that could impact their business, your competitors may beat you to the punch – and this information may not always be accurate, or in your clients’ best interest.
• Your firm will be viewed as advisory rather than transactional. One of the most powerful differentiators in the CPA industry is your ability to offer trusted, tailored advice to your clients. This strategy deepens your relationship, cementing your firm as advisory rather than merely transactional.
• You save a tremendous amount of time. Pay attention to how much time you spend on ad-hoc client meetings discussing policy or tax changes. Note how many calls or emails you field about general questions: are you frequently repeating yourself? Now, try drafting, editing, and sending out one thought leadership email to a broad list of recipients – and then only following up with those who are seriously interested in discussing the topic further.

A structured thought leadership program can offer unparalleled benefits for both your firm and your clients. It provides an efficient means of disseminating vital industry updates, reinforces your role as a trusted advisor, and allows you to manage your time more effectively. If you would like to discuss this approach or learn more about the Marketing by Numbers platform, be sure to schedule a call. We look forward to getting to know you and your unique situation.