Particularly if you’re in a service or idea business in which the kinds of services or consulting you provide is dynamic, you ought to be taking advantage of a constantly changing field of data, knowledge, and insight, and telling your market about those things. It’s difficult to describe this without using a couple of examples.
If you’re a CPA, regardless of the size of your firm, your consulting changes constantly, because the law changes constantly; sometimes changes are subtle, sometimes they’re dramatic, but at least on a quarterly or semi-annual basis, there are practice amendments that might impact your client base. And, you might also have to constantly remind your clients to perform quarterly filing, update payroll information, and so forth.
I have seen CPA’s who send out email updates on a periodic basis. While informative, these updates are often very… um, dry. 😉 And, let’s face it, changes to tax law is not exactly riveting stuff, but it is important. So, why not make those updates and reminders more palatable by releasing them in the form of a talking head video?
If you choose to do something like this and embed the videos as links in emails, there are a few things you’ll want to do…
- K.I.S.S. – I know, it stands for Keep It Simple, Stupid! But here we’re calling it Keep It Short, Stupid! Don’t release a ten-minute video explaining the blow-by-blow of a new regulation – you’ll sound like Ben Stein teaching science in The Wonder Years! Cover the facts and then, if your audience needs additional information, refer them to a document they can click on below your video, after they’ve finished watching.
- If you’re going to put a link in an email, make sure it’s an actual frame from the video. If you don’t know how to do this, ask your social media or systems admin. You want any effort to look as professional as possible.
- Make it fun. Yes, I know you’re a CPA, you’re not supposed to be fun! You’re supposed to scare your clients into submission with your sage wisdom and warnings of impending tax-related doom. But, you can even have fun with bad news. In fact, it’s better to have fun with more difficult matters – conveying levity and calm in the face of challenge will leave your clients much more at ease.
- Even if you don’t have much to say at a particular interval, say something! Refresh your content on a regular basis and try not to deviate from that schedule – your clients will become accustomed to seeing regular updates from you.
- You don’t need to have a fancy, glossy highly produced video – but make sure you’re dressed professionally, cleanly shaven, if you’re a man, freshly applied makeup if you’re a woman. Your reputation is on the line, so make sure that you look the part.
Focusing your content like a laser beam on a particular market or group of customers helps build your brand and a strong bond between you and your customers. You’ll like that and so will they.