Last week, I posted here about using video in my marketing efforts around my upcoming webinar series, “Jumpstart Your Rainmaking”. If you’ve been following me, you know that I’m a seasoned tax professional, and have spent the better part of 20+ years helping clients with their multi-state tax needs. My firm specializes in helping middle market companies navigate the complex sales tax and income/franchise tax issues that they’ll encounter as they do business in multiple states.
Recently, I’ve been focusing my outbound marketing efforts not so much on my multi-state business, but on a new venture – my training programs for professionals selling services – the “Rainmaking” series of products. My biggest challenge right now is that I don’t want to confuse the message. I’m still, very much, doing multi-state tax consulting. But this newer part of my practice needs some attention and love so that people understand what I’m doing.
So, I decided to roll out a video campaign this week around the Jumpstart Your Rainmaking – wherein every day I rolled out a solid Rainmaking tip, tied to a weather forecast, with the ultimate goal of asking you to sign up for my webinar series beginning May 4th. The videos are available on my YouTube channel here. But I also sent them out via my Facebook page, Linked In and Twitter. Next week, I’m going to try “Boosting” them on Facebook.
How Did We Do?
The truth is, I’m not sure yet. I haven’t had 10,000 people sign up for my webinar yet (but that wasn’t the goal anyway). I haven’t had a bunch of “likes” on Facebook from my friends. (I thought more people would weigh in and I’m not sure why they didn’t.) I tried to post the daily videos to a Linked In group that I’m a member of for “Social CPAs” and it bounced me as spam. So, overall, not great?
But wait, it HAS opened several new conversations. I have had a few registrations. And there have been many views on the daily videos on my Linked In updates. So, I’m getting some traction. What’s that statistic about being seen 7 times before someone even knows who you are? I know that I got in front of a lot of people and my name is out there!
The Campaign
I’m proud that I took the chance and put myself out there with a bit of a corny campaign. As CPAs, sometimes we take ourselves too seriously because we want others to take us seriously. My professional work around multi-state is serious. My clients want the seriously right answer – and I’m going to get it for them. The marketing side of the equation is much less objective, and much less serious. Certainly, this campaign showed a less serious side of me. I don’t want you to think that marketing your CPA practice isn’t serious too. It is, but is doesn’t need to showcase your most serious side. You can have a little fun with it.
I’ll keep you posted on the results from the video campaign. In the meantime, if you like what I’m talking about and think your practice could benefit from some of my tips around building your practice, I invite you to check out my Jumpstart Your Rainmaking webinar. Early bird registration (at $249) is open through April 27th. Then the price jumps to $299. The truth is – the rain doesn’t start until you put some effort into it. A bit of a “raindance”, if you will. I’ve been dancing with this during the week. And, wait, as I look out my window….a bit of rain! Coincidence? I don’t think so!
