CPA Practice Advisor - 30

MARKETING YOUR FIRM

6 Ways Accounting Firms Can
Attract Catering Clients
By Becky Livingston

IF YOU'RE LOOKING to add new catering clients to your existing
client list or are expanding into this client vertical, chew on
this marketing food for thought. You can find new clients with
little to no budget, as well as expand your brand's reach to this
audience using these tried-and-true techniques.
ALERT ME

Google Alerts lets you set
up free alerts for phrases
you're interested in. In
this case, set up a Google Alert for
"new caterer in [city / state name]".
Or, if you know the catering clients
you want to attract, set up an Alert
on each company's name. Each time
the caterer's name is mentioned in the
news or online, you can review what's
being said and send them an email,
congratulatory social media post, or
tip about something related to their
business. That effort alone may make
you look better than their current CPA
or accounting firm.

REAL ESTATE AGENTS

Consider working closely
with commercial real
estate agents who have
their finger on the pulse of new catering facilities and kitchen tenants coming to your area. Create a pitch deck
or promotional item to include in a
Welcome Packet promoting your services and offering a free consultation.

UP THE ANTE

Do you have a website
form that captures
leads? If so, consider
adding an industry field with dropdown list including caterer. That way
when you receive the form, you'll
know immediately and be able to

DECEMBER 2019 ■

www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com

identify their business and accounting
pain points for a phone conversation.

GET SOCIAL

Did you know there are
hundreds of catering
groups on Facebook
and LinkedIn? Simply login to the
social media platform of choice and
search for "caterer groups." You may
need to click on a "Group" navigation
button or advanced search button to
be presented with the groups. Follow
the group's posting guidelines and get
involved by asking a question, such as
"What about your catering business
keeps you up at night?" Develop a
series of open-ended questions like this
to engage the audience. Remember, no
hard-selling on these platforms, but
rather, a conversational exchange.

REACH OUT

Your next catering client
might already be within
arm's reach via email.
There are a few tactics you can take,
including:
■ Ask your email subscribers for referrals and combine it with a promotion,
e.g., 10% off next month's service.
■ Use a banner or graphic in your email
to promote services to the catering
industry. Tip: Use a food photo image.
■ Host an event or webinar for caterers
and ask clients to attend with a
plus-one catering friend.

FOR THOSE WITH A
BUDGET

If you have a budget
for additional efforts,
consider search, display, and/or social
media advertising. For as little as a
dollar per day, you can reach leads on
social media as long as your efforts are
targeted. If you choose search efforts,
I recommend using display advertising too so ads appear in supplemental
areas, such as in email and social
media platforms.
According to Acquisio, "Google's
display ad network reaches 90
percent of global internet users."
(https://bit.ly/2P5TJlX)
Remarketing is also very effective
for capturing leads because display
ads are based on a user's behavior.
Remarketing combines headlines,
copy, images, and links you provide to
display an ad based on search, engagement, or actions taken by the user.
One thing to keep in mind is, none
of this will work effectively if the click
goes to one of your generic webpages,
e.g., Services. Tailoring content, leadgeneration pages, and forms to the
niche industry is key. Let the visitor
see that you know their industry; that
you get their pain points; and that you
have solutions for them. Sending them
to a generic page just doesn't cut it.
Now that you have these tips to
chew on, how will you reach out to
your next potential catering client? ■
Becky Livingston is the president
and CEO of Penheel Marketing,
a marketing firm specializing in
social media and digital marketing for CPAs, and has more than
25 years' experience in marketing and technology in financial
services and engineering firms.

https://www.bit.ly/2P5TJlX http://www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com

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