Firm Management
Getting Artists to Buy-In to Your Accounting Firm’s Services
Marketing your firm’s accounting services to an artist may feel like an up-hill challenge, but a challenge, non the less, that can be conquered. By helping artists perceive the connection between their art and financial planning to help them be ...
Jun. 20, 2018
Marketing your firm’s accounting services to an artist may feel like an up-hill challenge, but a challenge, non the less, that can be conquered. By helping artists perceive the connection between their art and financial planning to help them be successful, is the key.
With potential big highs and deep low in their income stream, it’s important for accounting firms to focus on the pain points artists feel and provide them with information they can use and easily understand. Take away the stigma that numbers are not what artists “do.”
Hypothetical Case Study
Amy is an actress who performs part time at her local theater. It’s her dream, but it doesn’t pay the bills. So, she waitresses to keep a constant stream of cash on hand to help her get to and from her dream job.
One day, her mid-morning replacement doesn’t show up. She’s in a bind because her boss won’t let her leave a room full of diners. When she is able to leave, she has enough cash on hand to put gas in her car and get to the theater before the opening curtain call.
As her day winds down, she thinks about all the money challenges she has in her life and hopes there are some remedies.
Enter from stage left, an associate from your firm, Ed, who tells her about the tax benefits she can claim when she’s looking for work, including pictures, resume writing, transportation, and other costs. He also mentions how she can create a monthly budget to know where her money is going and how, by saving just a little each month, she can get ahead. He suggests that she get a free consultation at your firm for more insight.
The moral of the story is to consider the pain points unique for artists and to identify specific ways you can help them to overcome it, in areas such as:
- Budgeting
- Financial Planning
- Taxes
- Expenses
- Grants
- Royalties
- Intellectual Property
- Retirement Planning
Marketing Tips for Accounting Firms
If you want to increase revenue in an “artist” vertical, consider focusing your efforts on these steps.
- Clearly define the niche(s) you want to support – painters, actors, theater, etc. – and hone your knowledge about people in these industries.
- Attend other financial professional’s webinars and conferences to see what advice is being offered.
- Create a plan outlining the problems artists face, along with solutions your company provides.
- Develop a marketing plan that clearly aligns each marketing effort to the vertical’s business goal, including an ROI analysis and measurement strategy. If a marketing effort does not directly support a goal, don’t use it.
- Talk their language. Work with a copywriter that specializes in that niche to help you write compelling materials, ads, and social media posts to help draw that audience toward your services. Tip: Including words like “you” and “your” in the copy will make it feel like you’re speaking directly to them. For example, “Did you know you could claim gas mileage as an expense when traveling to and from auditions? Here’s how.”
- Consider what your website looks and feels like. If using traditional colors (blue, green, grey, burgundy, etc.), consider new ways to display them that will attract an artistic eye. Employ a graphic designer that specializes in designing for artists to help you.
- Develop and share case studies about how working with an accountant, financial planner, and / or tax professional helped a person to succeed.
- Rely heavily on testimonials rather than “corporate speak” on your site and in social media to help bring a “personal” touch to your media.
- Engage with artists where they work and play. Avoid relying heavily on online media to help you to reach your goals.
When you start thinking about pain points, providing solutions should come easily. It’s packaging it in a way that artists will respond. That’s your challenge.
Challenge accepted.
Now go out and break a leg.