Does print advertising work?

I have not done classified ads, but I do advertise in the yellow pages. I have a display ad under Accounting, a listing under Bookkeeping, a listing under Payroll, and a listing under Tax. Over a year, I have broken even for all of it and those have been bookkeeping clients. This year, I'm moving my display ad to Bookkeeping and hopefully will fare better.

Most of my business (85-90%) comes from referral. I would strongly suggest finding a BNI chapter in your area and joining if the spot is available. I have been a member for a year and a half and over half of my business is generated through the chapter. You will form relationships with other people in your "contact sphere" like CPAs, bankers, management consultants, financial advisors, etc. that will refer business to you and vice versa. You can read about the organization at BNI.com and should be able to find contact information there for an area director in your city.

It is a very good idea to meet with CPAs in your area that might not do bookkeeping and can refer their clients to you. Building trust is the hardest part, though, and an organization like BNI can help with that. Your local chamber of commerce might have groups like BNI; however, I have found that they usually lack the structure and accountability that BNI has.

Good luck!

I've had no success with print ads in local publications. I've had business card ads with no response. I'm a member of my local chamber of commerce and have not recived any business from there.

I do sometimes get a call from my line in the verizon yellow pages. My listing is under CPA.

I've also had some success by putting ads in the "situation wanted" area of the major Sunday newspaper.

I received no response from an advertisement in Metro city newspaper. I ran the add in the situations wanted section for one month. However, an ad placed in the local area paper has been beneficial. The ad ran for 6 months but paid for itself within 6 weeks.

I am a member of the chamber of commerce, but once business picked up going to networking events was out of the question. The few times I did attend were a lost cause.

My best success has come from professioal referrals - CPA's, bankers, payroll services and resident agent firms. I also belong to a BNI Chapter. Networking is your strongest ally and best friend. Take a look at the BNI website, ID your area and have at it.....

Nigelba,

I have a suggestion for you but need to know where you are located. If you are near me I will be very reluctant to give you the information because it can hurt my business. On the other hand if all you are doing is the Bookkeeping business and you are near me, maybe we can 'partner' and help each other improve and grow our individual businesses.

Marvin

Hi I noticed your post about advertising and maybe a partnership.

I am Located in Columbus, Ga and Cusseta Ga any suggestions.

Thanks,
Tom

Marvin:
I'm located in Madison, WI. Hope that helps. Feel free to call me directly at 608-669-0449.

I've just canceled my yellow pages ad due to no results. Maybe 4 calls in 4 years. I am completely swamped with business just from the Intuit Certified Advisors link. I also received referrals from local CPA's I have visited because I do the detailed work that they do not like to do but I do not do taxes.

Nigelba,

I am a Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor with a degree in Accounting and also over thirty years of (IT) Information Technology experience working as a Consultant with (PCS) Professional Computer Services in Windsor, Connecticut. PCS is an IT Business Solution Provider and we will do everything that is related to the computer. We have a Hardware, Database, Networking, Software, Internet, Web site and an E-mail Specialist along with many others and I am the Financial Software Specialist. My suggestion is find one or more businesses that are IT solution providers for small and medium sized businesses. Every business uses Financial Software and when they need IT services and support they might be able to use Financial Software service and/or support. It might be a good idea if you were to contact these businesses and inform them that you can add value by offering their clients Financial Software Services. You would allow these businesses to provide a more complete solution to their clients. We have had numerous clients that not only needed It services but Financial Software support in order to start a new business or improve an old business. We have also found that in some cases we were unable to offer a client Financial Software services unless we provided them with Information Technology services. You must have (or will) run across the case where you are not able to sell your services unless the client gets some IT services first. Finally, by building 'partnerships' with IT providers they can help you and you will be able to assist them to grow the business.

Marvin Weil

Tom,

I am a Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor with a degree in Accounting and also over thirty years of (IT) Information Technology experience working as a Consultant with (PCS) Professional Computer Services in Windsor, Connecticut. PCS is an IT Business Solution Provider and we will do everything that is related to the computer. We have a Hardware, Database, Networking, Software, Internet, Web site and an E-mail Specialist along with many others and I am the Financial Software Specialist. My suggestion is find one or more businesses that are IT solution providers for small and medium sized businesses. Every business uses Financial Software and when they need IT services and support they might be able to use Financial Software service and/or support. It might be a good idea if you were to contact these businesses and inform them that you can add value by offering their clients Financial Software Services. You would allow these businesses to provide a more complete solution to their clients. We have had numerous clients that not only needed It services but Financial Software support in order to start a new business or improve an old business. We have also found that in some cases we were unable to offer a client Financial Software services unless we provided them with Information Technology services. You must have (or will) run across the case where you are not able to sell your services unless the client gets some IT services first. Finally, by building 'partnerships' with IT providers they can help you and you will be able to assist them to grow the business.

Marvin Weil

Thanks

I've been building my bookkeeping business for two years and can honestly tell you that ads in the newspaper are a waste of money!. Besides being expensive, you'll need to advertise regularly for a bunch of times, just to get someone to call you. What I have found to work, however, is answering help wanted ads for part time bookkeepers. I usually fax my resume or just call and explain how my service can be better than hiring a bookkeeping employee.

I've just now started to do direct mailing with postcards. They are supposed to be very effective at getting more customers.

And as far as soliciting your services to a CPA- I can tell you that you need to pick one carefully. Most cpa's already offer bookkeeping to their clients, so if they give you bookkeeping work, chances are it will be a problem client that they don't want to deal with. This happened to me, so I have first hand experience. Make sure you seek out CPA's that do not do their clients bookkeeping. This way you can also negotiate better fees and be in control of your own work. Hope this gives you some head start. Milla

Chalk up another vote for BNI. You will need to hook up with a CPA who does not do bookkeeping(I do, sorry) and it can be quite beneficial for both of you.

I used to put ads in a local Shoppers Guide, and I got many calls until other CPAs did the same. I once put an ad in a regional newspaper's special tax season section, but the only two calls I received were from two other local newspapers wanting my business!

By the way, my BNI chapter has 33 members now and we are still growing. Go, BNI DVR!

President, Moorestown chapter

Hi,
I am located in South Florida and am new as a Quickbooks ProAdvisor, it is an adjunct to my business consulting, (I am not an accountant). I am trying to develop a postcard to be sent to newly formed companies and businesses (I have access to Occupational License data). If I am not in an location that is in conflict with you, I would appreciate your sharing what you have found to be a successful message or design type for your biz postcard.

Prior to reading this forum, I was thinking of running print ads, boy am I glad I read this, the campaign in my area for a month would have cost $1500.00 for a 2 1/2 by 3 inch ad once a week in the biz section.

Any suggestions or input would be greatly appreciated.

I have an accounting business that has been open for a year. I am struggling because I am not very good at sales.
I am a QuickBooks ProAdvisor and have degrees in mathematical sciences and accounting.
Newspaper ads do not work. Yellow pages gave me nothing. The best results I have gotten came from a flyer I put in the local chamber newsletter. Referrals are the way I've gotten 90% of my clients.
I am also trying to form "partnerships" with other professionals such as investment advisors and insurance brokers. I also administer 401(k) profit sharing plans.
I REALLY need to do something to gain clients. At this rate, I will only be able to last 9 more months!
I have done a postcard mass mailing and that gave me zero calls!
Networking and meeting potential clients face to face is the best way to do it! It is slow going, though, so that is why I am in trouble. I am hoping the tax season will give me a cash flow shot in the arm1:o)

Although I agree that typical advertising is expensive and generally ineffective, I think that done correctly, advertising can work.
In my opinion, the first thing you must do is define your ideal customer and the problem that you solve for them as specifically as possible. "Bookkeeping service with 10 years experience" is not specific. "Helping home builders in Atlanta manage their cash flow" or "Helping CPAs in the Kansas City area increase their profits" would be better.
Very few people are going to buy accounting services based solely on an ad. The more complex andor expensive a service, the more you will need to educate your prospects so they can come to Know, Like, and Trust you. After that, they will buy from you. This is why referrals work so well, the prospect is "borrowing" the know, like, and trust from the referral source. So the purpose of your ad should be to get your ideal customers to begin the education process to get them to know, like and trust you.
You do this by creating a direct response ad - an ad with a call to action that leads the prospect to call or visit your website to request a free report, sample, or some other item of value in return for their contact information. Then you focus your marketing efforts on further educating this group of people, getting them to know, like, and trust you until they are ready to buy.
This approach works well for bookkeeping and accounting services for several reasons. First, by targeting a very narrow group, you can reach more of them on a smaller budget. Once you have defined your ideal customers, find out what they read (not just subscribe to), where they go for their information.
Second, direct response ads are trackable, so you can see which ads are working and which ones aren't.
Finally, many bookkeepers and accountants don't like to "sell". This educational approach to marketing is a non-selling approach to sales. The prospect identifies themselves as someone with the problem that you solve. Your marketing materials educate them as to how you are different and what life will look like after you solve their problem. "Closing the sale" usually involves clarifying expectations, agreeing upon payment terms, and scheduling activities.
I hope that helps. Let me know if you would like me to clarify or expand on any of the above points.
And of course <g>, you can download a free report from my website that explains the 7 Steps to Small Business Marketing Success.
Bill

You left a message a year ago about best referrals, you said, cpa,bankers,payroll services and resident agent. What is a resident agent. Thank you