The Four Secrets to Building Momentum for Your Marketing

When I talk to accounting firms about marketing, the conversation almost always turns to results. What will I get out of investing in this and how long will it take? I usually tell my clients that their results will depend on a few factors and ask the following questions,

• How aggressive do you want to be?
• How quickly do you want to act?
• How well can you execute?

Growth is not for the faint of heart. When you want to grow, investing in activities that will help you go big or go deep will ultimately strengthen your market position. The secret to turning marketing investments into serious growth is taking steps that build momentum.

The Law of Momentum

Unfortunately, the more you have to accomplish, the less you actually get done. Newton’s first law of motion states that “an object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force”.

When you don’t have momentum, growth can feel overwhelming or even impossible. When you do have momentum, tasks are easier to accomplish, results happen organically, and growth becomes easier to maintain.

How to Build Momentum for Your Marketing

Lack of momentum can hinder your ability to grow while strong momentum can skyrocket your growth.  So how does an accounting firm build momentum?

• Execute x1000

The biggest factor in building momentum for marketing is execution. You won’t see results on things you don’t do.  If you want to build momentum, you need to get stuff done. This means insisting that people follow through on the marketing activities laid out in your marketing plan, on time.

• Be consistent

The second biggest factor in building momentum is consistency. To stay in motion you have to keep executing. Starting and stopping will not build momentum. This means having a plan in place to keep your marketing in motion during tax and audit season.

• Focus and build on the good things

Not everything will be a roaring success. Focus on what is working well and figure out what isn’t working and why. Having the freedom and flexibility to test different marketing activities means having more than one tool in your toolbox and keeping calm and carrying on when something doesn’t work the way you thought it would.

• The right activities matter

Building momentum isn’t about throwing paint at the wall to see what sticks. Strategy still applies here. Focus on strategic, high-priority activities for your firm. We’ve helped many firms develop bespoke strategies for their marketplace. Putting the right tools in the toolbox means knowing your firm’s capabilities and your market’s opportunities.

Some firms build momentum in months with an aggressive approach and flawless execution, while others take years to build it. For most accounting firms, momentum often takes 12-18 months to build. Regardless of where you are starting from, building momentum takes time. Success depends on whether everyone is rowing in the same direction, has the same tenacity for growth, and is following a strategic plan.

Going from rest to motion requires baby steps. First, commit to walking the path. Invite accountability and follow the steps above, and before you know it you will be sprinting towards growth.