3 Marketing Mistakes Tax Professionals Should Avoid This Tax Season

Tax Season. “The Show.” “The Big Dance.” Whatever you call it, it’s nearly upon us – and that means it’s time to figure out how you are going to rake in more business this year than you did last year.

Those 4 months from January to April dwarf the rest of the year in terms of revenue generation for many of you, so they hold the keys to success – or failure. A great season can make up for a sub-par rest of the year. Conversely, a weak tax season can drag down even a great year.

So what is the key to succeeding this tax season? Marketing – and lots of it. But marketing alone isn’t enough; you have to market well…

My company has been working with CPAs for over 15 years, and has tracked the results of those marketing campaigns along the way. An analysis of this data reveals three things you definitely DO NOT want to do, if you want to be successful:

1. Do NOT Use the Same Old Message
Tax season is a proverbial “horse of a different color.” You can’t just increase the number of marketing pieces you send out and expect that alone to create the difference you want (though it will definitely help). You need a message that targets the audience you are targeting! That sounds like a lot of targeting… allow me to explain…

There is a specific thought on the minds of the prospects you are targeting during tax season. Maybe that thought is “What is the cheapest way to get my taxes done?” Maybe it is “How do I make sure my taxes are 100% correct?” Maybe it is “What is the EASIEST way to get my taxes done?” Do you see how the underlying motivations are actually quite different?

So the key is to identify what the motivation is for the people you are targeting, and then craft a message that resonates with them!

We’ve found that most target audiences fall into one of two categories: early filers (usually lower income and receiving money with their tax return) and late filers (usually higher income, more complicated filings and probably owing more in taxes).

Here are a few ideas that will help you target each of the audiences above:

2. Do NOT Focus on Yourself
Do people like to see a picture of the actual person doing their taxes? Absolutely. But that shouldn’t be the focus of your card. The focus of your card should be how you are going to make the life of the prospects better. Many marketers make the mistake of finding the right message to target (discussed above), and then burying that message under a bunch of “look how great we are and how many letters are after my name!” messages. Bad move. People don’t care about you; they care about what you can do for them. It’s a subtle and important difference.

3. Do NOT Think You’re Too Good for an Offer
A lot of CPAs cringe at “cheapening” their services with a special offer. I get that. But the fact is: people like special deals. And after working on hundreds of tax season marketing campaigns, we have specific offers that we know have worked time and again to get the phone ringing. My advice: use them.

Here are offers that we have seen work:

Scratch off discounts (50% off, 25%, $15 off, $10 off)
$30 off any tax return
Tax Prep starting at $99
10% neighborhood discount
Free e-filing
Referral Program – $20 for 1^st referral, $30 for 2^nd referral
50% off what you paid last year

Simply running a special does not mean your services are any less valuable than your competitors’. It just means you are going to do much more business than them and become to go-to accountant for a lot more people and businesses in your area! Pretty sweet deal, if you ask me.

Again, I want to reiterate that I am not just pulling these suggestions out of thin air. These are pitfalls that I have watched many CPA marketers fall into, and I don’t want you to end up in the hole with them! Take steps to avoid these mistakes and you’ll be on your way to a busy and profitable tax season!

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Joy Gendusa is CEO of Marketing Communications Firm PostcardMania.