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Tom Bowen

For over six years, Tom has provided countless businesses with helpful and informative content as a freelance writer. Residing in Memphis, TN, Tom is committed to boosting the content marketing goals of his clients, while spending ridiculous amounts of time with his wife and family in the process.

AccountantMarketing

Accountant Marketing Ideas in 2019

by Tom Bowen
written by Tom Bowen

Accountants face a unique challenge when it comes to marketing their firm. Many consumers nowadays often don’t realize that they need an accountant or that they have significant financial issues that need to be professionally rectified.

As a result, accounting firms have to try harder than other businesses to successfully promote their services. If you find your firm facing this dilemma, it’s time to employ a modern marketing strategy in order to increase your conversions. Start using these accountant marketing ideas to grow your firm’s revenue through your online presence.

1.) Start Using YouTube

Video marketing is increasingly becoming a popular content marketing strategy for modern businesses, and your accounting firm can certainly benefit from it. People regularly consult YouTube videos to learn how to do something or perform specific tasks. By creating informative videos based on popular financial topics, you can not only enhance your expertise but receive meaningful traffic back to your website.

To achieve the highest return from your video marketing investment, try these following tips.

  • Interact with potential prospects by posting comments on other videos relating to finance and accounting.
  • Explore the hashtags of your competitors to highjack their traffic.
  • Keep your videos short and concise. Eight minutes is an optimal recording time for videos focused on a question.

2.) Host a Community Event

Again, most people and businesses don’t realize when they have a financial issue that could explode into a crisis over time. If you are truly committed to helping your clients with their accounting issues, then you should host a community event sharing your expertise to prospective clients.

For example, you could host an after-hours seminar where you can educate your audience about any accounting topics you believe will help them. Leveraging community events is a great way to boost public awareness and your lead optimization rate.

3.) Set Up an Online Learning Platform

If your accounting firm specializes in a complicated line of work such as taxes, then you’ll have to go above and beyond to properly educate your prospects. One way you can do this is by setting up an online learning platform on your website. If you have an established email list, you can promote an online learning platform based on a significant pain point your clients have.

Learning courses, especially when they’re free, is one of the most effective methods of attracting potential customers and converting them into devoted clients just by using your expertise and basic marketing skills.

4.) Segment Your Leads According to Specific Demographics

Every lead is different and you should always strive to reach out to them on a personal level, not through a universal message. This is why it’s important to analyze and target each lead down to their specific demographics and market to them.

For example, if you perform a granular targeting approach, you may find out that one of your leads is married and will require particular accounting advice. Conversely, another lead could run a small business as a side hustle and will need professional direction in doing their taxes. Ultimately, you’ll never know any of this unless you are precise with how you segment your leads.

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DentalMarketing

Dental Marketing Ideas in 2019

by Tom Bowen
written by Tom Bowen

Do you need more clients for your dental practice? If so, you’re not alone. Dentists are almost ubiquitous everywhere, and it takes precise marketing techniques to stand out from other competitors. In 2019, this challenge has become more apparent with the rise of search engines and social media as primary marketing tools.

If you aren’t aware of how to promote your dental practice using today’s effective marketing strategies, then you could already be missing out on wide-open sales opportunities and revenue. Use these dental marketing ideas to start receiving more patients today.

1.) Track All Calls to Your Office

It’s the nature of a consumer to call a business and follow back up with them whenever they want. However, call-tracking technology makes it possible to track down hot leads before they cool off. Whether a potential patient reaches out to receive information on your business hours or if they want to schedule an appointment, tracking the call of each individual lead will optimize your conversion rates and navigate leads down your sales funnel.

2.) Target Local Customers via Google Adwords

If you use Google Adwords, you can increase your conversions using this simple but effective tactic. Using Google Adwords, geotarget a small radius (under 5 miles) around your office. Next, create specific ads based on “near me” queries. Finally, only run your ads during business hours when you’re certain someone from your team will answer the phone?

Are you ready to figure out why?

The reason why this strategy will work is that if you focus on leads in close proximity to your office, you will receive visits from people in serious need of a dentist. Calls typically convert more than form submissions, so scheduling your ads to be visible during business hours will help you take advantage of people who don’t want to wait to talk to a dentist.

3.) Develop an App for Your Practice

Nowadays, businesses are beginning to employ the use of smartphone apps to make their services more accessible and convenient for their customers. Rightfully so, developing an app for your practice could do the same, giving you the opportunity to appear more professional in the eyes of your patients. Your dental app can make it easier for your patients to book an appointment.

In addition, your app can also remind your patients when their appointment is coming up, saving you the headache of having missed checkups.

4.) Automate Your Email Marketing

Email marketing, when it’s done correctly, can nurture leads through infancy until their ready to finally schedule an appointment with you. Unfortunately, all of your subscribers have unique needs, so sending corporate and boring emails to them can turn them off and make them unsubscribe from your email list.

To avoid this, try using email automation software. This type of software helps you send personalized emails to each individual lead based on their specific needs. The more personalized and relevant your emails are, the better. By automating your email marketing tasks, you can receive more conversions from an engaged subscriber list who will be more interested in what you have to say.

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MarketingNursing Home

Nursing Home Marketing Ideas in 2019

by Tom Bowen
written by Tom Bowen

Every year, millions of Americans use long-term care facilities like nursing homes, and with an aging population, this demand will continue to grow. Like other medical facilities, nursing homes face unique marketing obstacles. It’s not enough to establish an online presence, build a website, or even engage in social media marketing anymore.

Nursing homes, focused on success, must employ detailed and strategic marketing initiatives in order to stay relevant in today’s growing demand for care facilities.  To help, here are a few nursing home marketing ideas that you can try to efficiently convert leads and increase revenue.

1.) Track Phone Calls to Better Nurture Leads

Because senior care is a very sensitive and personal topic, inquiries are often made via an inbound phone call. You have to realize that consumers will rarely make a decision to choose your services on the first call. During their journey to find the right service for them, they may procrastinate, lose focus on what they’re doing, look for more information, or even become disinterested.

Therefore, it’s your job to follow up with phone call leads to optimize your conversion rate. There are several call tracking tools you can use to track leads and nurture them into devoted clients.

2.) Ask for Online Reviews

Do you want to know what’s worse than a negative review? The answer is no review at all. Families naturally want to trust the nursing home they’ll place their loved one in. If you don’t have any online reviews for them to look at, it’ll drastically decrease your chances of securing a conversion.

If you have any satisfied clients, ask them to write an online review for you. Remember – the more genuine and heartfelt their review is, the more likely you’ll be able to convince a lead to follow through with your facility.

3.) Be Active on Facebook

Facebook is without a doubt the most powerful advertising tool available to small and large businesses. With the level of targeting based on lifestyle, gender, age, geography, etc, advertisers can drive meaningful website traffic, leads, and conversions by sending the right message at the right time to the right audience. Do not forget to set up a Facebook Pixel on your website to target any leads through your sales funnel.

4.) Begin an AdWords Call-Only Campaign

Nursing homes are typically a “needs based” search, so special marketing tactics are required to get the most from your marketing spend. To better optimize your investment, begin an Adwords call-only campaign. These campaigns are only available via mobile devices, giving you the ability to schedule your ads for a specific duration and location radius to receive the best results.

A call is worth much more than a click. Thus, set up a campaign for direct keywords like “nursing care” or “nursing home”.

5.) Develop Compelling and Personal Content

Often times, family members conduct a search to find a nursing home where their loved one can live. Above all else, they want to know their parents will be cared for properly. Avoid writing corporate content that uses buzzwords and unknown industry terms. Instead, keep your copy personal and compelling, while addressing all of their pain-points to increase your likelihood of gaining a conversion.

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BookMarketing

Book Marketing Ideas in 2019

by Tom Bowen
written by Tom Bowen

Have you, or are you planning to write a book in 2019? As you may know, writing a book is only half the battle. Employing a strategic marketing strategy will ultimately make or break your book’s success. Marketing, for most authors, is complicated. However, it doesn’t have to be.

To achieve long-term success from your book marketing strategy, you must stay on top of current trends that are working for other authors. To help you on your journey to critical acclaim and increased sales, here are a few book marketing ideas you can try in 2019.

1.) Create an Informative Content Strategy

If you’re an author, chances are that you either have a blog or a YouTube channel. Many first-time authors make the mistake of promoting themselves on these channels. The reality of this is that it doesn’t work and it can waste you both time and money.

People crave value in content, ultimately because they want to know what they’re going to get out of reading your blog or watching a few of your videos. Therefore, strive to create an informative content strategy instead of a promotional one. For example, if you’re a marketing expert, try writing a series of blog posts answering popular marketing questions your readers may have.

Eventually, you’ll develop a significant following who will be more interested in checking out your book because of your expertise. Ideally, let your expertise promote your book. Don’t waste your time on trivial content that won’t give your audience any value.

2.) Don’t Overreact with Social Media

While it’s true that social media is a great way to promote your book, it’s best not to get caught up in any aggressive social media marketing techniques. Why? Every audience is different. For example, if you are the author of a cooking book, you may receive more attention on Instagram than Twitter. However, if you spend the same amount of time and money on both networks, you’ll be hindering your own book sales.

It’s more effective to focus on one social media platform that resonates more with your audience instead of diverting your attention to multiple social media profiles.

3.) Guest Post More Often

If you want to fulfill your dream of becoming an industry authority, you have to get people to know you. Guest posting on other prominent websites can increase your reputation and expertise among your target audience. The more people know you, the better chance you have of selling your books. Besides, guest posting brings the opportunity of receiving quality backlinks which can boost your link-building efforts and provide your site visitors with more information about your work.

4.) Only Use Ads for Promotions

Are you marketing your book towards Millenials? If so, you need to avoid spending your money on excessive ads. According to Forbes, Millenials hate repetitive ads and won’t hesitate to tune you out if you are constantly promoting your book via social media and paid search ads. This doesn’t mean that you can’t advertise, but you should only reserve your ads for special promotions and book deals. That’s all.

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BarInstagramMarketing

Bar Marketing Ideas in 2019

by Tom Bowen
written by Tom Bowen

If you think that your bar can rely on foot traffic and local prominence to stay in business, then you best think again. According to Wordstream, 75% of consumers prefer to use search engines to find local businesses. This means that your prospects won’t likely drive around or consult a phonebook if they want to find a bar in their area.

They’ll open up their laptop (or use their smartphone) to type in local bars in their area, and then they’ll most likely visit one of the top bars on Google Maps. What happens if your bar isn’t even on Google Maps? What happens if you don’t have an online presence at all.

You could lose your customers to your competitors who already have an established digital presence, so you should be mindful to employ effective marketing tactics to keep your bar afloat in 2019. This post will highlight a few bar marketing ideas you can try in 2019.

1.) Pin Yourself on Google Maps

Consumers use Google Maps more than ever to locate local businesses in their area, but often times getting your business featured on this platform isn’t enough. If you have just claimed your Google My Business profile, it can be difficult to woo your prospects from bars that may be at the top of Google Maps.

Fortunately, Google’s new promoted pins allow any local business to promote themselves with an eye-catching purple pin on Google Maps. With a promoted pin, you can even advertise a special deal that can drive foot traffic and increase your sales just from your online presence.

2.) Post Instagram Stories

If you’re running a modern-day bar, chances are that you already have an Instagram profile. However, if you’re just posting pictures, then you’re missing out on all of the benefits Instagram has to offer. Try posting Instagram stories to interact with and engage your followers. Instagram stories are fun and informal and will give your business a chance to take a break from mundane and corporate messaging.

3.) Use Chatbots

With new innovations, people become more accustomed to simplicity. That’s just a fancy way of saying that consumers are pretty lazy. Even if your website possesses all of your business’ information, many of your prospects won’t even take the time to read it. That’s because they want the answers to their questions immediately. Use chatbots to interact with your prospects immediately so they can receive vital information about your bar. This will help to drive foot traffic and increase the user experience of your website.

4.) Partner Up!

A strategic partnership is an age-old business tactic, but it’s still wildly effective today. By establishing a complementary (not a competitive) partnership with another local business, you can receive a free promotion in exchange for the same. For example, if you run a sports bar in a ski town, you can promote a ski life discount on your digital menu in exchange for a few Facebook posts advertising your happy hour cocktails.

Again, it’s important to partner with businesses that won’t compromise your own business in any way. Nonetheless, this sort of partnership won’t cost you a dime, and you’ll receive attention from a new audience.

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MarketingSpa

Spa Marketing Ideas in 2019

by Tom Bowen
written by Tom Bowen

Traditional marketing strategies rarely work for spas. Unlike other businesses, spas have entirely different methods for reaching out to prospects and promoting their brand.

Unless you are familiar with these techniques, you could be forcing your customers to work with your competitors instead. However, there’s no need to worry.

This year, forward-thinking marketers have developed effective strategies for obtaining leads and leading them down the funnel into becoming customers.

In this article, you will learn about a few spa marketing ideas you can use in 2019 to give your business a tremendous boost!

Allow Your Customers to Book You Through Google, Yelp and Other Directories

Unless you’re a well-known entity, your spa is a local business. All local businesses should be found in online directories.

Why?

Consumers consult different online directories when they’re looking for a business, so it helps to be featured in as many as possible.

To set yourself apart from your competitors, give your customers the ability to book your spa without having to pick up a phone or visit your website. Yelp, Google, and other online directories offer profile links that directly link users with a custom scheduling tool.

Develop a Follow-Up System for No-Shows

Having a no-show appointment is annoying and costly for a business over the course of the year. Though, this is entirely natural. Often times, consumers will lose interest, forget, or have something else come up in your schedule.

If you truly want to limit no-show appointments, create a system that follows up with leads to understand why they didn’t participate in your service.

Unless a prospect has a serious vendetta against you, you could get down to the bottom of the issue and invite them to schedule again with you whenever you’re ready.

This tip is effective because it not only gives you another shot with a potential customer, but it also shows this customer that you genuinely care about their business.

Offer Free Services to Customers Who Post a Social Media Review

Even with the rise of online advertising, word-of-mouth is still the most powerful advertising tool. People are much more likely to believe their friends and family over any ad copy that says “my spa is the best in town”.

In order to take advantage of this, offer a free massage to customers in exchange for a social media review. If you have made one of your customers satisfied with your service, it’s more likely that their friends and relatives will navigate to your business.

Share a Video of Your Spa

Do you want to separate your business from your competitors? Start posting videos of everyday business in your spa.

This will help you to show off the highlight of your spa to your prospects and point out a few ways you provide a more superior service than your competitors.

Be mindful to invest in a quality camera (your smartphone will suffice) and video editing software to get the job done right.

Give Your Spa a Boost Today!

Marketing for your spa isn’t simple, but it doesn’t have to be really challenging either. Following the tips above should point you in the right direction in 2019.

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HotelMarketing

Hotel Marketing Ideas in 2019

by Tom Bowen
written by Tom Bowen

If you are running a hotel that your guests love, the next step isn’t repeating everything. Instead, the next step should be to constantly seek improvements. With the rise of new hotel marketing trends in 2019, this couldn’t be clearer.

Unlike other businesses, hotels must actively strive to be above the curve in every aspect, from marketing to technology. If you want your hotel to be at the forefront of innovation and luxury, read this guide to catch up on these essential hotel marketing trends you should be using in 2019.

Leverage Up-to-Date Technology

As the times go by, one thing will remain a constant and that’s the prioritization of technology. Although technology and hotels don’t seem like a compatible match, your customers want more from their hotel stay.

One effective marketing method you can use is implementing the use of a virtual tour for your hotel. Recording a virtual tour of your hotel is a brilliant way to show your business off to your prospects.

This is also a great way to show potential customers the amenities and accommodations you have that your competitors don’t. Remember: a prospect won’t just walk into your hotel, ask a few questions, and leave you their contact information.

When they walk into a hotel, they’re likely going to book a room. Therefore, record a virtual tour or give your prospects online access to your hotel in order to convince them to book with you.

Use Facebook and Instagram to Show Off Your Visuals

Many businesses realize that social media is an integral part of online marketing. Nonetheless, many business waste thousands of advertising dollars (and their time) into fruitless social media campaigns.

So, what gives?

The problem is that these hotels don’t know how to properly use social media to promote their business.

Social media users crave enlightenment and entertainment. This means that they aren’t going to look at any posts where you are bragging about your hotel. Strive to either educate or entertain your audience instead of wasting your time on promotional posts.

Remember to use Instagram and Facebook to show off beautiful visuals of your hotel. Pictures speak a thousand words and can generate a high number of likes and engagements online from people who are genuinely interested in booking you.

Start Blogging

Content is king! Rightfully so, it works for hotels when an effective content strategy is put in place. The good news is that content marketing is generally simple for hotels.

If your guests are mostly families, your blog should appeal to family-centric topics. Conversely, if business people make up much of your client base, create content that speaks to them.’

Ideally, your content should address their pain points, tackle their questions, and most of all: convince them to come back.

If you truly understand your client base and what makes them tick, creating quality content should be a breeze.

Initiate Your Custom Hotel Marketing Plan

At the end of the day, your hotel is a business. Creating a solid marketing plan based on current trends is an incredible way to drive sales and retain clients.

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CPAMarketingSEO

CPA Firm Marketing Ideas in 2019

by Tom Bowen
written by Tom Bowen

As a certified public accountant (CPA), it’s your responsibility to provide expert-level consultation and expertise to individuals and business concerning finances and taxes.

To make matters difficult, CPAs are in high-demand and the competition in this industry can be brutal.

Unless your prospects know your business by name before they conduct an online search (chances are that they won’t), you must invest your time and resources in developing a strong marketing strategy for your firm.

Follow this guide to learn about the top CPA firm marketing trends in 2019 you can leverage for your firm.

Offer Free 10-Minute Consultations

CPAs should always strive to establish themselves as thought leaders. Making a name for yourself doesn’t mean you have to work at a large CPA firm. It just takes hard work and a high degree of commitment to educating people.

When people are searching for CPA, they are often struggling with the thought of if they actually need one. 10-minute consultations don’t take a lot of time and they are great for tackling your prospects’ preliminary questions.

This can help you optimize your ROI while cutting back costs on outside help from marketing agencies.

Speak at Industry Events

The immense popularity of social media and YouTube has made it possible for thought leaders to broadcast live industry events. These broadcasts are important for business leaders because it teaches them how to drive more sales and conduct more efficient business.

Placing yourself in front of these business leaders is a great marketing strategy and it doesn’t require you to do anything but outreach. There are several industry events you can participate in to share your expertise and market yourself as an authority in the CPA industry.

Use CRM Software to Drive More Sales

Customer-relationship management (CRM) software is an essential marketing tool for businesses of all sizes. CRM software gives CPAs the opportunity to keep track of prospects and guide them down the funnel into consumer territory.

In 2019, more and more people will browse your website for information other any other alternative. Therefore, it’s on you to keep up with the information they will leave on your website.

Using CRM software is an effective means of nurturing your leads until they’re ready to commit to one of your services.

Market Your Expertise Beyond Taxes and Books

Every CPA is busy during tax season, but it doesn’t have to always be like that. If anyone in your firm has experience outside of taxes and bookkeeping, then you can market their expertise as an additional service your company offers.

For example, if you have an executive in your firm that has worked as a CFO, you can use them to help your clients year-round in finance, not just accounting.

Chances are that you have someone in your firm with indispensable knowledge on a finance subject. Taking this holistic approach can help your firm drive more sales throughout the year and build more client relationships.

Any Thoughts?

Marketing has changed in 2019 for CPAs. Staying on top of popular tends is a great way to spend your money wisely on techniques that actually work.

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ConstructionMarketing

Construction Marketing Ideas in 2019

by Tom Bowen
written by Tom Bowen

Marketing is crucial in the construction industry. Since construction businesses are very much in competition with one another, achieving visibility and fostering client relationships is integral to your long-term success.

In 2019, forward-thinking marketers are following useful trends to help contractors promote their brand more efficiently. Staying on top of these trends can not only help you drive more sales to your business, but it can also put you in the position to surpass your competitors.

Follow this guide to learn about these construction marketing ideas in 2019.

Implement a Niche Marketing Strategy

If you’re a small homebuilder, it’s probably not possible to compete with larger construction companies. Or can you? By following a niche marketing strategy, you definitely can.

You can’t be everything to your clients. Therefore, focus on a specific niche and be the best at what you do.

Join a Construction Association

Needless to say, construction is serious business. Many of your clients will aggressively dig deep into who you are as a business because they hopefully plan to invest their hard-earned money into your company.

Make your business look more credible by joining a construction association. Associations allow members to network with other contractors, tap into useful industry resources, and build relationships with people who will readily trust you with their projects.

Use Video to Showcase Your Projects

Video marketing has become a staple for modern marketing agencies. Rightfully so, you can utilize videos to showcase your projects to prospective clients

However, your videos don’t just have to showcase your projects. You can also record your crews at work or a testimonial from one of your most satisfied clients to strengthen your brand image.

Reach Out to Building Material Companies for Backlinks

Backlinks are extremely important. Search engines count the number of backlinks a website has to rank it appropriately. Obtaining backlinks from authoritative websites can prove to your prospects that you are a thought leader in your industry.

One legitimate way to receive a backlink is to simply reach out to a building material company. If you provide quality services, you should convince one of these companies to link back to your website.

Not only will this point prospects directly to your website, but it can also provide you with the SEO boost you need to gain an edge over your competitors.

Set Up Phone Call Tracking

People that call your office to inquire about a project are the most qualified leads you can find. Therefore, you must not lose track of them.

Set up call tracking on Google Analytics to keep track of incoming callers so you can establish a defined system for following up with your prospects and nurturing them into paying clients.

What are Your Thoughts?

How up-to-date are you on the current construction marketing trends in 2019? Following the trends above will give you the opportunity to stand out among your competition, boost your SEO, and receive noticeable improvements in your lead generation methods. 

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Financial AdvisorMarketing

Financial Advisor Marketing Ideas in 2019

by Tom Bowen
written by Tom Bowen

The financial planning sector has grown tremendously in recent years. In 2017, this industry culminated over $50 billion in revenue. Although the market for financial advisors is growing, it’s never been more essential for these individuals to stand out amongst the competition.

In order to convince clients to do business with you, developing a strong marketing strategy must be a priority. This article will inform you of the top financial advisor marketing ideas in 2019.

Utilize Video Marketing

In 2019, it’s clear that video marketing is evolving from an optional strategy to an essential tactic. According to WordStream, 85% of internet users watch online videos.

More importantly, 51% of marketers are proclaiming video as the type of content with the highest ROI. This comes to no surprise since videos are more digestible and relatable to all generations, from Baby Boomers to Millennials.

Fortunately, it isn’t difficult to begin leveraging video marketing for your businesses. In fact, here are a few basic tips to get you started.

  • Keep Your Videos Concise: Unlike digital content, videos are more effective when they’re concise. Strive to keep your videos between 8 to 12 minutes long.  
  • Invest in Quality Equipment: Consumers are picky and are more willing to browse glamorous videos from your competitors over any low-quality videos you may be making. Therefore, invest in a quality camera and video editing software to optimize your ROI.
  • Speak Plainly: Finance is a complicated topic for many Americans. Make sure your viewers understand the point you are getting across and you’ll be more likely to retain them.

Use CRM Software to Drive More Sales

Customer-relationship management (CRM) software is a great way to keep up with warm leads and nurture them into paying clients. The problem is that many financial advisors forgo using this software by instead relying on referrals and word-of-mouth to generate business.

Since most business is conducted online, you need to use CRM software to keep up with prospects who are leaving you their information online. This makes it possible for you to follow back up with these prospects, gain more leads, and drive sales.

Start a Local Gathering

If you’re running a local business, it’s important that you are known throughout your community. The best way to do so is to start a local gathering.

For example, you can start a “Lunch and Learn” event where people can sign up and visit your place of business to learn about pivotal financial tips they can employ in their daily lives.

Not only is this a great way to establish yourself as a thought leader in your industry, but it’s also an amazing opportunity to put your business in the minds of potential customers who may be interested in learning more about your services.

What are Your Thoughts?

Marketing doesn’t have to be challenging. As long as you are committed to following the trends and identify strategies that actually work, you can produce an exceptional marketing strategy for your business and stand out from other financial advisors in your area.

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