How to build an engaged email list of future clients for your firm
76% of accounting firms don't have an email list of prospects.
This is a HUGE missed opportunity to win more ideal clients.
Here's why...
Regardless of what your target market looks like, potential clients can be broken down into:
Now clients (2%) - Business owners ready to book a call and work with you right now
Maybe clients (8%) - Business owners who might be ready to work with you in the short term (next 3-6 months)
Future clients (90%) - Business owners that may (or may not) work with you at some point in the future
90% of your target market likely:
Already have an existing accountant/bookkeeper
Don't see the value in switching right now (until you show them)
And possibly will never switch (fact of life, accept it)
If your only call-to-action is 'book a call' or 'get in touch' then you're only speaking to the 10% ready in the short term.
The other 90% won't do that. Why would they?
This is where having an email list is important. By capturing emails of prospects you can:
Continue to nurture them over time
Build up the 'know, like, trust' factor
Help them to see why switching makes sense
Email is the best channel to do this.
Yes, you can build an audience on Linkedin, Instagram, and TikTok, and you should still continue doing that, but:
No guarantees they check it every day
No guarantees they'll see your posts
No guarantees the algorithm doesn't tank your reach overnight
So what is the best way to build an email list?
And once prospects are on there, how do you keep them engaged?
Step 1 - Create something worthwhile
People are very protective of their email addresses.
So in order to get your prospects to give up theirs, you need to make it worthwhile.
The 2 best ways to do this are:
Create a downloadable asset (lead magnet)
Create a free weekly newsletter
Here’s a bit more information on how to do either.
1. Create a downloadable asset
A lead magnet is a marketing term that’s used to describe a free item/product/service that is given away in exchange for somebody’s contact details.
They can come in different forms: guides, infographics, templates, and quizzes.
I share 4 examples of high-converting lead magnets for accounting firms here.
The key thing to remember when creating your lead magnet is that you want it to attract quality prospects and repel tyre kickers. To do this you need to know your target market inside out.
For example, if I wanted to win some more clients for an Outsourced CFO offering, then I wouldn’t create a guide about tax-saving tips or the best tech to automate your accounts department. They’re too broad and will likely attract a lot of tyre kickers.
Instead, I might create something like:
Guide: The X financial reports all high-growth SaaS start-ups need at their fingertips
Calculator: How much could an outsourced CFO save your fast-growth business
2. Set up a free weekly newsletter
I love weekly newsletters (like this one) because they:
Allow you to demonstrate your expertise
Allow you to continually add value over time
Allow you to build a relationship with your subscribers
This helps to tick the ‘Know, Like, Trust’ boxes week in, week out.
To create a weekly newsletter that makes people want to subscribe, you need to focus on value.
Give as much value away as you can. A newsletter with half-baked news updates isn’t what people want landing in their inbox.
In terms of frequency, it needs to be weekly. Anything less just isn’t enough. If you’re sending email newsletters once a month, you’re not even close to being top of mind for your prospects.
Step 2 - Drive your prospects to it
Once you’ve got something set up to capture emails, you need eyeballs on it.
Having a small section buried away on your website that says “subscribe to my newsletter” is the equivalent of setting up a cold lemonade stand at the North Pole. The odd explorer might accidentally stumble across it, but they’ll be few and far between.
The two most effective ways to drive email opt-ins are social media & your website.
1. Social media
If you’re building an audience on social media then you need to build a bridge between there and your email list.
Without becoming one of those annoying ‘pushy’ posters that are constantly shouting ‘subscribe’, here are some effective ways to do this:
Link to your asset/newsletter in your profile
Create valuable content that people can consume on the platform with a soft call-to-action to subscribe/download
I’ll use myself as an example here…
Here’s a clear link on my profile…
Here’s an example of a valuable post with a soft call to action for people to subscribe…
And here’s the outcome of that in terms of people subscribing to this weekly newsletter.
2. Website
90% of prospects visiting your website aren’t ready to work with you right now.
You need to optimise the pages with the highest traffic in order to capture some of these leads.
This means:
Call to action to download lead magnet and/or subscribe to your newsletter on your homepage, ideally above the fold (most people don’t scroll past 50%)
Making your weekly newsletter sound attractive. Simply saying “subscribe to my newsletter” offers no value. Why would I give up my email address for ‘another newsletter’?
Position the value e.g. “Join other fast-growth SaaS start-ups receiving actionable finance tips to help them conserve cash every Friday”. You don’t need to call it a newsletter.
Consider using pop-ups. I know, you might think they’re invasive, but they work. My recommendation is an exit-intent pop-up that appears when people visit your site and try to leave. Most visitors won’t return a 2nd time so don’t let them disappear without capturing their info.
Step 3 - Nurture over time
This is a marathon, not a sprint.
Just because somebody subscribed to your email list it doesn’t mean they’re ready to work with you.
You need to be in this for the long game. Some prospects might take months, others years, and the majority will never do anything.
Here are some tips to help you nurture your prospects over time:
Consistency is key: Sending emails sporadically when you remember is not going to do the trick. The ideal cadence is weekly. That said, it’s better to be consistent than not. So if the only cadence you can stick to right now is bi-weekly, or monthly, then do that.
Give value in the inbox: People are busy. They don’t always want to click links to your blog to read something. Give them value then and there. Include a link for them to find out more if they want to but it shouldn’t be a requirement.
Use the PS. to your advantage: Having a PS at the bottom of your email is a great way to ask your prospect to do something without it being pushy. Take a look at the PS at the bottom of this newsletter for an example.
Use one of these 3 email topics:
Give - you give value to them
Proof - you share proof of what you can do e.g. a client case study or a testimonial from a client
Ask - it’s fine to ask them to take the next step sometimes. As long as you’ve given enough value and proof, the ask is the logical next step
Nurture is a topic with lots of different variables and one I’ll write about in more detail in a future newsletter.
Build an email list of future prospects in 3 steps
Still with us?
Great work. To recap, the 3 steps you need to follow to build an email list of future prospects are:
Create something worth their email address
Drive your prospects to it
Nurture over time
By doing this you’ll promote your services to a much bigger pool of potential clients (and not just the small % ready to work with you today).
Hope this helps!
Until next Friday
- Jordan
P.S. Me and my team are building out lead capture & lead nurture systems for some ambitious firms right now and have capacity to do 1 more next month. This is only for firms with a clearly defined niche. If you’re interested in how we can help you, drop me a message on Linkedin.
P.P.S. That 👆was an example of using the PS. to make an ask. I’ve (hopefully) shared enough value upfront for the ask to be soft enough.
P.P.P.S The winner from last week’s newsletter to win a copy of ‘They Ask, You Answer’ is Kim Walsh. Please email me at jordan at teamtroika dot com to claim your free copy!