Accountancy firms need to have an effective public relations strategy in a highly competitive market, but where to start? Mark Hayward, CEO of Sway PR gives his advice on how to gain PR coverage, and the pros and cons of agency versus in-house
The accounting landscape is changing rapidly and competition is fierce. In the UK, there’s over 40,000 firms, ranging from small local practices to the huge global firms which means standing out is the first major challenge for accountancy firms hoping to attract new clients.
Reputation is a direct driver of new client sign-ups and client retention, and as a result, revenue. When you’re competing against hundreds of other firms offering similar services locally, regionally, even nationally, reputation is the way to land more clients than competitors.
Public relations (PR) is the obvious path for increasing reputation, but it can be a minefield for accounting professionals whose skillsets lie in financial analysis, tax complexities and regulatory challenges, rather than media and marketing.
