Give your Xero bookkeeping prospects a clear reason to choose your ad over your competitor’s.
We’ve written in the past about creating a compelling ad to attract potential clients and the importance of periodically refreshing your ad to stay relevant. However placing an ad that lists your services and contact information is not enough to make you stand out from other Xero Bookkeeping service providers.
Include an eye-catching offer or point of difference that stops prospective clients in their tracks, chances are that they may contact you as a result. The most important thing to do is remain humble and thankful that you don’t need to go through the hiring funnel where you’re competing against up to 100 other job applicants.
Proactive vs. Reactive Hiring
Most business owners are used to the normal hiring process which involves
placing an ad on a job board,
assessing and ranking job applications and shortlisting candidates for
a job interview.
In this normal hiring process the hiring company is in the driver’s seat and your only option is to respond by addressing the selection criteria and telling them what they want to hear.
But what if you have a solution that they don’t know about?
What if you have something of value to offer that the business owner doesn’t even know they need?
By anticipating the needs of your potential clients and proactively offering solutions, you can bypass the job queues and get ahead of your competitors. While other bookkeepers are submitting job applications, you’ll be reviewing responses to your ads and assessing the needs of potential clients.
“Do what you do so well that they will want to see it again and bring their friends.”
~ Walt Disney
Define Your Ideal Client
To anticipate the needs of your prospects, you should have a crystal clear vision of who they are. You may be tempted to cast the net wide with your ads so that you have a larger pool of prospects to choose from, but in this case quality is more important than quantity.
Your ideal client is not simply a business owner who pays their bills on time and makes your life easier (although if they are, that’s a bonus!). You’ll also need to consider what you have to offer and whether or not you can deliver what your client needs.
For example:
- Skills and experience. If you are a newly qualified junior bookkeeper you might be seeking clients who require entry-level skills such as entering daily transactions and credit management.
- Location. Are you willing to visit clients in your local area or can you only work remotely? This may be dependent upon availability of transport, family obligations or other work commitments.
- Hourly rate. Your fees will be dependent on your qualifications and experience. Do they fit within your client’s budget? Lower rates could give you a competitive advantage.
- People skills. Good communication is essential for bookkeeping jobs that require you to liaise with customers and suppliers. If this is not your strong suit, you may decide to look for clients who require ‘back office’ staff.
Your Call-To-Action
A Call-To-Action (CTA) is a piece of [digital marketing] content intended to induce a viewer, reader, or listener to perform a specific act, typically taking the form of an instruction or directive (e.g. buy now or click here). (Oxford Dictionary, 2022)
A Call-To-Action with a well crafted landing page will ensure that visitors to your website get something of value—regardless of where they are in the buying process. It will:
- Create urgency (e.g. for a limited time only)
- Offer a solution to a problem (e.g. no more missed deadlines!)
- Provide a clear direction on what to do next (e.g. click here to register)
- Drive traffic to your website (e.g. learn more, read our blog article, download your free report now)
Incentives and Value Adds
If a prospect has already decided what they need from a bookkeeper, a free report or a training guide could be all it takes to make them click on your ad.
Research your competitors and find out what they are offering, then create an incentive that offers genuine value and is unique to your business.
Examples of commonly used incentives include:
- Free appraisals and performance reports
- Free measure and quote
- Onsite demonstration
- Free samples and trials
- Initial consultations
- Feature comparison reports
- Competitions, tests and puzzles
Trevor is a CPA in Melbourne who currently has an offer for payroll training in Xero. As an extra incentive for people who use his services while this offer is valid he provides clients with a detailed Xero Training Manual for them to keep after their training.
This is a good example of how bookkeepers can differentiate their service offering from their competitors. He can make this offer because he has the backing of National Bookkeeping and their online Xero Courses.
Summary
A strong Call-To-Action accompanied by an attractive value add can make the difference between passively filling out job applications and getting prospective clients to call YOU.
The Career Academy for National Bookkeeping helps MYOB & Xero Training Course graduates define their ideal client and create compelling Call-To-Action offers that encourage employers to call them.
For more information visit https://workface.com.au/career-academy/
How to Write a Compelling Ad for Your Xero Bookkeeping and Tutoring
Try these techniques to make your ad jump off the page and generate a list of prospects who will be lining up to talk with you.
Stay Relevant and Competitive by Refreshing Your Xero Bookkeeping Ad
Talking to your prospects and listening to their business problems allows you to gain insights into the key issues that need addressing. With this knowledge, you can change your ads and tailor them to capture the attention of your ‘ideal client’ and make them more relatable to business owners.
