Legal Marketing & PR

 I'm seeing some talented CPA firm marketing folks successfully meshing social media into their individual "traditional" specialty areas: radio, PR and networking. 

Over three posts, I'll tell you a bit about what each marketing professional has been doing, and each has also generously shared his or her hottest tips for success in the unique specialty area. Today's feature is radio.

Radio Meets Social Media
Eric Majchrzak at Freed Maxick Battaglia in upstate New York

Eric's background includes several years in broadcast radio (outbound marketing) developing strategies and promotional campaigns for various companies. Eric knows radio. And he's been with his CPA firm for about 7 years during which time, he has completely overhauled the firm's formerly outbound-only marketing approaches. 

Old media is not forgotten (e.g. print ads, direct mail, radio, and earned media placements) but now, touch points include high value content on their website, Twitter, and Facebook pages; leveraging LinkedIn via strong profiles, group activities, and questions/answers; and leveraging external blog communities; and enticing multi-channel campaigns like their Tax Credit Locator. 

He's used radio very effectively in his geographic market, both for paid advertising and feature opportunities. But where success recently exploded was in leveraging his CPA's featured radio guest opportunity using Twitter NOT just online but with a roadside (digital) billboard featuring their live twitter stream which carried tweets alerting drivers to tune into Freed Maxick's live guest appearance on the radio "Dave Barrett Talks Estate Taxes on WBEN-AM 930..."

Campaign results in the first 10 weeks include 490 new prospects (5-8 avg per day) of whom 35% are eligible for tax credits, and closing $75,000 in new business.

Eric's Tips for Radio-Related Marketing

• Employ Valuable Calls to Action - Paid commercials MUST have a call to action that's valuable to the audience. Seminars, checklists, whitepapers, survey results, consultations, diagnostic tools, etc are all good value offers. These value offerings differentiate you and engage which aligns perfectly with social media integration.
• Promote Niche Practices - Don't be afraid to use radio that goes deeper than just "general awareness" - just be sure the station is the right format and demographic for your niche.
• Leverage Radio for Earned/Free Media Opportunities - Develop relationships with news department and people besides the account exec - they have needs (experts on short notice) that you can fulfill! On-air expert clips often get aired throughout the day. Watch the value add up! 
• Stretch Your Radio Dollar - Get the MP3 of your radio spots (most stations will give this to you for no charge) and distribute them widely among your social media outposts - for guest appearances, link to the station's audio vault (sending visitors to them is a way to thank the station).
• Know Your Lead Sources - Use unique identifiers (URLs, phone numbers, etc) to track response sources so you can see what works best and modify for greater effectiveness where needed.
• Negotiate Wisely - In radio buy negotiations, don't disclose your budget up front. Make them work to find your limits. Negotiate rates for small flights, then add additional weeks if the rep works with you to sweeten the deal from there. They are usually willing to add extra value.