Online investment, advertising campaigns, new initiatives and content and promotional materials help to support franchisees’ growth and profitability through pandemic
TaxAssist Accountants’ many business development activities have led to record-breaking new client lead numbers in 2021, despite the social and economic disruption caused by COVID-19.
The 16-strong business development team at the support centre, assisted by specialist marketing agencies, have continued to research, trial and review new marketing initiatives, which have run alongside many established and proven campaigns with outstanding results.
James Mattam, business development director, said: “Our network have all worked so hard through the pandemic, providing high service levels to clients and it’s fantastic that our website, newsletters, guides, webinars and marketing campaigns are delivering such high numbers and we’re looking to improve on this before the end of the year.
“The reputation of the brand is strong on the back of our advertising efforts and the service provision from the franchise network. This makes lead generation much more possible at a time where we’re keen to continue growing.
“We are also able to automate much of the marketing of a franchisee’s practice through an email marketing management service and social media activity, meaning franchisees can free up their time to focus on running and growing their practice.”
The support centre team won a ‘Best Franchisee Marketing Support award’ last year for the financial investment the franchisor made to the brand awareness budget and the increased marketing support measures which were put in place during the pandemic – proving that being a part of a franchise network offers a layer of protection during tough times.
“We are always seeking to deliver more leads and brand awareness in order to drive more clients into our accounting firms to support growth and profitability, and we will be working hard to maintain and better these results as we head towards, what I am sure, will be a very busy tax season,” continued James. “Additionally, with more service lines being rolled out shortly, there is much scope for cross-selling and further income generation for the network.”
Franchisees joining the TaxAssist Accountants network benefit from a suite of marketing initiatives including a national lead generation service, with a guarantee of a minimum of 25 free initial leads delivered in their first year of operation.
Full marketing training, guidance and support are provided, and a business toolkit and marketing resources are available, alongside email newsletter production and delivery and social media management to assist with communicating to clients, potential clients and referral contact with value-added content.
New franchisees also benefit from a dedicated TV advertising campaign and a direct mail campaign to raise extra awareness for launching their practice. This supports client acquisition and referral opportunities and helps to grow a local brand presence for each franchisee in their territory.
