If you run a tax business, there are always things to do year round to prepare for the current, next or upcoming tax season. Taxes are a seasonal business but as a business owner, you should always be in building and planning mode. Now that’s it’s fall, tax season is right around the corner. Here are our top fall marketing ideas to prepare you for the upcoming tax season.
Attend networking events to stay top of mind 
Fall is a great time to get some networking in. People may not be thinking about taxes now, but getting in front of people is a great way to get your name out there so they remember you come tax time. Make sure you connect with everyone you meet on LinkedIn so that you can leverage those contacts and relationships during tax season.
Offer to check returns for free
One of the biggest challenges to getting new clients is getting them to switch from their current tax preparer to you. A good way to do that is to offer to check returns for free to people who are thinking of switching preparers in 2017. This is a low commitment and easy want to find out if you could have gotten a better outcome or see if you would be more affordable.
Hold seminars
Hold seminars for clients and prospects on year-end tax planning tips. You could also partner with other complimentary businesses – banks, financial services, real estate agents, etc.
Send thank you notes
Being a good tax preparer means giving great customer service. Thank you notes are always a nice touch. If you haven’t sent thank you notes to your clients for coming to you this past tax season, now is the time to do it.
Send appointment postcards
Want to really get proactive and make sure you get returning clients? Send appointment postcards to clients with a date already picked out (based on when they came in this year) for their appointment for 2017. Ask them to call you if they need to change the date.
Get in front of people new to the area
Getting people to change tax preparers is hard. Getting in front of people new to the area is a great way to grab new clients. Try sending a mailer or partner with a real estate agent.
Go back to school
Could you expand on your tax services? Go back to school and learn something new to help your clients in the coming year. Whether it’s a new form so you can expand your offerings, a new type of tax law, or a topic you just need to learn more about, enrolling in Continuing Education will expand your knowledge and help you earn more money.
Update your online profiles
When was the last time you audited your online profiles? Now is the time to take a look at your Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google Business listing, YouTube etc. to make sure your descriptions are up to date, you have call to action buttons where applicable, and your profiles are buttoned up.
Plan your editorial calendar
Do you plan to send out client newsletters, write blog posts, or post to social media? Now is a great time to plan your content for the upcoming year. An editorial calendar is an important marketing tool that will help make content creation much easier. Check out our editorial/client newsletter tips here.
As you can see, there are a lot of opportunities in the fall months. Don’t put your marketing off to the winter when you and everyone else are inundated with holiday parties and time off.