Happy Valentine's Day - How Can You Share the Message?

Posted by accountingweb on Feb 14 2011 1223 printer friendly

I wanted to use today’s blog to share a Valentine success story with you.

About eight years ago, long before holiday e-cards became so popular, a CPA firm I worked for decided to send an e-mail Valentine message to our clients, prospects and centers of influence in the community. Our message was “heartfelt” and we thanked them for being our clients, our friends, and our greatest advocates. In the e-mail we also mentioned that we were making a donation (which was $500) to the NJ chapter of the American Heart Association in their honor.

The results were astounding. More than 90% of the recipients actually opened the e-mail, which, by the way, had a subject line that simply said “Happy Valentine’s Day from (name of our firm). At the end of the e-mail we had our website link and more than 25% clicked through to our website. Even better was the fact that more than 50% e-mailed us in return, thanking us for the kind thoughts!

Keep in mind this was before holiday messages became so common place, but leveraging the concept – think about how you can reach out to your clients and friends and send a powerful message that they are not anticipating but which makes a positive impact on them. Catch them off guard and make them smile!

View the discussion thread.

This blog

Marketing Today and Tomorrow

Sally Glick, CMO, Principal, Marketer of the Year in 2003 and AAM Hall of Famer in 2007, will lead a lively discussion of the constantly expanding roles of marketing and the professional marketers that drive this initiative in accounting firms of all sizes.

Bloggers crew

View from a Tea Cup

Steve Knowles has spent 25 years in business and practice in the UK, but he also worked in the states and the years haven't dulled his way of seeing an alternative view to everyone else, and every day is a new adventure.

19737

Ungar Cover

Joel M. Ungar, CPA is a lifelong resident of the Detroit area and a graduate of The University of Michigan. He is a principal with Silberstein Ungar, PLLC, a Top 15 auditor of SEC public reporting companies.

47309

Truth be told about business development

Allan Boress, CPA, with over 25 years as a practitioner and consultant to the accounting profession. Mr. Boress is the author of 12 published books in 6 different languages, including a best-seller, The "I-Hate-Selling" Book.

23848

Today's World of Audits

Larry Perry, CPA, CPA Firm Support Services, LLC, is the author of accounting and auditing manuals, author and presenter of live staff training seminars, and author of webcast and self-study CPE programs. He blogs about small audits, reviews, and compilations.

53391

The Talent Advantage

Sandra Wiley, COO and Shareholder, is ranked by Accounting Today as one of the 100 Most Influential People in Accounting as a result of her prominent role as an industry expert on HR and training as well as influence as a management and planning consultant. She is also a founding member of The CPA Consultant's Alliance. Sandra is a certified Kolbe™ trainer who advises firms on building balanced teams, managing employee conflict and hiring staff.

530

The HR Connection

Maria Calabrese, CIR, Human Resources manager for Fazio, Mannuzza, Roche, Tankel, LaPilusa, LLC in Cranford, New Jersey, Maria's topics revolve around the world of: Mentoring, Performance management, and The "Y Generation," a.k.a. "The whY generation".

30637

The Barefoot Accountant

William Brighenti is a CPA, Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor, and Certified [Business] Valuation Analyst, operating an accounting, tax, and QuickBooks consulting firm in Hartford, Connecticut, Accountants CPA Hartford.

50695

TechWise

Ken Garen, CPA, is the co-founder and President of Universal Business Computing Company (www.ubcc.com), a software development firm of high-volume, high-productivity accounting and payroll technology.

6193

Talk to TaxMama

Eva Rosenberg, MBA, EA, is the publisher of TaxMama.com, and author of the weekly syndicated Ask TaxMama column. She provides answers to tax questions from taxpayers and tax professionals worldwide.

37487

Success in the Cloud

Amy Vetter, CPA, CITP is the CPA Programs Leader for Intacct Corporation responsible for leading the CPA/BPO Partners nationally.

14434

State and Local Tax 360˚

My name is Brian Strahle and I hope you find this blog informative and useful. My personal mission is to fix and prevent state tax problems. I provide companies with leverage (knowledge, judgment and advocacy) so they can operate across state lines with peace of mind. I am a multistate tax consultant and I serve clients across the U.S. from my office in Washington D.C. For more info, visit my website: www.leveragestateandlocaltax.com

67874

PR Matters

Scott H. Cytron, ABC, is president of Cytron and Company, known for helping companies and organizations improve their bottom line through a hybrid of strategic public relations, communications, marketing programs and top-notch client service. An accredited consultant, Scott works with companies, organizations and individuals in professional services (accounting, finance, medical, legal, engineering), high-tech and B2B/B2C product/service sales.

3739

Possibilities For CPA Firm Management

Rita Keller is a nationally known CPA firm management consultant, speaker, author, mentor and blogger. She has over 30 years hands-on experience in CPA firm management, marketing, technology and administrative operations.

24655

Pajama Work: QuickBooks, Technology & the Cloud

Stacy Kildal is the mom of two fantastic kids, an Advanced Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor, Certified Enterprise Solutions ProAdvisor, Sleeter Group Certified Consultant, a nationally recognized member of the Intuit Trainer and Writer Network, and co-host of RadioFree QuickBooks.

6804

Michael Alter's Dollars and Sense

Michael Alter's blog specializes in providing practical advice to those who seek greater profitability and practice management tactics that enhance deeper client relationships.

7206

Marketing Today and Tomorrow

Sally Glick, CMO, Principal, Marketer of the Year in 2003 and AAM Hall of Famer in 2007, leads a lively discussion of the constantly expanding roles of marketing and the professional marketers that drive this initiative in accounting firms of all sizes.

62605

IMA Young Accounting Pros

The IMA Young Professionals Blog features the insights of IMA’s Young Professionals Committee. Committee members share advice and experiences on careers, continuing education, work/life balance, and other issues affecting young accounting and finance professionals.

11839

Gail Perry - Voice of the Editor

Gail Perry is Publisher at Sift Media US, Inc. and oversees the content on the Sift websites, AccountingWEB.com and GoingConcern.com. She has been the editor-in-chief at Sift Media US since 2007, overseeing the content on AccountingWEB.

40708

FEI

FEI Financial Reporting Blog provides highlights from SEC, PCAOB, FASB, IASB, and other regulatory news, including reporting under Sarbanes-Oxley Sect 404. It is written by Edith Orenstein, Director of Technical Policy Analysis at FEI.

72290

Continuing Education

Sue Anderson has 30 years of experience in continuing education for accountants. Currently she is the program director for online CPE provider CPE Link.

31531

CentsLess: Wise CPA Firm Spending

Jim Fahey is COO of Apple Growth Partners, a regional CPA firm in Ohio. His focus is on the effective and efficient use of technology within the firm by all team members.

18670

Auditing Yellow Book Style: Government Auditors Unite!

Leita Hart-Fanta, CPA, CGFM, and CGAP is the author of "The Yellow Book Interpreted" and owner of Yellowbook-CPE.com a website devoted to training for governmental auditors.

57766

Across the Pond

AccountingWEB is more than just a U.S. team of journalists and financial and technology experts - we have an international side, too! Members of our British team who publish AccountingWEB.co.uk share their ideas, insights, and perspectives from across the pond.

28282