AB

Branding | Practice
67
Most firms identify service as a unique
selling point. It’s not, although the way
you deliver it could be. Simon Paterson,
head of audit and business advisory at
accountancy firm RJP in Surrey, says: ‘We
are personable, approachable and easily
reachable for clients. Also, very often it’s
the little things that clients remember – a
decent cup of coffee and parking spaces.’
Any claims you do make, you need
to be able to back up. ‘For a brand’s
messages to be effective, they must be
true,’ says Sarah-Jane Freni, account
director at Shooting Star PR.
RJP’s proof of client satisfaction comes
in the form of statistics published on
the landing page of the firm’s website:
‘Ninety percent of clients come from
personal recommendations, and our client
retention rate during the last three years
was over 95%, making us one of the most
sought after accountants in Surrey.’ There
is also a webpage with case studies so any
potential clients can take comfort from
hard numbers and facts.
Thought-leadership or genuinely useful
ideas are also sources of differentiation.
‘Generating thought-provoking insights
that offer clients a fresh take on the
challenges they face and packaging that
thinking in an engaging, compelling way
is key to establishing a unique position
in the market,’ says Julia Burns, senior
account director at B2B marketing and PR
consultancy Man Bites Dog.
RJP’s Livewire blog, which has been
running since 2009, does just this, says
Paterson. ‘It’s full of up-to-date content
and expert tips, and it’s great for search
engine optimisation because we have a
large footprint on Google with a lot of
referring links.’
Getting heard
Once you find your UVP or unique
selling point (USP), you need to get your
branding message out in your online and
offline interactions with prospects.
‘It’s not about putting together a
catchy tagline or a few sentences of
corporate jargon that you repeat over and
over again,’ says Freni. They need to be
words that you can weave naturally into
conversations. In time, they will influence
the way people think about your brand
and why they should prefer you over
the competition.’
According to Nielsen, creating a
distinctive image (for example, your
business name, the look and feel of
your website, your logo and your
colour palette) can take you 51% of the
way to a differentiated brand.
Traditionally, accountancy
firms have used the surnames of
the founders in their name. While
these names often sound solid
and professional, they are not as
memorable as firms with ‘cheap’,
‘cheaper’, ‘low-cost’ or ‘change’ in
their title. That said, though, a catchy
name alone is no longer a guarantee
that your brand will stand out.
Paul Bulpitt is director at online
accountancy firm The Wow Company.
He says: ‘Just being called Wow was
enough to stand out 10 years ago;
today, one of the key messages we
want people to take away is: we’ll take
care of you.’ Another Wow message is
that using its accountancy services is as
easy and hassle-free as ordering a pizza:
step 1, the base (choose the service);
step 2, pick your toppings (for example,
meet your accountant twice a year);
step 3, side orders (additional services);
and step 4, ‘We’ll sprinkle on our secret
ingredient’. Prizeman says: ‘As soon as
you look at their website, you can’t help
thinking that these guys are different
and it must be great to work with
them. It just goes to show that small
accountants can stand out through
tapping into personality and emotion.’
Stand-out professional logos and
colour palettes stay well clear of the
maroons and teals that were appealing
two decades ago. RJP’s website
uses the traditional navy blue, but
with heavy accents of vibrant orange
and a few playful graphics. ‘Many
of our local competitors favour the
more traditional business imagery,
but we have gone for something
more adventurous and individual,’
says Paterson. ■
Iwona Tokc-Wilde, journalist
For more information:
See also ACCA’s Financial
management and business
success – a guide for
entrepreneurs at bit.ly/ACCAfinman
and share with clients
07/2016 Accounting and Business