Is Quality or Quantity More Important for Content Marketing?

It’s the age old question: does quality or quantity matter more when it comes to content marketing? The answer may surprise you…

In an ideal world, you’d be able to churn out top quality content at high speeds, but this is the real world. Usually, you’ll have to prioritise either quality or quantity, so which is it? Is it better to publish one beautifully written long-form blog post per month, or post shorter updates every day?

It’s an interesting question and there are many factors to take into consideration. Let’s start at the beginning and take a look at why you need to do content marketing for your accounting or bookkeeping firm in the first place.?

Why Content Marketing Matters?

Content marketing enables you to attract high value clients to your accounting or bookkeeping firm by positioning yourself as VITAL. It’s about staying front of mind and getting your audience to know, like and trust you so that they come to you when they’re ready to buy. When you provide an amazing amount of value for free, prospects will be eager to pay you for even more.?

There’s something of a “lag” in content marketing. What you do - or don’t do - won’t necessarily impact your firm today, but it will six weeks or six months down the line. Consistent content marketing helps your accounting firm to avoid a cycle of feast and famine. Firms who only focus on content marketing during the quieter times of year tend to be much less stable and struggle to maintain a steady rate of growth.?

Content marketing isn’t just about getting new clients, either. It also serves to reinforce your relationships with your current clients. You might have a great client base right now, but if you fail to consistently show up on social media they could be tempted elsewhere. Delivering value via content marketing reminds your clients that you’re VITAL to their business and keeps them loyal to you.?

Thirdly, content marketing attracts lucrative partnership opportunities. Your peers will see the amazing work you’re doing and want to join forces with you in order to share this value with their audience.?

Content Marketing Problems that Accountants Face?

So we’ve established that content marketing is important to the growth of your accounting firm, but it’s certainly not easy. If it were, everyone would do it. Here are the three key problems accountants and bookkeepers cite when it comes to content marketing:

1. If you wanted to do marketing, you’d be a marketer and not an accountant.

2. Content marketing requires you to be creative and show up, which you’re not comfortable with.

3. You don’t have time.?

Accountants and bookkeepers are usually not natural content marketers. You’re busy running your firms, you might not be naturally creative and many of you simply don’t enjoy content marketing. However, none of this changes the fact that content marketing is essential to the growth of your firm. So with that in mind: does quantity or quality matter more?

Quantity vs Quality?

When it comes to the quantity vs the quality of your content marketing, I would go with quantity.

Every. Single. Time.

As discussed above, content marketing is all about being front of mind. You need to be visible in order to build an audience, and to do that you need to publish content every single day.?

Posting an in-depth article every day just isn’t realistic, whereas creating short daily updates is much more achievable. One blog post or video every few weeks won’t give you that same visibility. Your content is only as effective as your reach and so all that effort will be wasted.

It’s essential to show up every single day on social media to ensure that your ideal client is watching you. You can’t make your prospects decide when they’re ready to buy. All you can do is maintain an online presence so that yours is the first firm that comes to mind when they’re finally ready. Content marketing positions you as the obvious choice.

Now, I’m not saying that you can post any old rubbish. You do need your content to be good, but it doesn’t have to be excellent.

You don’t need to publish mind-blowing blogs that totally revolutionise your niche. You just have to show up and deliver value. Remember that you already have valuable knowledge that can really help your prospects and clients, so you don’t need to present it in a Pulitzer Prize-worthy form. Shorter blogs, snippets and updates are enough.?

You Need to Start Now?

Often, I see that accountants and bookkeepers delay showing up online because they’re waiting to perfect their content first. Of course, there’s no such thing as perfection which is why I’m telling you: start now.

The likelihood is that your content won’t be great when you first start out. However, practice is the only way to improve so you need to get out there and start creating. Focus on quantity, and quality will follow.?

I started content marketing over a decade ago and I found it incredibly difficult. Naturally, I’m an introvert and I hated putting myself out there… but I felt the fear and did it anyway. I focused on quantity and started writing short blogs, tweeting regularly and posting Facebook updates.?

I have to be honest: when I look back at my content from 2011, I see that it was absolutely horrendous. I would never post something like that now, and yet this content still allowed me to stay front of mind and grow my personal brand because I showed up every single day. I focused on being visible by creating a large volume of content and over time, the quality improved, too. This is why quantity trumps quality when it comes to content marketing.?

Similarly, I still look back and shudder when I remember what filming my first video was like. I was shaking and I kept having to start over. My husband and I had multiple arguments that day and one simple video took us hours to create. It really wasn’t a great piece of content, but I still managed to share my knowledge and educate my audience. I even received comments thanking me for the value that I had delivered, and so I kept going. Eventually, showing up on camera started to feel easy - natural, even. Nowadays, I could film those videos in my sleep.?

Everyday, I see lots of accountants and bookkeepers posting short, fluffy updates on LinkedIn. They don’t write 1500 word articles demonstrating a deep understanding of their ideal clients, they simply show up and share their personality with the world. Whilst their content will never win any prizes, it generates interaction and attracts prospective clients, which is what content marketing is all about.?

How Long Should You Spend Creating Content??

So with all of this in mind… how long should content creation actually take you??

Probably less time than you think.

As an accounting firm owner, you should only spend about three hours per month creating your content. Start with just one video or blog post each week, and then take that piece of content and repurpose it to create everything else.?

A five minute video can quickly be turned into two or three emails, a blog post and a handful of short social media updates. By transforming one source into multiple different kinds of marketing, you can make your content go a lot further and get the quantity that you need.?

Consistency Beats Perfection?

Content marketing is about showing up and being front of mind, and therefore quantity trumps quality every time. One piece of perfect content won’t do a lot to attract clients to your firm, but a consistent stream of valuable content will position you as a vital asset to your ideal clients.?

Showing up and staying front of mind is the first step to mastering your marketing. You don’t have to write 1500 word blogs, unless you’re a natural writer - in which case, go for it! Being present, delivering value and showcasing your personality is enough. Your prospects won’t go looking for your content, so it’s up to you to show up day after day and continue to attract their attention.?

Yes, putting yourself out there is scary at first. It’s only natural to want to publish the best content possible, but remember that your content is only as powerful as the number of people it reaches. Content marketing is about being present, not perfect, and you will improve over time. You can’t expect success without showing up, which is why you should prioritise quantity over quality.

Thanks for reading!

At Oompf.Global we show you the exact branding and marketing strategies needed for you to turn your accounting/business advisory services into a unique VITAL product that you effortlessly market and sell for 5 figures We help accounting firms go from overlooked commodities to “VITAL” assets – differentiated positioning, productised offer, unique brand, happy clients and founders with freedom. If you would like to delve deeper into our content here are a few ways you can do that.

1. Watch our 28-minute free training on 3 ways to differentiate your accounting firm. Check it out here:?https://oompf.global/decommoditized

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