Top 15 reasons (or excuses or alibis), why Professionals viz. CA/CPA, CMA, CS, Lawyers avoid Digital Marketing

A majority of professionals viz. CA/CPA, CMA, CS, Lawyers, Valuers, Actuaries, Doctors, Architects, Consulting Engineers are very much shy of and averse to the digital marketing under the false impressions and pseudo reasons, which I say false excuses or alibis. Based on my experience as a digital expert, the top 15 such excuses or alibis for refraining from the digital marketing are stated below. I have also given my explanation that why these reasons or perceptions or excuses/alibis, whatever we say are false, misleading and imaginary. I have done the research on many professional firms and professionals who have intelligently used the digital strategies in developing their practices to the great extent. Also, I have interactions with various professionals regarding this subject. Based on my research and interactions, I am able to refute the reasons of not using digital marketing by large number of professionals.

1. Professionals are not allowed to resort to the digital marketing by virtue of code of ethics or regulation

This is a misconception because we fail appreciate the terms “digital” and “marketing”. Usually, practices such as solicitation and promotional advertising are prohibited, banned or restricted by the professional regulatory bodies such as ICAI, ICSI, Bar Council, Indian Medical Council etc.

“Marketing” is a very broad term. When you provide a high quality service which satisfies your client and motivates him / her to introduce you in his / her network, it is a sort of marketing. When you speak on a particular professional topic, either in any event / forum or in close meeting, and impress the audience with your knowledge, it is marketing. In fact, marketing is your conduct, your attitude, your way of doing business, your approach to the relationship and so on. Advertising or solicitation is just a small part of marketing! But, we mistake just advertising and solicitation as synonym of marketing. So, let’s be clear that marketing is not at all prohibited.

Coming to the “Digital Marketing”, we need to understand what it is. Any activity when performed using the digital applications, digital platforms, digital tools and so on are called digitalized. The marketing activity, when digitalized i.e. performed using digital platforms, digital applications etc., is called “digital marketing”. Now, instead of speaking in a forum, if you speak at webinar, it is a digital marketing initiative. You are just delivering your speech and not soliciting about your services. So, where is the question of prohibition or unethical practice? Instead of writing an article in a magazine of a daily, you are writing on a blog. Instead of disseminating the news / updates in printed news-letter, you are disseminating through email. Instead of inviting your clients to your office for discussing updates or opportunities, you discuss over Zoom or even send video mail using specialized platforms such as Vidyard or Vimeo or Berrycast. All these are not solicitation or advertising. It is merely digitalizing your physical operations. So, now we should be clear that digital marketing is not at all prohibited or banned.

2. It is unethical to resort to the digital marketing practices for noble professions

It is just a perception which is imaginary and far from reality as well as the logic. This is because, when we think of the digital marketing, we are perceived with the image of internet ads or various landing pages making false claims such as weight loss, height increase, get-rich-quick, MLM, freebies etc. But that is just small part of the digital world. In physical world also that sort of claims exists. Digital marketing is an activity or way of marketing. One can use it ethically or unethically. It is a matter of choice. But digital marketing, in itself doesn’t have any attributes such as ethical or unethical.

3. It will lower the dignity & status of the noble profession

Again it is a matter of perception. As explained above, any activity or process when digitalized, becomes digital. Payment process, when digitalized, becomes digital payment. Book, when digitalized, becomes e-book or digital book. Signature when digitalized, becomes digital signature. Seminar when digitalized, becomes webinar. Learning when digitalized, becomes e-learning or online learning and so on. Any of these activities lower the professional dignity or status? Are we refraining using digital payment or digital signature or web-conference? Then why digital marketing lowers the dignity and status? It is just a misperception.

4. Digital marketing is very much technical and require much of the tech skills such as coding / programming

Digital marketing require determination to use technology rather than knowledge of coding. Yes, you need knowledge and information about the various digital technologies available, but not the knowledge of coding or programming. You must have knowledge of how to design the digital strategies. You must be tech-savvy, but not a technocrat. The good news is that you can become tech-savvy or learn digital strategies easily through internet (Google, YouTube, Udemy etc.) and you don’t have to do any intense studies for that.

5. Digital marketing is very much expensive and require capital outlay on website etc.

It is rather most inexpensive and most economic, most effective, most expeditions, most efficient and most target oriented marketing. With very low marketing budget, you can easily reach your targeted prospects effectively.

6. Clients of the professionals are not attracted by digital marketing, but they are attracted only by the knowledge and talent of the professionals

Of course, the prospects of the professional services are looking for the knowledgeable and competent professionals, who can provide effective, efficient and expeditious solutions to their pain points. But the question is that how they will find such competent professionals? Answer is Google and for sake of Google, you need to adopt digital marketing strategies!

7. Digital marketing is only for consumer products and not for the professional services! In professional services, relations matter over promotion

Digital marketing is a way of marketing. The marketing strategies are different for different business basis the nature of business. But, marketing is essential for any business and without marketing business can’t run. For professional services, digital marketing can be applied effectively using the right strategies.

8. Digital marketing experts and agencies just make false claims!

Again it is a matter of perception and sometimes experiences. There are people making false claims in all the trades and not just digital marketing. However, there are so many highly reputed digital marketing experts and agencies, who provide the professional services of digital marketing, digital branding, and various other digital strategies such as growth hacking, funneling, content management, SEO etc.

9. Website, which is the prime tool for digital marketing is more of a status symbol. I have my website since last 5 years, but nobody is visiting my site! I didn’t get any new client from the website!

Web should never be considered as a status symbol or just a formality / ritual. It should be always considered as leads generating machine. Website has the power to attract the prospects, but then it depends on how the website is engineered, how it is positioned, how it is utilized, how it is publicized and so on. Merely static website, without any effective and magnetic content, without SEO, will never be observed by anybody and that is the reason that various websites fail to attract the prospects.

Again, standalone single website can not be much effective. It needs the structuring like your business. So, to support the top-level website, you need sub-domains strategy, content strategy, functionality, backlinks & forward links strategy, SEO strategy etc.

10. I have my blog and I also write articles regularly, but don’t think that people will approach basis your article! I didn’t get any new client basis my blog!

Having a blog and writing blog posts or articles its self is not sufficient to attract the leads or prospects. What is required is a blog structuring, blogging strategy and content strategy to attract targeted traffic to your blog. There are almost 500 million blogs (out of 1.7 billion websites) on the internet and therefore it is not easy to attract prospects to your blog in a plain vanilla way. But with the intelligent strategies, blogging can generate a very high-quality leads for your professional practice.

11. Digital marketing is just about having social media profiles. I am on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. I post regularly, but still I don’t get any new client through these social media platforms!

Social media marketing is a sub-set or a part of the digital marketing. Social media marketing also require intelligent strategies. Mere presence on some platforms and posting random content is of no use. Even you might feel that you are regularly posting the content on the social media, but you need to assess the content with value addition test and redundancy test. Sometimes, the content which we feel very much useful, might be redundant for others.

12. I use LinkedIn for professional networking. But other social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram etc. are just for fun and leisure or Time-pass in Indian English!

All the social media platforms have their own characteristics and utility. So any one of the social platform can never be said better than others. It depends on your objective, your strategy, and your audience. Professionals can use platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, Quora, Medium, Reddit, Tumblr, WhatsApp, Telegram, YouTube etc. effectively for digital branding and digital marketing by applying the right strategies.

13. People say that video marketing is very effective tool. I know there are professionals having their YouTube channel, but it requires tech skills, separate team for videography / video shooting, video editing, investment in high-end equipment such as video camera, lightning etc.

Complete misperception. Short and sweet clarification is that YouTube channel can be started with just a smartphone and nothing else. You need intelligent video strategies and not investment in YouTube based marketing.

14. I am residing in a small town and not in a metro city like Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad etc. In my town relationship matters more rather than digital marketing!

In case of the professional services, relationship matters everywhere, and not just in small towns. Digital networking strategies can rather help you in developing new relations and reinforcing the existing relations. In addition, professionals from the small town can use digital marketing strategies to reach out to the world at large rather confining to their town and showcase their talent, competence and capabilities.

15. Due to COVID-19 lockdown, digital marketing has gained some importance. Once vaccine will arrive, people will be immunized and safe and thereafter the world will become normal as it was earlier and again digital marketing will lose its importance.

Yes, with the grace of God, Ashirwad and Inshallah, everything is going to be normal. But, that will be a NEW NORMAL. People have realized the benefits of the digital technologies and digital culture and therefore the digitalization will be on the fore-front and it will increase its footprints at unbelievable pace.

Concluding, professionals should stop giving themselves excuses for not using digital marketing and start learning and using digital marketing strategies for developing their professional practice.

In fact digital world offers the professionals to develop new sources of revenue and professional practice. There are almost various digital ways in which professionals can earn passive income with zero investment from their professional competence. Even there are various areas where professionals can provide niche services.

You can also have a look at my e-book “The Million Dollars Digital Practice for Accountants & Advisors“, which is a handbook of digital strategies for practice development. Check-out the book here.

You can also visit my blog www.digitalcafirm.com

https://digitalcafirm.com/the-million-dollars-digital-practice-for-accountants-and-advisors/