Remember the 1990s flick, What About Bob?

For those who do, you are familiar with the "baby steps" approach. For those of you who are not privy, no worries. This article will explain the concept in detail.

In the minds of most, "marketing" consists solely of referrals. And while a solid referral program is a strong component of a broader marketing plan, it only scratches the surface of a firm's marketing potential.

Because marketing is a foreign concept to many, it can seem overwhelming. However, like anything else, you have to move forward, educate yourself, and go through a bit of trial and error to get to a marketing plan that works for your firm. The good news is that you don't have to launch a full marketing program from Day One.

It's best to take it slowly, in baby steps.

The baby step method simply refers to taking your marketing implementation in increments, so it doesn't seem nearly as overwhelming. Just think about taking on a new client. New clients are a lot of work - setting up their account, reviewing the state of their current accounting data, facilitating initial meetings and conversations, creating their personalized portals, and developing all the custom documents required. This doesn't all happen in a day - you approach the tasks one at a time. Marketing is no different.

Of course, implementing a full marketing program is a much bigger "step" than setting up a new client, but the approach remains the same. There are distinct markers you can set for yourself as you begin to implement a marketing program. Just remember that it will take time, dedicated effort and, at times, a pretty big dose of patience.

KEY BABY STEPS

You know you want to move forward with marketing efforts. But like many firm leaders, you don't know where to start. Make it easy on yourself (and your staff) by focusing on a few activities and slowly growing your program as you become more comfortable with marketing. Rest assured that you will eventually fall into your marketing groove. It's at that point that you can move past baby steps and really start to run with your marketing efforts.

Start with a plan. You would not start a major home renovation without a plan, right? Otherwise, you're just tearing stuff apart randomly and hoping it will all come together in the end. A marketing plan provides a blueprint of what tasks need to be accomplished and the proper timeframe for each. A plan keeps you on track and your marketing goals realistic.

The plan doesn't have to be comprehensive; you just have to get something down on paper. For example, create a spreadsheet divided into quarters (Q1-Q4), and then begin to populate the plan with marketing initiatives you would like to accomplish by quarter (or even by month). Over time, you will start to see an organized plan come together - one with re-occurring campaigns based on a certain time of year. Before you know it, you have a standard annual plan that can be used over and over with minor tweaking.

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