Inspired or Planned Content Creation – Which One Should You Go for in Your Accounting Firm?

It can be tough to settle on the ideal content marketing strategy. Settling on one approach can be difficult even with years of experience behind you. But did you know that the answer is actually simpler than you might have thought?

When it comes to content marketing, there are usually two approaches, each amazing in its own rights. You have inspired content creation and planned content creation.

Each approach can allow an accounting firm to leverage its content and reach its ideal clients. However, the two couldn’t be more different in their implementation.

You can look at each as concepts too. For example, some believe that great content only comes from inspiration. Others think that it’s best to plan everything ahead of time and release bits of it on a schedule.

Both points of view and approaches have their merits. But, which do you think is right for your accounting firm? Which content creation strategy can help you position your accounting firm as VITAL in its niche?

It’s hard to find out for sure unless you understand what each concept stands for. Maybe your firm needs one more than the other. Perhaps you feel more attracted to one of the methods.

Whichever the case, here is some information that will help you understand both concepts better.

The Problems in Your Accounting Firm

Let’s start things off by identifying some of your problems. Unless you already have an excellent content marketing strategy set up, it’s safe to say that something is off right now.

The number one problem with most accounting firms is lack of time. There isn’t enough time to do proper content marketing.

It can happen because there aren’t enough ideas. More likely, it’s because you don’t have enough time to put together a content library.

Sometimes the problem has to do with the channels. You may focus your efforts on too many channels or the wrong media.

At the end of the day, however, it often comes down to consistency.

It’s needed for anybody to find success in content marketing. Accounting firms often focus on overly short campaigns. Some may target Facebook or LinkedIn and put in a lot of effort for one month and then take the foot off the pedal.

During that time, the client list may grow but then it stops after that.

To avoid this and make the most of content marketing, the key is in consistency. It will help if you always have something to offer your prospects and existing clients.

It’s not enough to just take care of the sales funnel. You also need to provide follow-up content. You need to keep your existing clients happy and engaged.

It’s better to post consistently than posting short bursts of highly detailed posts and articles. Doing the former helps to nurture relationships and serves as a reminder of your firm’s VITAL services.

The Answer to the Question…

Both planned and inspired content can be great ways of communicating with your audience. So it’s not one of the two that you need. Using both to get the most leverage is the better course of action.

We at Oomph Global prefer inspired content as most of our clients find it to be more engaging. It’s powerful and resonates better with our clients. But we also understand the power and benefits of planning things out.

One of the benefits is predictability. The bulk of the workload at most accounting firms happens in the tax season. Although it seems like the year-round journey is an up and down curve, this is actually a good thing.

What we do is we plan out crucial pieces of content, including the topics that really move the needle. We then use this to create our webinar content, which is every two weeks.

In fact, we plan our webinars out in advance through to the next year. We also plan recorded videos for the full year. And the whole team holds monthly challenges for our content lounge program.

This may sound a bit stressful to some. But here’s the secret advantage. It actually takes the pressure off.

What if you don’t wake up feeling inspired in the morning? What if you can’t come up with a great topic or idea?

Whenever this happens, your planned content becomes a safety net. There’s no need to despair for not having a great idea every day. With your planned content, you always have something to discuss, explain, and record.

As great as inspired content can be, it’s not the most reliable. You can’t count on it being there for you every day. Having a content library that you can tap into daily is the next best thing.

The Most Important Thing – Creating

The creative portion of content marketing is arguably the most important. It’s not enough to just plan things out if you don’t follow through with the execution.

As is commonly the case, accounting firms have their schedules set in stone. You know when the tax season is and when to plan for it. It’s seasonal and you always know your busiest time of the year. (That may change if you are to switch to mostly advisory.)

In any event, there’s no reason that you shouldn’t engage in content marketing in the tax season.

You can carry out the execution or content creation in advance.

Besides outsourcing, you can assign some of your team members to work on the videos and articles. Spend time researching the current hot topics and ideas for your content library.

Don’t wait around for inspiration. Start working on the content that can help position your brand as VITAL. It doesn’t matter if you’re to deliver the content the following day or six months later as the release is the easiest part.

It’s so easy to schedule with tools like Buffer and Hootsuite. Even Facebook’s built-in scheduling tools may work well enough for you. You can use any of these tools to deliver your content gradually and on time.

This will allow you to keep up your content marketing throughout the year – including the tax season.

Here’s an example from my own experience. Back in 2016 or 2017, I hit a rough patch for four months. Illness kept me away from creating anything new. I could not be as active as I wanted.

Did that hurt my business? Not during my timeout. But it did start to hurt after the four months. It’s because I couldn’t create enough to prepare for what was to happen next.

The point is that you shouldn’t let the same thing happen to you.

Don’t depend on having to put your creative side to work in a hurry. You don’t have to wait to come up with an idea that resonates with your clients. You can always find something inspiring to talk about if you look hard and early enough.

Take Your Content Marketing Seriously and Add to Your Growth

There’s no point in debating planned content vs. inspired content. There’s room for both and there’s actually a need for both in your accounting firm. They are complementary strategies that can help to position your firm as VITAL to your ideal clients.

Remember that inspiration can strike at any moment. But you don’t have to pull the trigger on that one idea right at that moment. Nor do you have to wait around for an idea to come to you.

Build your content library, do your research, and plan your content. Schedule as much as you can and map everything out. This strategy is ideal if you wish to remain active with your content marketing during your busiest streaks.

If you wait for ideas to come to you, you may experience bouts of stagnation. You may not find as many inquiries in your inbox and you may see a lot more openings in your calendar.

Remember that a great idea is a great idea no matter what. It doesn’t matter if you share it now or two months from now.