Meet a Member: Tara Davis

JUST THE FACTS

• Name: Tara Davis
• Title: National Marketing Director
• Years of Experience: 12 in Accounting Marketing
• College Name & Degree(s): San Diego State University, Bachelor’s in Business Administration with an emphasis in Graphic Design. Minor in Marketing.
• Firm Name: Sorren
• Firm City & State: Boise, Idaho
• Firm Size: 850 in US across 20 offices, 300 in the Philippines and India
• Email Address: [email protected]
• Professional Memberships:
  • Member, Association of Accounting Marketing
  • Member, BDO Alliance Marketing Roundtable
  • Member, American Marketing Association
• Community Involvement: Girl Scout Cadette Troop Leader, Leader of an AAM Circle (Dept of 1)
• Twitter Handle:
• LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/taradavis-sorren/

GETTING TO KNOW YOU

• What strategies did you deploy when leading an effort to rebrand 13 companies into one firm?
  • I engaged our five founding leaders early and often during the name development and strategic messaging phases. Frequent touchpoints to gather input and address concerns helped build buy-in down the road, which was critical to our success. We also interviewed other partners, managers, staff and clients to gather their raw input on how our legacy firms’ cultures were contributing to Sorren as a whole. They are now able to see how their contributions shaped our direction and outcomes. This is as much their project as it was the marketing team’s.
  • I started with a deep dive into each firm—getting to know their unique identity, their current values and messaging, current marketing resources and what was working well versus where they were feeling pain points. This wasn’t like rebranding a firm I’d been part of for years; I had to build that understanding from the ground up. We audited each firm’s marketing materials and used those insights to map out a clear list of priority projects, so everyone had what they needed to represent the new brand and hit the ground running on day one after launch.
  • We developed a shared library of marketing materials, templates and brand guidelines so every office could hit the ground running in the timeframe that worked best for them. Instead of launching everything at once internally, we slowly populated the library. Starting with the basics they used every day helped them become familiar with their new resources.
  • Communication, communication, communication!! We are getting closer to using the same platforms but weren’t there by the rebrand launch date. We had to get creative with how we communicated and reached everyone here. I visited a few of our larger offices and joined staff meetings prior to launching, to walk through the rebrand launch timeline. During the launch period, we had a weekly rebrand email update that walked team members through what was launching each week, where to find information and any action items we needed them to do. We had a SharePoint landing page with links to shared information. Multiple versions of our library could be accessed internally and externally for team members not yet on our systems. Most of our regions also have a local marketing contact, and we filtered information through them to the offices.
• Who was involved in the rebranding effort?
  • We worked with Sovrn Creative, an agency, in Boise, Idaho for Sorren’s strategic messaging and design. Internally, the rebrand was led by me, Julia Thompson, our Digital Marketing Manager and Brady Auch, our Brand & Communications Manager. They were instrumental during the roll-out phase in working with each office to help implement the new brand and helped work through each legacy firm’s unique challenges.
• What did you learn the hard way?
  • Every detail matters, but not every detail is equal. You can’t meet every single person’s priority when working with a seriously compacted timeline, and that was the hardest part for my team and me. We had to set clearer boundaries as we neared launch and made some hard decisions on what really needed to be perfect at launch and what could roll out in phase two.
• What is a “must know” for accounting marketers starting a rebranding project?
  • Alignment on messaging and a new brand’s personality and voice is key before even considering the design of your new brand. Including as many people as possible for input will help with buy-in down the road.
• What are your special skills or what is something people may not know about you?
  • I am fixer by nature, so in my career, it’s now also my secret super-power. I can work through just about any challenge thrown my way. My motto in life is “Everything is Figureoutable.”
• What is the biggest benefit you receive from your AAM membership or what effect has AAM had on your career?
  • The circles have been so impactful for me. Back when I was a department of one, I relied heavily on feedback and ideas from my peers. The circles give us a great outlet to talk about everyday challenges and work through them together.
• What do you feel is the biggest issue facing accounting marketers today?
  • The ever-changing digital and AI landscape. It’s easy to get distracted with everything you “could” be doing. We must take a step back and ask, “What are we truly trying to accomplish, and what are our pain points in getting there?” This has helped me narrow focus around new tools worth exploring.
• What would you be doing if you had not become a marketer?
  • I would be a real estate agent and flip houses. I love seeing the potential in homes that are otherwise overlooked!
• What books have you read recently that you feel would be beneficial to other AAM members?
  • The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeow. We are all balancing countless priorities, both personally and professionally. Finding balance between my career and my family as a busy mom of two has been my top priority. If I could sum up my best advice after this read (I’m well known for unsolicited advice, the downfall of being a “fixer” by nature) here’s what I would say:
    • You can’t do it all — and you shouldn’t try. Success often means doing fewer things better.
    • Design your life around priorities, not pressures. Instead of letting external demands dictate your schedule, build routines, buffers and boundaries so your best work gets your best energy. This means protecting space for reflection, rest, and deliberate decision-making rather than reacting to everything.