Posts By
Ashton Adair

Marketing Manager, Brand, Voice & Operations at Whitley Penn | Ashton specializes in accounting and consulting industry marketing, with expertise in brand strategy, voice development, and marketing operations. She leads initiatives across website management, advertising, internal and external communications, proposals, public relations, and marketing automation. With a strong foundation in B2B marketing and operational efficiency, Ashton drives revenue growth and strengthens stakeholder engagement through strategic marketing execution and process optimization.

Beginner’s Guide: Marketing Team Structure in Accounting Firms

By Ashton Adair / October 27, 2026

Good news! There is no single right way to build a marketing team inside an accounting firm. The structure that works for a solo marketer at a regional firm may look very different from the model needed to support a multi-office, multi-service-line organization. But across firm sizes, the same questions…

Beginner’s Guide: How to Evaluate and Recommend a Focused Approach to Your 2027 Themes and Tools

By Ashton Adair / September 22, 2026

If you’re relatively new to accounting marketing, the last quarter of the year can feel overwhelming. Budget planning, campaign calendars, sponsorship renewals, technology decisions, vendor demos, and strategic plans all seem to collide at once. The good news? You don’t need a crystal ball. You need a framework. As you…

Resources of Interest: 9 Must-Read Books on Creating a Remarkable Client Experience

By Ashton Adair / August 25, 2026

Great client experiences don’t happen by accident. They are intentionally designed, consistently delivered, and deeply embedded into an organization’s culture. Below are some of the most impactful books on customer experience, hospitality and client loyalty that offer practical ideas for creating memorable interactions and lasting relationships. Raving Fans: A Revolutionary…

Beginner’s Guide: From “Just Hit Record” to Full Content Engine: A Practical Take from AAM Summit

By Ashton Adair / July 28, 2026

At this year’s AAM Summit, Sam Pagel (COO, Resound Creative) and Cassy Clayman (Marketing Manager, Topel Forman) delivered a refreshing take on something we all say we’re doing, but often overcomplicate: building a content engine. Their message was simple, actionable and honestly a little liberating: Just Hit Record. Start with…

Hot Topic: Best Practices for Creating a Crisis Communication & Current Event or Incident Response Plan in 2026

By Ashton Adair / March 24, 2026

When a crisis hits, professional services firms don’t get extra credit for improvisation. You fall to the level of your preparation—governance, playbooks, communication channels and decision frameworks you put in place long before anyone smells smoke. In 2026, the stakes are higher: cyberattacks are countless, audit regulators expect more transparency,…

Hot Topic: What Accounting Marketers Can Work on During Busy Season

By Ashton Adair / February 24, 2026

Busy season: our professionals vanish into piles of workpapers and travel into the trenches of SurePrep, Outlook slows down (maybe 5%?), and suddenly we can hear our own thoughts for a few extra hours a week (unless you live in Proposal Land, where the marketers never rest). It’s magical…this is…

Resources of Interest: Online Marketing Certifications to Consider Obtaining in 2026

By Ashton Adair / January 27, 2026

Skill-up in 2026 with these Online Marketing Certifications to Consider New year, new goals! Don’t forget about those professional resolutions… Need help deciding what courses to take this year? We’ve got you covered. We’re breaking down some of the top courses we could curate to help you on your path…

Navigating a Proposal Tool Migration: Research, Selection and Key Recommendations

By Ashton Adair / December 17, 2025

In 2025, we recognized the need to migrate our proposal tools as a strategic marketing initiative for our firm. At Whitley Penn, a nearly 1,000-person, nine-office firm in Texas and New Mexico, we produce over 500 proactive proposals, pitch decks, requests for proposals and requests for qualifications in a year’s…

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Featured: Season 9 Episode 4

Beyond the Database: Building a CRM That Fuels Business Development

Nikki Burgeson | UHY-US

In this episode, Chris Camara speaks with Nikki Burgeson about the critical role of CRM systems in business development, particularly within professional services.