Be Mindful of Inclusive Efforts in External Marketing of your CPA Firm

The trend of diversity and inclusion marketing in CPA firms

It is now common for marketing departments of CPA firms to incorporate diversity, equity, and inclusion tactics in their materials. It would be harder to find a firm that wasn’t promoting an interest in equal opportunity than the other way around. This article highlights three firms that have incorporated diverse representation in ethnicity, gender, and age into their marketing strategies to support and promote their firms.

Withum Culture Video

Withum has been producing culture videos for the past decade. These videos strive to reflect the firm’s demographics accurately, according to Rhonda Maraziti, Withum’s chief marketing officer, including “gender, race, age, and dress,” and even geography. The diversity effort has been evolving since it began.

EisnerAmper: Fabric of the Firm

EisnerAmper uses marketing to reach out to “women and minorities” in all sectors that they target, “including traditionally male-dominated industries like financial services and real estate,” said Mike Mattia, EisnerAmper’s Marketing Partner in Charge. They do this when planning panels for conferences, engaging in internal training and employee engagement programs, and working on external marketing campaigns. 

While many of their internal initiatives have now also become outward-facing marketing initiatives, some of their recent external efforts came out of a recent expansion into South Florida. EisnerAmper’s presence now engages a more heavily Hispanic-influenced population and marketplace, and the marketing team in Miami is working to use “the language of local business” to engage its growing network of Spanish-speaking clients, prospects, and referral sources.

Marks Paneth: Branding and Rebranding

A branding or rebranding project is a great opportunity to usher in more diverse representation in marketing projects. That’s what happened at Marks Paneth. Diane Paoletta, Marks Paneth’s Chief Marketing Officer, used the campaign “Success is Personal” to highlight their “broadly diverse clientele” and how their needs are met by advisors who have perspectives and backgrounds in common with them.

The Conclusion? Marketing is the Driver.

Marketing departments not only control messaging about diversity, but also work with third-party service providers like ad agencies, creative boutiques, buyers, and conference organizers, and can make decisions to solidify the firm’s corporate image as one that commits to diversity and racial inclusion. 

Marketing can also influence internal actions at the firm, including hiring, sales training, recruiting, and affinity groups. Consistent messaging can be threaded throughout these efforts to paint a consistent picture that emphasizes the importance of inclusion.

Read the full article to get more information on incorporating diversity and inclusion in a mindful way in marketing your CPA firms.
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