Your website is often the first impression clients have of your business. For many, it’s the main way potential customers decide whether to engage with you or move on to a competitor. But unlike a printed brochure, a website isn’t “done” once it goes live - it’s a living, breathing part of your business. To stay effective, it needs to be reviewed, updated, and eventually rebuilt on a regular cycle.

How accounting and law teams can stay positive, inspire others, and keep momentum when the news is all doom and gloom.

It’s a common refrain we hear from busy professional service firms: “We can’t handle any more clients right now, so we don’t need to market.” On the surface, this makes sense, you don’t want to overwhelm your team or dilute the quality of your service. But pausing marketing because you’re busy is a risky strategy that can leave your business vulnerable.

With decades of combined experience working alongside professional service firms, one clear lesson stands out: ad hoc marketing simply doesn’t work. Whether you’re a law firm, an accounting practice, or another professional services provider, inconsistent marketing efforts waste time, money, and valuable resources - and rarely deliver meaningful results.

Social media continues to evolve, and New Zealand businesses must stay ahead of the curve to maximize their marketing impact. In 2025, the top social platforms remain vital tools for reaching diverse audiences and achieving business goals. 1. Facebook Despite being a veteran in the social media space, Facebook maintains its dominance due to its vast audience and diverse features. With nearly three-quarters of New Zealanders active on the platform, it remains a crucial tool for businesses to reach various demographics. In 2025, the platform’s advancements in AI-driven advertising, hyper-targeted campaigns, and community-focused groups continue to make it indispensable for both small businesses and large enterprises. 2. Instagram Instagram continues to thrive, particularly among younger audiences. The platform's focus on visual content, combined with new immersive shopping experiences and short-form video via Reels, has kept it at the forefront of social media trends. Businesses in New Zealand leverage Instagram for branding, influencer partnerships, and direct-to-consumer sales, thanks to its streamlined e-commerce capabilities. 3. LinkedIn For businesses in New Zealand, LinkedIn has cemented itself as the go-to platform for professional networking and B2B marketing. With its strong focus on fostering professional connections, it’s an essential tool for companies looking to generate leads, recruit talent, or establish thought leadership. In 2025, LinkedIn’s robust analytics, interactive features like LinkedIn Live, and enhanced content discovery through newsletters and articles make it indispensable for businesses aiming to reach decision-makers and industry professionals. 4. TikTok TikTok’s explosive growth shows no signs of slowing. Its highly engaging, algorithm-driven short-form videos have captured a wide range of age groups. For Kiwi businesses, TikTok offers unique opportunities to create viral content, connect with Gen Z and Millennials, and capitalize on trends quickly. Features like live shopping and partnerships with creators make TikTok a standout for businesses looking to stay relevant. Emerging Platforms to Watch As established platforms dominate, new social media networks are carving out their niches. Here are a few to watch: BeReal: Continuing its rise, BeReal offers an authentic, no-frills alternative to traditional platforms. While less marketing-centric, it’s ideal for brands aiming to showcase unfiltered behind-the-scenes content. Lemon8: A hybrid of Instagram and Pinterest, Lemon8 is gaining traction with users seeking aesthetic, lifestyle-driven content. This platform is particularly appealing to niche businesses in fashion, travel, and wellness. Bluesky: Founded by Twitter’s Jack Dorsey, Bluesky is a decentralized social platform focused on user control and privacy. It’s gaining interest from tech-savvy audiences and offers early adoption opportunities for forward-thinking brands.  To succeed in 2025, New Zealand businesses should maintain a strong presence on established platforms like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok, while experimenting with emerging ones to engage audiences and stand out in an ever-changing digital landscape.

‘Tis the season to … do some network housekeeping. What would you do if the unexpected happens while you’re on the beach? Check your system before closedown. What’s your festive season backup plan? A blackout, a stolen laptop, or the dancing turkey video infecting the system with a virus could dampen the Christmas cheer. Even if you don’t have a contract with an IT provider, it may be worthwhile to have them audit your system and review your IT plan. Establish clear protocols with your team so they don’t put the business at risk by failing to backup key files or unwittingly downloading a virus. Start the holidays with peace of mind and come back in the new year good to go. Check: Virus protection: Is it up to date to carry you through the holiday period? Backup: Does routine backup of data and files include all shared drives or just some? What about your laptops? Make sure you and team are saving to the shared drives and not leaving the latest versions of critical files in local My Documents folders. Are backups stored securely offsite or in the cloud? Are laptops and hard drives synchronised to cloud storage? Does this happen automatically on login or is it a manual process? Future proof: Plan to replace out of date equipment. Even if your computer setup isn’t absolutely up to the minute, it should be able to handle your business applications’ operating requirements. If your systems are cloud-based, make sure hardware capability and internet speeds don’t slow the team down whether downloading, uploading and just getting things done. Should this be a priority? The Sharpe Marketing team use Mark from IT Star. They are professional services experts.

When economic conditions tighten, many professional service firms instinctively look for ways to reduce costs. Marketing is often one of the first areas to be trimmed. While this might feel like a sensible short-term decision, it can have long-term consequences, especially for lawyers and accountants whose business growth depends heavily on reputation, relationships, and referrals.

In New Zealand’s professional services market, whether you’re an accountant or a lawyer, the competition is fierce — and your next client is more than likely searching for you online. The challenge?

You set up your website to engage with new and returning clients. How’s that going for you? What do you know about viewer experience on your site? One great thing about websites is that they track a wealth of valuable business data. Are you using that data to analyse what that means for your business? Or to keep on refining viewer experience on your business’ website? Just as it’s important to keep your website fresh with regular new and updated content, it’s also important to stay current with the kind of traffic your site receives. Tools like Google Analytics can help you find out: Where traffic flows to your site The most popular pages Time spent on each page Traffic at different times of the year Are there patterns that emerge when you sift through the data? Are viewers who progress to the online checkout the ones who spend the most time on the most pages? Or a specific page? Is there a common entry point on the site for viewers who contact you for more information? Look at system performance too. A simple issue like image-heavy pages that take too long to load might be driving would-be customers to a competitor. Are all the links working on all the pages? If you’re new to this, don’t get swamped with all the data. Target what you think is most important. If you’re not the most tech-savvy, seek expert advice for a full overview of your website’s performance and how it can be improved. It could be the difference between a new customer or another new client for your competitor.