Let’s be frank. The news is giving us all heart palpitations.

In this blog, let’s get real about what’s really happening, how it’s impacting service-based organizations–especially accounting and finance firms–and how to bolster your marketing strategy to maximize amplification and impact in any economy.

What’s Really Happening

Having been raised by a 42-year veteran of the newspaper industry, I do my best to find out what’s really happening by consuming only written news (rather than TV or video-based reporting) from a reputable, nonpartisan source. My go-to resource, as many of my readers know, is The Wall Street Journal.

I read to seek fact.

A good news lead says what happened, who was involved, when and where it occurred, and ideally, why. I typically skip future forecasts and almost all opinions unless they’re grounded in credible expertise. Most of all, I look for silver linings. And there are plenty.

Having conducted my research in this way to write this article, I identified three brutal facts facing accounting and finance firms in 2025, along with silver linings and actionable steps to maximize marketing impact in every scenario. As you explore what’s here, keep in mind the words of Admiral James Stockdale: “You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end–which you can never afford to lose–with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.”

#1

Brutal Fact: Hiring has slowed. According to WSJ’s Kurt Wilberding, U.S. payrolls in May 2025 showed the sharpest job losses in professional and business services, second only to the federal sector. Overall unemployment hit 4.2%. For accounting and finance firms, this means leaner teams, increased pressure on existing talent and difficulty staffing new client-facing roles.

Silver Lining: In the same issue, WSJ’s Nick Timiraos reported that the Fed isn’t overly concerned as long as unemployment stabilizes. Fed Governor Christopher Waller noted a likely return to pre-pandemic labor market norms. Translation: This slowdown looks now to be a reset, not a collapse.

Maximize Amplification and Impact in Any Economy: Now is the time to protect and retain top talent. For firms where client relationships rely on long-standing staff, stability is marketing gold. WSJ contributors Ethan Bernstein and Michael B. Horn recommend asking these four stay-interview questions to boost engagement:

1. When was the last time you almost quit?
2. When was the most recent time work didn’t feel like work?
3. What trade-offs are you making to stay in this role?
4. If this job disappeared tomorrow, what would you choose to do next?

Also, check out our archival blog: The Ultimate Marketing-to-Sales-Team Feedback Loop (And Vice Versa)–a helpful tool for aligning internal messaging when resources are tight. 

#2

Brutal Fact: Services-sector activity has declined. WSJ’s Ed Frankl reports mounting uncertainty and price pressures are hitting service firms hard, finance and accounting included. Client budgets are tightening, and retainer-based firms are feeling the squeeze.

Silver Lining: Periods of contraction are opportunities to reframe. When everyone else is quiet, strategic messaging stands out.

Maximize Amplification and Impact in Any Economy: This is the moment to hone positioning and competitive differentiation. Are you the firm known for strategic advisory services? Niche industry expertise? Tax planning precision? Dial into your strongest differentiators and ensure every client touchpoint, from website to proposals to thought leadership, reinforces them.

Want a how-to? Read our blog: 3 Often Forgotten Steps in the Brand Awareness Lifecycle.

#3

Brutal Fact: AI threatens to disrupt traditional business models. There’s no shortage of headlines warning that AI will upend the job market. For accounting and finance firms, concerns about automation replacing core roles–like bookkeeping or forecasting–are widespread.

Silver Lining: Robert D. Atkinson, president of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, recently argued in WSJ that fears of job extinction due to AI are overblown: “Automation has never created a mass lumpenproletariat… Savings from increased productivity are recycled back into the economy in the form of higher wages, higher profits and reduced prices. This creates new demand that, in turn, creates new jobs.” History supports this. Pinsetters, elevator operators, even projectionists were all replaced. Yet the job market evolved. Today’s AI tools promise not obsolescence, but evolution.

Maximize Amplification and Impact in Any Economy: Rather than resist, finance and accounting firms can lead the AI conversation. Use AI to enhance reporting, automate client onboarding, streamline communications and analyze trends…then market those capabilities. We break down practical uses of AI in Big Buzz post: 3 Things You May Not Know About AI for Marketing (I Didn’t!). 

The Aha Moment

Here’s the truth: Every economic cycle brings challenges. But for the bold, it also brings opportunity.

Accounting and finance firms that prioritize internal alignment, competitive messaging and intelligent adoption of technology will emerge stronger in 2025. Here’s to your strong finish this year!

Since 2007, Big Buzz® has helped Stage II to Stage III organizations systemize marketing to achieve growth goals. Founder and CEO Wendy O’Donovan Phillips is the author of two books available on Amazon, Kaboom and Flourish, multiple data-driven eBooks, has been published in McKnight’s, in Forbes, and has been quoted in The Washington Post, ABC News and Chicago Tribune. She has lectured dozens of professional organizations in front of audiences ranging in size from 25 to 6,000. She has been honored by the American Marketing Association for excellence in her field and has been named a Gold Key Award Winner by the Business Marketing Association. In her two-decades-long career, she has consulted with hundreds of organizations globally to support improved marketing clarity, strategies and outcomes. Get details: visit www.bigbuzzinc.com and follow Wendy.