Potential clients will always make a first impression of an accounting practice. This frequently comes from their online presence. This presents a large chance to not only generate quality CPA firm websites that are visually appealing, but that also list good information about the services the business provides, calling visitors to action and converting them into clients. A good method of doing this is to create a blog for the business’s web site.
Blogging is very important in the modern online world. It allows businesses to showcase their expertise in their fields, and it allows individuals to share their ideas. Well-written blogs on CPA websites allow potential clients to get to know the firm, present its accountants as easily accessible to current clients, and establish the practice as a subject matter expert in the field of accounting.
While creating professional blogs for CPA websites, it is wise to consider the following strategies. They should also be kept in mind as the blog is maintained in the future.
When creating a blog on a firm’s website, the firm is creating content as its own publisher. Posting to a CPA blog often so that the blog stays fresh is important. It is also important that an accounting firm doesn’t just try to sell services in its blog, because readers will lose interest. The blog should offer something of value. A CPA blog needs to contain good grammar and be clear and cogent. It should share the firm’s expertise in the field of accounting with readers.
Setting accounting firms apart from their competition is a great strategy. Accounting is relevant to all taxpayers. Successful CPA blogs offer readers a chance to educate themselves. A solid strategy is blog posts with tax filing tips and current information about tax law. Most importantly, accounting blogs need to offer readers something of value. This makes sure they will want to return. A CPA blog should also list what services the firm provides, and offer to provide the answers to any questions readers may have. This type of interactivity creates a loyal reader base.
Accounting firms should promote blogs by spreading the word with others in their field and professional network, print blog names on their business cards, and advertise their blogs on the front page of their CPA websites. As accounting blogs gain popularity, they will earn search engine authority, which brings traffic to the blogs and help them earn more leads.
Accounting blog authors need to stay current with what readers want to read. This is a critical part of maintaining an effective blog. Authors should ask their readers what their concerns are. Another great strategy is conducting surveys. Surveys should offer a few topics to see if they spark interest. It is also a good idea to provide an open-ended response to see what readers have to say without being prompted.
Blogging is a tremendous opportunity to boost search engine rankings for modern CPA websites. Each posting is a brand-new opportunity to be listed in the search engines, and the key is getting people to come to accounting blogs frequently. This helps accounting practices by putting their brands in front of prospects while advertising their services to their present customers, and offering the search engines good content to raise their search engine footprint.
The most desirable initial contact with potential leads for almost all small firms are successful CPA websites. Their most important function is that they they should give a good picture about your firm. Your website offers you around the clock prospecting for your practice. Even so, your sites’s content should always be up-to-date, and this takes consistent effort. This makes sure your site ranks high enough in search engine results pages (SERPs) so that possible clients can come across you.
This takes a lot of diligence. One excellent method is to work with a student to help you with your online marketing. College students and new webmasters are always looking for opportunities to try out their web marketing skills. Here are some pointers to effectively bring a student into a practice to help create and manage marketing programs and CPA websites.
Basic Skills
You actually don’t need an intern with a lot of accounting expertise for this position. Instead the most desirable candidates will already have some experience with online marketing. They need to be skilled in SEO (search engine optimization). They should also have SEM (search engine marketing) skills. It isn’t terribly difficult to increase your rankings, but it takes diligence and hard work. You want a steady stream of fresh content. It’s a big challenge keeping convincing CPA websites fresh and interesting. Ask your candidates for samples of their writing. The best candidates will have articles written about accounting and the field of financial management, but marketing and writing skills are MUCH more important. You obviously don’t have to spend time teaching them the fundamentals of your business, but you’ll have much more luck teaching a writer to sell accounting services than you will trying to turn an accouniting student into a writer.
As a CPA, you understand the importance of a professional and dependable image for not only your prospects, but for your current clients as well. Although your intern is not in a client-facing role, their work will be a direct reflection of you and your firm. It is a good idea to review their work carefully. Because they will be representing you online, you want to make sure the quality of their work is sufficient.
Your intern needs only a basic set of math skills to be able to create and monitor performance metrics for your website. An understanding of spreadsheets and basic statistics is all that is needed to measure the effectiveness of the marketing programs over time.
Integrating your Intern
You should work with your intern as you work with your permanent office staff. This applies even though your intern may only be a temporary employee. They will be directly working with your office staff, so it is important to consider their compatibility with the rest of your team. The content your intern creates is a direct reflection of your firm. It helps when your intern communicates effectively with your employees.
Campaign Performance
Because search engine programs can take several months to produce real, visible results, it is a good idea to let the intern make suggestions on SEO and SEM programs. They can make valuable contributions for your CPA website. It is a good idea to consider their input. Considering all your options is also a good idea. Your intern can contribute greatly to your firm’s revenue stream.
You may want to keep your business’ student past the scope of your firm’s original campaigns. They can add value for additional programs. College students and new webmasters can continue to bring value to your practice’s online success, especially in the competitive atmosphere of accounting websites.
Many ideas and pointers are out there to help practices add to the popularity and efficacy of their CPA Websites. Consider, for example, the design of your landing page. This page will dictate whether potential clients decide to peruse your site further or whether they leave without even giving your site a fair look.
While your most important landing page is most likely your “Welcome” or “Index” page most CPA websites have several. Any time somebody clicks on a search engine result, an online marketing advertisement, or a social network click-through, his or her browser lands on a certain page, and this is called a landing page. The initial concept or search term that led visitors to your page must therefore be a theme you expound upon on your landing page.
How can you design an engaging landing page for your CPA practice site?
CPA websites must be friendly and professional and the landing pages must make it easy for site visitors to discover the content that they are looking for. Well-designed navigational paths are always essential.
Use powerful and descriptive headlines to structure the information and to tell potential clients what the page is all about. Got more than three paragraphs? Add subtitles. They give the page some structure, making it easier for people to scan through the information.
What services do you offer? Good accountant web design for landing pages will make that obvious. Let people know what your accounting company can do for them. Most people reach CPA websites when looking for specific services or solutions to problems. Make sure your contact information is easy to find! That will facilitate people being in touch with you.
What action do you want people to take when they land on your landing page? That must also be clear. Stimulating web site visitors to become your clients is fundamentally what the landing page is all about. Good accountant web design can achieve that goal.
The easiest way to stimulate website visitors into action is the addition of a functional button – this puts people just a step away from having all their accounting problems tackled. Such a button might say “Got a question? Click here!” In this instance, you should have somebody available to provide potential clients with online accounting advice.
The very best landing pages will also incorporate video information. Providing accounting instruction in the form of a video clip is easier for the viewer to review and more personal than just your printed page. Your original accounting videos will show off the skills of your accounting practice. If it’s fresh, useful and straightforward, your video will prove a potent tool.
A well-crafted landing page will differentiate your online presence from other firms’ CPA websites, giving your webpage unparalleled impact. Well-designed landing pages usually grow brand name recognition. After all, you want people to consider your company every time that they need accounting services.
By the way, this video was produced by ClientSource, the marketing division of CPA Site Solutions. If you already have a first class CPA website but you need help marketing it give ClientSource a good look!
Lots of Accounting firms have websites to advertise their expertise. As an owner of a CPA practice you know how challenging it is to build strong website content and increase its number of visitors. It can be a challenge to become well known on the web because it’s full of firms that market CPA services.
CPAs can take a variety steps to raise the number of visitors to their website. Many of these steps can actually increase the loyalty to their business as a whole. One option is to utilize the power of YouTube. YouTube video advertising is a very effective way to market CPA websites. Video clips that are strategically used to promote financial services have plenty of advantages over other marketing efforts. A quality marketing video takes time, thought and preparation. However, it can effectively generate interest in potential clients.
There are many people who need the assistance of a CPA. Most of those people search for CPA services on the Internet search engines. When people search online they typically need help solving a problem. This often means that they are looking for a professional service.
It makes perfect sense why videos are so effective for marketing the best CPA websites. Now it can’t be just any video, the focus needs to be on creating videos that discuss frequently asked accounting questions. There is no need to hire an actor. Simply have a lead accountant do the videos. Remember to focus on making the video simple to understand, professional and welcoming. People who view the videos will likely spend more time on your company’s website, develop a level of trust with your company based on your informative videos, and will very likely become a future client.
YouTube video marketing on CPA websites focuses on building credibility. It does this by demonstrating the knowledge of the CPA firm firsthand in a relatable manner. Accounting can be a confusing field. Many people find it hard to grasp what an accountant actually does or how an accountant can help them with their finances. Relatable, yet professional video clips can build trust more effectively than other marketing collateral.
An advantage of YouTube advertising is that you will reach people who actually want to find accounting information with your video clips.The Internet is a very effective medium to reach your target market. In fact the chances of reaching your target is considerably higher than with television or print ads.
One big advantage with video is the visual you are providing people when making a CPA website. The human face will naturally allow people to relate to your business. Think about it, would you rather read about accounting or view an accountant explain it in an easy to understand manner in a short video? That connection will allow people to remember your business the next time they need accounting services.
Even better is that YouTube video marketing is affordable and is often free. The only resources you need are a video camera and a spokesperson. Although it is affordable or in many cases free, you still need to carefully plan and film the videos. Take your time and produce videos that will represent your company well. Give the project some thought and consider what people would find helpful.
It is an excellent opportunity to show off the experience and knowledge of your CPA firm. Be sure to link all of your videos to your CPA website. The financial industry tends to be intimidating to many people. YouTube video marketing is a great way to promote a company in a friendly, personable and helpful way. The Internet is growing in importance as a promotional medium. As consumers and businesses catch up with technology, the full potential of video marketing is beginning to be recognized. However, there are still very few businesses out there who are using it effectively. The Internet is becoming more and more significant. The practices who attain a firm foothold today are the people who will thrive in the future. CPA firms have to concentrate their resources on realizing the wide-ranging potential of the net. Video marketing is one of the better means to interest the masses on the web.
If you’ve ever roamed the Internet to check out other accountants’ websites, you understand that a high quality website is critical. It telegraphs the values of your accounting business. An awkward or sloppy look will project the wrong impression to potential clients looking for responsible financial advice.
Like any consumer business, accounting requires a steady flow of new customers, plus loyal clientele. To achieve that, your optimal tool is an intelligent, thoughtful website that clients find helpful over and over.
Good inbound marketing for accounting websites is dignified but never dull. If you’re supplying valuable content to your clients with online articles and targeted emails, you will attract clients- and keep them because they appreciate your responsible guidance.
Good accounting websites consistently convey the latest developments in the profession. So show that you’re looking towards the future. As Charlie Sheen says, “I’m more interested in what I can do next than what I did last.”
Don’t shine your light under a bushel. Let less confident firms hide their expertise.
Keep abreast of the latest tips to aid your clients, and load them onto your website. Along with your valuable information should be an easy financial calculator tool for the client to see how much money can be saved with the suggestion he or she just read.
Your neatly presented knowledge will enhance your reputation. “You’re either in my corner, or you’re with the trolls,” said Charlie Sheen. Show clients you’re in their corner, and you’ll get their loyalty in return.
Make your website friendly and easy to interact with. Having the email addresses of all the specialists in your firm clearly printed will encourage contact and build trust.
Offering free consultations to your new clients is a wonderful way to start a relationship. Your client will know that you will be an ally who has the his or her best interests at heart.
Have you considered a blog? Blogs can build community among your consumer base and demonstrate your knowledge in a very positive way.
The best part of doing inbound marketing through well-designed websites for accountants is that such marketing is not only more economical than traditional public advertising, but it’s also more effective. These days there is backlash against the traditional marketing “hard-sell.” But inbound marketing, involving communication only with individuals who hit your accounting website due to their own drive, takes only a gentle assurance that the person has come to the right place to find the most expert accountants in town – those who rightly announce, “I try to be known more for my work than for anything else” (Charlie Sheen).
Retailers can offer great deals and unusual merchandise to get repeat customers, but accounting firms and accountants must be a bit more strategic to keep their clients coming back. Offering highly skilled payroll services, elegantly designed accountant websites, and flawless tax filings make a great impression – but a competitor down the street is entirely capable of achieving this same basic level of professionalism. CPA’s need an edge to make sure their clients come back year after year.
Here are several tips for how to retain clients.
Increase Convenience for Clients with Accountant Websites and More
It can be hard to give a personal touch in accounting because finance tends to be a sterile topic. Try the following actions to give your firm more of a human face:
Establish an online presence. Successful accountant websites provide helpful tax tips and financial information for clients, as well as time-saving features like a client portal or a credit card processing service.
For clients who use Facebook and Twitter, set up social media accounts so you can easily answer questions in real time.
Use the good old-fashioned phone to check up on clients, making sure they don’t have any lingering questions after tax day.
Keep small personal notes on each client. Ask about their children, their career, or their success in school next time you see them; it gives you instant likability.
Be Realistic, But Deliver Superior Service
Be very careful not to promise the world to your clients. For instance, they should know that if they turn in their tax materials within a week of tax day, you likely won’t be able to complete their return on time.
Of course, don’t become complacent; work hard to deliver the best possible service in each case. And if a client does turn in her documents on the 13th and you ARE able to get her return done on time, make sure she understands you’ve gone above and beyond for her.
Another way to exceed client expectations is with accountant websites. Having a fully loaded website with online payroll services, QuickBooks training and support, and a client portal is definitely a huge advantage to your clients. The increased efficiency and convenience of online tools make a great impression.
Maintain the Highest Degree of Honesty
Unfortunately, many people automatically assume those who deal with financial matters are dishonest. Since the deck may already be stacked against you, you must work that much harder to provide honest services.
To combat this, never stretch the truth and always provide bad news in a gentle, straightforward manner.
It also helps to express your trustworthiness in other ways. Being courteous, considerate, and always following through on your promises are other ways you can convey your honesty. The little things really do add up.
Return Client Calls Right Away
Firms that are difficult to contact end up losing business. When clients are worried about money, waiting hours or days for a return phone call provides ample time for increased fears.
Make it a priority to get back to clients, no matter how seemingly insignificant their question. Follow up by phone or email as soon as you can, even if it’s just to report that you’ll be in touch with more information later.
Be Yourself
Believe it or not, accountants can have personalities, too; in fact, it’s encouraged! So if you like to tell jokes, then tell jokes. If you’re shy, don’t pretend to be gregarious. Of course you won’t be a perfect fit for each and every client, but that shouldn’t be your goal. When you try too hard to be likable to everyone who comes through your door, you end up being unlikable to most.
Learning how to retain clients is important for anyone in the service industry, and CPAs are no exception. The more you use accountant websites, social media platforms, and your own trustworthiness to keep your clients satisfied with your services, the easier it will be to keep folks on your client list. If you put your energy toward satisfying the clientele that create the best money, then you’ll be able to let up on procuring additional clients, or even cease altogether.
For any company, leads are tremendously important.
This is especially true for CPA’s. Beyond simply looking for leads via effective CPA websites or responding to prospect inquiry and sales contact, leads must be grouped and nurtured so that they can be reused and recycled for further business practices.
Developing new accounting customers is an important goal. However, lead nurturing also makes sure you don’t let opportunities from the business landscape slip by. In today’s economy, you can’t let an ideal business relationship slip away. You want to be thorough when expanding your business. The practice of lead nurturing makes sure you take advantage of all new opportunities.
While lead nurturing may seem tiresome or redundant, it is absolutely essential to advertise to potential clients. As a CPA, lead nurturing is an essential business practice. Below are several of the reasons why.
1) 77% of prospects are made up of nurtured leads
It is not wise to leave your leads unnurtured. It creates a large risk of lost business. You can substantially grow your accounting business by keeping track of your lead touches. You can also exponentially expand your professional network as well.
2) Leads tend to regularly change their mind over time
It is a good strategy to give your leads room to evaluate your firm’s services. Asking for a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’ right away is risky. Your leads need time to consider the possibilities. They need time to choose what is best for their particular situation. Continued touches mean that your accounting firm stays at the front of their mind.
3) The process of nurturing leads is quite simple
After initial contact with leads from accountant website traffic, easy follow-up calls and adding your leads to a mailing list is an almost effortless way to grow your business. Light touches that are well timed show discretion and concern for your leads, and do not add substantially to you or your staff’s workload.
4) Lead nurturing elicits trust in clients
Show your leads you care. This makes them more likely to engage with your accountant firm. Ultimately, the human side to accounting converts leads into customers, whereas the business side can make you seem distant, cold, and unapproachable.
5) Lead nurturing shows your firm is thorough
Following up with your leads shows your firm is consistent, even in the nascent stages of your business practices. These will eventually turn into quality leads. With lead nurturing, your goal is to convert them into a client. In order to do this you need to win them over.
6) Nurturing your leads helps you understand them better
In learning which parts of the accounting website lead nurturing processes bear the most favorable results, you will be able to empathize with your clients and to ultimately serve them better through the life of your business relationship.
7) Nurturing leads alters the competitive landscape
Simple, light touches for your leads beyond initial contact set you apart from the competition, particularly in front of those who do not practice lead nurturing.
Lead nurturing helps you decrease repetition
It is very counterproductive to further touch leads who have turned down your services. To continue to contact them makes them feel like they are being harassed, be sure not to touch them further. Categorizing leads which turned down your organization altogether prevents repetition and prevents the development of a bad reputation amongst leads who have not made up their minds.
Busy season is just a stone’s throw away- but there’s no need to worry. A few simple techniques will help your firm get through tax season with less stress and improved efficiency…
Many CPAs have mixed feelings about the crazy months leading up to April 15. No one wants to opt out of the influx of money that’s part of the deal, which funds their firm for the rest of the year. But on the flip side, a good many simply fall apart during these months, forgetting about their accountant websites and other marketing channels and letting everyone suffer physically and emotionally.
Check out how shrewd accountants maximize the profits of busy season while minimizing the stress:
1. They Don’t Skimp on Their Accountant Websites
During busy season, time is money. Taking precious time to file paper returns and fix broken printers slows accountants down – and ultimately equals less revenue.
Keeping the office simple is the name of the game, which is why well-prepared accountants use expertly designed accountant websites to increase efficiency. Consider the following, all of which help firms work smarter:
Secure file exchange
Electronic tax prep forms
PayPal or another credit card processing program
Automated newsletter
Frequently asked questions page
Map and driving directions
2. They Take Time NOW to Get Organized
One of the greatest contributors to stress is a disorganized work space. Especially in a business like accounting, piles of papers and files quickly get out of control, spilling all over the floor and teetering on the edges of crowded desks. And what happens when a client calls and the CPA can’t find their information easily? Even when they’re confident they can locate any piece of paper quickly, they’re foolish to take a chance with client data.
The most successful firms take time before busy season to prepare for the onslaught of work. These CPAs arrange files, update their accountant websites, and clean out inboxes. They also set aside an area for projects that can wait until after busy season.
Once work starts coming in, it helps to spend a couple minutes at the end of every day to tidy up the office. Folks who do this report feeling empowered and well-prepared for the next day.
3. They Let Go of Dead Weight
It’s part of the package to have some clients who just make life miserable for the whole staff. These difficult folks might take issue with every single fee, leave nasty comments on firms’ accountant websites, or just come across as highly unpleasant and antisocial.
It may be hard to do, but it’s okay to fire obnoxious clients, and smart CPAs terminate these relationships. The time accountants waste dealing with these troublemakers is better spent working with the clients who are easy and problem free.
4. They Search Out the Brightest Interns
Historically, accountants have been the biggest administrators. They answer e-mails, handle returns, manage their accountant websites, field phone and website inquiries, and other tedious tasks. But this work doesn’t make money, and it’s not hard – so why not hire an assistant or two for these pesky duties?
Busy season is the perfect time to hire interns. Interns are typically eager to gain some accounting experience, and they don’t usually cost much. Both accountants and interns benefit – and busy season can become much more manageable.
5. They Aren’t Married to the Job
During busy season, many accountants work 10, 12, 14 hours a day – or more. But not all of them. The most successful CPAs set boundaries for themselves.
Follow their lead. Decide in advance each day what time you’re going to leave the office, and stick to it. Getting enough rest and taking a break each evening only makes the next day that much more productive.
And remember to tell your clients that you can’t work miracles. They should know that they MUST hand in their materials by a particular date or you’ll be filing for an extension on their behalf. End of story. Don’t let a client’s procrastination be the cause of a panicked rush on April 14th.
This year, try out some of these tips – and most important of all, make your health and well-being a priority. On a regular basis – at least one day a week – put aside all thoughts of taxes, numbers, and difficult clients. Indulge in a movie or play, enjoy a bubble bath, or go out with your buddies. When you do, you – and your business – will find much success in the accounting world for many years to come!
As a rule accounting companies have little alternative but to turn to website templates to get their business a website. Custom websites are ludicrously expensive. Painfully few small to medium sized practices can actually be expected to design a website from scratch. You need code monkeys, design professionals, copy writers… you can expect to pay a pretty big pile of cash and wait months for a custom accounting site. A template, complete with hundreds of pages of free reports, custom newsletters, interactive calculators and more, will usually cost about $50 a month.
Seems like a no brainer, doesn’t it? But there is actually one good reason that companies that could afford custom sites would often get them despite the outrageous cost.
Website templates have been around for years and they’ve always been an inexpensive and effective alternatives to expensive custom sites, but they’ve traditionally had problems getting good rankings in search engines like Google and Bing.
It’s a pretty common to trade off power for simplicity when designing software for “end users”. Template providers, however, in making their content management systems easy to use, often glossed over or ignored features that would make their templates more appealing to the search engines.
As the web has become more competitive some of these template providers have shifted gears, successfully overcoming these limitations without substantially increasing the complexity of their content management tools. Many others have not. This makes some templates vastly superior to others when it comes to SEO, or “search engine optimization”.
Here are three things to look for in accounting website templates to be sure that the website can be properly optimized to the search engines.
Duplicate Content: Let’s look at the “duplicate content” first as all template driven sites will have this problem. When you first get them even the best accounting website templates will have hundreds of pages of “standard” content. Google can identify this, and they don’t have much respect for sites composed entirely of “duplicate content”. Customizable pages can overcome duplicate content issues. Make sure your template provider allows you to modify and add pages freely to your site. Nobody expects you to modify all 600 pages on a typical accounting website template, but it will make a huge difference if you personalize as few a five or ten pages.
“Nerfed” Meta Tags: Another common problem with templates is “universal meta tags”. On most accounting website templates there is only one setting for meta tags like page titles, page descriptions, and keywords that affect all the pages on the site simultaneously. If you want to succeed in the search engines make sure the meta tags on your website can be changed separately on every page of your site.
Lots of I-framed Pages: I saved this last issue for the end of the article because, quite frankly, it can be hard to identify. You may even want to retain a website professional to help you get the answers here. Many website templates make extensive use of IFrames, or inline frames; to apply content to web pages. Unfortunately, while I-frames are often obvious to even casual observers, they can easily be obfuscated in such a way that it becomes impossible to tell if a page is exploiting them at all unless you know how to read the source code. Template providers like I-Frames for a lot of reasons, but their primary advantage is that using them makes it very easy to keep site content updated and make changes to hundreds of websites at once. Unfortunately search engines don’t much care for sites that use them. Search engines will see pages with inline content as basically blank. They can see the content, but they won’t consider your website the source of it. They may index the “inline” content, but they won’t credit it to your domain which is a long way of saying “iFrame pages are worth exactly nothing”. Make sure the content on your web pages isn’t being driven by iFrames.
When shopping around for accounting website templates it can be easy to be dazzled by pretty pictures and flashing animations. Before buying anything, though, take the time to look under the hood. You’ll need to dig a little to find out whether or not an accounting website template is SEO friendly or not. An SEO friendly site with a lazy owner may not be taking advantage of a template providers search features. For example it will often appear that a site has universal meta tag settings, when in fact the owner just hasn’t bothered to change the title of any of his pages.
To be sure about a template’s suitability for SEO call each provider separately and ask about these features. If any one of these SEO features hasn’t been specifically addressed the template cannot be properly optimized. This may be adequate for some businesses in less than competitive towns and villages, but make certain you factor it in when evaluating the cost benefit. An accounting website template that can never be optimized for the search engines could be a huge liability to your company in the future if your market changes.
Lead nurturing helps you decrease repetition