Website Promotion

So you got your site up! Now what? Now you need to get people there. There are a ton of ways to do is. Some are cheaper than others, some take time (and time does cost money). SEO or Search Engine Optimization is a key factor in getting noticednes, but there is a lot involved with doing it right. If you’d like to hire someone to do the work for you, there are many companies out there who would be happy to do so, and they’ll be sure to empty your pockets. However, don’t skip the basics. A website without any personal touches isn’t likely to draw in any new customers. Now let’s start with these basic first steps, before worrying about everything else that comes with Search Engine Optimization.

Content Rules- Make sure you understand how far great content can take your site. A website that’s doesn’t have any engaging resources for it’s prospects is going to lose visitors fairly quickly. Be aware of how much information your site contains. Include details about what your company provides to its clients and customers, its background, and personnel bios. You want your website to be a place that prospects can turn to for a complete picture of what you offer. If you’re successful in providing all of the pertinent information, then you’ve decresed your chances that viewers will look elsewhere for answers.

Show your personality- Visitors enjoy feeling like they can relate to you. Win prospects over before they even visit your office, with personalized content and photos. Most of us trust our neighbors more than a stranger in another zip code, so help your prospective clients understand that you’re right nearby. You can even include your personal favorites (foods, movies, travel destinations) in your employee profile. This helps prospects see more of your personality, which helps to build a connection. These little touches will help your site to vary greatly from other basic websites for accountants that your competitors may use.

Pay attention to your dentist, grocer and dog groomer. What do they do to stand out in your mind? Are they friendly? Prompt? Professional? Think of those businessmen/women when building your site, and remember to include your standout qualities. Building connections through personalized content is the best first step in building impressive websites for accountants. Then you could take the subsequent step and put your focus on optimizing your accounting firm’s site for search engines.

It's All Relative

by Pat LaPointe

Brilliant Web strategy? Check.

Sophisticated analytics package? Check.

Compelling business case? Check.

Closing that one big hole that could torpedo your career? Uhhhhhhh……. Most new marketing initiatives fail to achieve anything close to their business-case potential. Why? Unilateral analysis, or looking at the world only through your own company’s eyes, as if there was no competition.

It sounds stupid, I know, yet most of us perform our analysis of the expected payback on marketing investments without even imagining how competitors might respond and what that response would likely do to our forecast results. Obviously, if we do something that gets traction in the market, they will respond to prevent a loss of share in volume or margin. But how do you factor that into a business case?

Scenario planning helps. Always “flex” your business case under at least three possible scenarios: A) competitors don’t react; B) competitors react, but not immediately; C) competitors react immediately. Then work with a group of informed people from your sales, marketing, and finance groups to assess the probability of each of the three possibilities, and weight your business case outcomes accordingly.

If you want to be even more thorough, try adding other dimensions of “magnitude” of competitive response (low/proportionate/high) and “effectiveness” of the response (low/parity/high) relative to your own efforts. You then evaluate eight to 12 possible scenarios and see more clearly the exact circumstances under which your proposed program or initiative has the best and worst probable paybacks. Then if you decide to proceed, you can set in place listening posts to get early warnings of your competitor’s reactions and hopefully stay one step ahead.

In the meantime, your CFO will be highly impressed with your comprehensive business case acumen. Check.