Daszkal Bolton – Client Success
“For search engine optimization, there isn’t anybody better.”
When Susan Kaplan first crossed paths with Flashpoint Marketing’s lead consultant Brian Swanson she was looking to expand Daszkal Bolton’s 401K-audit niche, but ultimately, FP and Swanson ended up playing a much greater role than anticipated.
Kaplan, the recruiting manager and marketing director of the South Florida firm, realized Swanson offered a spread of expertise in the marketing world – so much so that the two now enjoy a working energy where they often bounce ideas off one another to address the firm’s marketing needs.
“Brian understood that it’s not about sales in marketing, it’s about relationships and that’s our philosophy here,” Kaplan said of her firm, headquartered in Boca Raton, Fla. “That’s how our partners built us from the ground up. His whole philosophy fit in very, very nicely with ours.”
Kaplan added, “He’s very creative when it comes to marketing and is very good with a global perspective – for example, creating the type of campaign where you would run an ad, send a postcard and then follow up with a telemarketing campaign. One effort supports the other. Otherwise you are just spitting in the ocean.”
One of the top 25 accounting firms in its region, Daszkal Bolton serves individuals, families, entrepreneurs, public and private corporations as well as nonprofit organizations.
“Everybody has a good product, everybody has good service we’ve been in a recession for three years now, everybody has good prices but that’s not what makes somebody choose you,” Kaplan said “They choose you for how you can customize your service. Brian understands that and that’s how he can sell us to all these prospects. They are looking for the value added. Brian adds that and that’s why he’s been so successful selling our firm.”
Swanson has created content for the firm’s brochures, written all of the staff associates’ biographies, press releases, as well as handle relations with the media. His article writing for the firm’s monthly e-newsletter has dramatically increased its interest – from three to 400 opens to upwards of 2,000.
“I think that’s huge,” Kaplan said, adding the articles are more on target, trending on industry relevant issues of the moment. “We can tailor things to our client base and to what their interest is.”
Much of the content Flashpoint Marketing produces can be re-used in multiple ways across a variety of marketing platforms and for Kaplan that is a major benefit. Brian’s role is to do the research and write the article, a process that will usually take a couple of days, and then Kaplan will put the final touch on the piece so it shines with the firm’s voice.
Flashpoint Marketing was also instrumental in revamping the firm’s main website and then launching a new one for one of their niche accounting practice for professional athletes.
During the firm’s main website redesign, Swanson built each page with search engine optimization in mind – including key words and organizing by industry, service and niche in the infrastructure. As a result, Kaplan said more leads are coming through the website and the firm has generated international client interest, as well.
“In the old days you would have a lead or prospect and say ‘here’s the brochure and when you have a chance look at our website,’” Kaplan said. “But now people are coming in from the virtual world.”
“Our clicks have tripled from getting no clients from the website to getting three really fabulous companies, very good prospects,” she said.
Kaplan also said Flashpoint Marketing is accessible in a way that brings welcome relief when working on a project and time is a factor. Fast turnaround and avoiding the convoluted system of a larger service provider is a real benefit to working with Swanson’s company.
“The problem is when you have a service doing it, anytime you have to make a change [to the website] it costs you money or you have to wait. Brian can upload videos to You Tube in a day,” Kaplan explained. “Say I have a partner leave and I promote two managers to senior managers and that has to be changed on our website – Brian can do it in 10 minutes. It’s very, very nice to have somebody with the ability to do it almost immediately.”
Kaplan describes Swanson as someone who wears many hats, but who wears them all well.
“He’s got a lot of different talents and that’s why he can perform,” she said. “I like everything to be connected and consistent and Brian understands that.”
