I found a great blog post on the topic, Reach Out & Touch A Client, by Scott Cytron. For those of you who don’t know Scott he is a public relations specialist, but has skills that exceed far beyond that one discipline. In this blog post, he outlines key methods firms can use to stay in front of clients and keep open lines of communication throughout the year.

A brief overview of the strategies presented include:

• Contact clients more than once a year. Most accountants are only in touch with their clients before tax season.
• Pick up the phone and call the client. Most everyone wants to only communicate by e-mail.
• Discuss what’s changed and what’s new. Tell the client the clock isn’t running, and you want to discuss what’s changed for the client.
• Meet for coffee, lunch or some other social event. Schedule a time to meet with the client in person, away from the office.
• Exchange referrals. This is perhaps the step most accountants forget; you want referrals for your practice, but you also should offer referrals to your clients.

These are excellent methods for client retention. The only item I can add from practical experience is conducting a client satisfaction survey with your largest clients to ensure any issues, challenges or opportunities are uncovered. This shows your firm is proactive, interested in the client beyond the billable hours and acts as a fail safe should an issue be festering with the client. The last thing you want to do is find out about an issue after the client has informed you they are going with another CPA firm.

I recommend reading this blog post by Scott Cytron and reviewing other such materials on client retention strategies as this is a critical marketing activity that most seem to “forget”.

In the article, To Succeed Websites Require Feedback, Gerry McGovern outlines how feedback on a website can help improve usability and increase attraction to users. “You’re a manager in a restaurant. It’s raining. A customer walks in and almost slips on the mat in front of the door. You’re very busy at this stage, but you make a mental note: “I must change that mat.” About 15 minutes later another customer comes in. She, too, almost slips on the mat. You rush up to her, apologize profusely and then change the mat. People are slipping on our websites right now but, because we don’t see them slip, we don’t change the mat. I’m one of the biggest offenders. Over the years I have left content and applications on my websites that had problems that I was vaguely aware of, but they didn’t seem important enough to warrant any action. Even when I became clearly aware of the issue I didn’t react with enough urgency.”

I really like this metaphor because it highlights what can happen on a firm’s website.  Most do not have a feedback mechanism on their site where visitors can interact with the firm. This is essential as is other forms of soliciting feedback from internal and external shareholders and stakeholders.

As you contemplate your site design, I encourage you to read this article to get more information.

In the article he outlines 5 tips for bulking up your public relations efforts. These include;

• Blog. Your blog is your own media outlet. Share everything you can think of about your industry, passion, company, products and services. Don’t make it too commercial, or nobody will care.

• Meet. Seek out journalists at conferences and events. Attend networking events in your area that journalists are known to attend (a local press club or media freelance network, for example).

• Listen. I’ve said it time and time again, but follow and engage with journalists through Twitter and other social media. You can learn so much about their interests and preferences by getting involved in the conversation.

• NO. Don’t send out news releases that suck. This might not sound like advice on how to increase your coverage, but it is.

• Target. Whether you’re pitching a story on the phone, via Twitter, at a cocktail party or via a press release, make sure you’ve got the right outlet and contact.

If you would like to read the entire article, which I highly recommend, click here. It is informational and will provide great perspective for those seeking to launch or optimize their firm’s public relations efforts.

In my travels across the web, I found a very interesting blog post on business blogs. The post entitled, 10 Subjects for Your Business Blog, provides practical advice on how to keep the content fresh, relevant and engaging. As a blogger, I try to follow these tips myself although it is not always easy to do so.

The ten pieces of advice provided by the author include:

1. Answer Customer Questions;
2. Aggregate Industry Information;
3. Think Beyond Text;
4. Seek Out Guest Authors;
5. Make Lists;
6. Offer Charts;
7. Think Like an Op-Ed Writer;
8. Review Analytics;
9. Review Industry Books;
10. Break News.

If you or your firm is considering launching or “reinvigorating” your blog, I suggest reviewing this article. It does provide good food for thought on how to openly engage your prospects, clients and referral partners attention.

This was evidenced when I logged into Google Analytics for one of my clients and sent various pieces o information to the Managing Partner for discussion. The primary function of this exercise was to illustrate that the work marketing was doing on the site was increasing both the overall traffic and keyword searches leading to specific content on services. Although the information was well received, the Managing Partner wanted to know how these results compared to what other CPA firms are experiencing. I honestly did not know the answer since a general guidebook on the matter simply does not exist.

To obtain an answer I turned to the accounting association the firm belongs to. When I posed the question, how many firms are tracking website statistics and what is the general traffic figures per month, I was shocked at the answer. Of the twenty firms in the group NONE were using analytical software which could provide such information. One firm indicated they were considering a software package for such purposes, but had not yet decided on the implementation. Most had no idea whether their website was attracting any traffic, what keywords they were using to get to their site and what/how they could improve results. These other firms did not have any sense of what was happening in their digital storefront.

What was more disconcerting is that since no tracking was happening it implied that none of these firms pereceived the digital medium as a legitimate method for marketing. It stands to reason if they did they would be measuring, assessing and analyzing the such information. It is common business sense that if you invest in a project you not only want to define the goals, strategy and tactics, but you would also want a method of evaluation. Sadly the lack of a response painted a picture for me which was very unsettling.

After some reflection, I decided to write this blog post to engage in discussion about firms have not integrated digitial media marketing tools into their overall approach?

So, what is the “low hanging fruit” in terms of a firm’s digital media presence? The obvious answer is the website. Every firm has one and the most savvy firms have multiple mini-sites that feature a specific service they sell.

Consider the Following

If someone walked into the lobby of your office, how would they be greeted? In most firm’s the receptionist would greet them and determine how to best help them. After all, you want to make a good impression on the visitor. This all seems completely logical and very matter of fact. Of course, this makes perfect sense you may be thinking to yourself. Now ask the same question about your firm’s website. When they enter is there a method of “greeting” them? Does the firm have a process for greeting and interacting with site visitors? Letting them know you are present and ready to address their needs is as critical in the digital world as it is in the real world. , most CPA and accounting firms seem to not recognize this interconnected relationship. It is ironic that many CPA and accounting firms will spend thousands of dollars on advertising, prospect pursuits and sponsorships to gain access to prospects, but give little consideration to the traffic that comes of their website every day.

The reality is that not every visitor is going to be a qualified prospect ready to purchase a high dollar service. There will likely be some consultants, referral partners, competitors and vendors that are researching your company to obtain information, or to try and sell your organization a product/service. There is no way to get around this harsh reality. However, there will also be the empowered Controller and Chief Financial Officers that are seriously looking at your firm as a potential vendor for audit, tax, accounting and other consulting services. These are the visitors that you want to interact with while they are browsing your site. The ability to approach them and provide assistance is key to not only their perception of your firm, but also your ability to convert them into an immediate or long term opportunity.

Does your firm use this software? What have the results been?

While the metrics I was using to track and demonstrate return were specific to my firm, I think it is important for every marketing professional to consider how they will demonstrate the value the firm is getting from the website. The reality is the Partners will want to see new business that was closed from the SEO work. However, this is not always an option since optimization does not immediately lead new business. Moreover, I don’t believe the only purpose of SEO is solely to get new business. In searching the web I found a great blog post on Search Engine Journal, entitled 10 Ways to Show Value From Your SEO Efforts.

The post provides the reader with a great deal of information about the various ways one can measure activity in a meaningful way that demonstrates a tangible ROI on the effort. In the accounting, and to a greater extent the professional services world, it is essential to provide leadership with as much information as possible on your SEO activities.  While not every firm can implement these strategies, if you can begin working with one or two it will greatly improve your ability to demonstrate value.

Topics Covered Include:

• Daily Status Logs
• Daily Traffic Reports
• Organic Search Engine Referral Traffic
• Engagement Reports
• Ranking Reports
• Link Building Reports
• Brand Mentions
• Conversion Rates
• Monthly Review
• Revenue Figures

If you are looking for ideas on how to measure and assess progress in digital media marketing I highly recommend this blog post. Click here to read the entire piece.

The challenge I have observed most firm’s address is what to do with an article once it is created. Some just use them as inserts to brochure packages, other send to referral partners, and finally others just put them on a “digital shelf” to collect dust.  As best I can tell the reason this happens is because the partners are unsure how to best market these articles. 

To help address this issue, I want to point readers to a recent blog post I found entitled, 4 Steps to Marketing Your Expertise Through Bylined Articles, by Scott Cytron.  The main focus of the article seems to center on the mechanics of writing an effective article.  While helpful the “meaty”  information is when Scott discusses ideas for publicizing the article.  The blog post includes four tactics which I believe are excellent suggestions for anyone seeking ways to market their articles. They include:

• Leveraging Social Media.
• Include with Collateral Materials.
• Send Paper Copies to Prospects.
• Provide Copies to Prospect in Meetings.

I would also add a fifth idea which did not come from the original post. There are a number of free article publishing webstes that will allow you to publish articles less than 1500 words online. This allows your article to be part of the search results on Google when someone types in keywords related to your topic.

How does your firm conduct article marketing?

As a former Director of Marketing in CPA firms, I have faced this same challenge. How do I appear to be embracing “web 2.0″ while also investing time, money and firm resources in an effective strategy? After considerable contemplation it became obvious that I was looking at the challenge from the wrong perspective. After all, the lessons of traditional marketing, customer service and business development should be the same in any forum. After all, the medium is different but the participants – clients, customers and prospects – are the same. The need for information, interaction and service extend into the digital medium.  

Given this information, what is the “low hanging fruit” in terms of a firm’s digital media presence? The obvious answer is the website. Every firm has one and the most savvy firms have multiple mini-sites that feature a specific service they sell.

Consider the Following

If someone walked into the lobby of your office, how would they be greeted? In most firm’s the receptionist would greet them and determine how to best help them. After all, you want to make a good impression on the visitor. This all seems completely logical and very matter of fact. Of course, this makes perfect sense you may be thinking to yourself. Now ask the same question about your  firm’s website. When they enter is there a method of “greeting” them? Does the firm have a process for greeting and interacting with site visitors?  Letting them know you are present and ready to address their needs is as critical in the digital world as it is in the real world. , most CPA and accounting firms seem to not recognize this interconnected relationship.  It is ironic that many CPA and accounting firms will spend thousands of dollars on advertising, prospect pursuits and  sponsorships to gain access to prospects, but give little consideration to the traffic that comes of their website every day.

The reality is that not every visitor is going to be a qualified prospect ready to purchase a high dollar service. There will likely be some consultants, referral partners, competitors and vendors that are researching your company to obtain information, or to try and sell your organization a product/service. There is no way to get around this harsh reality. However, there will also be the empowered Controller and Chief Financial Officers that are seriously looking at your firm as a potential vendor for audit, tax, accounting and other consulting services. These are the visitors that you want to interact with while they are browsing your site. The ability to approach them and provide assistance is key to not only their perception of your firm, but also your ability to convert them into an immediate or long term opportunity.

 Does your firm use this software? What have the results been?