| Marketing accounting services on Internet |
| Written by Michael Brier |
| Wednesday, 02 September 2009 13:08 |
|
Internet is different from any other media on Earth in many aspects - but in particular when it comes to marketing and advertising. The reason people invest in equipment and a broadband connection is to access a gigantic source of FREE information.
They don't pay in order to view adverts or sales messages... or really any kind of "commercial message or presentation."
Thus the most usual mistake a CPA firm makes is to assume that Internet works the same way as any other medium in terms of marketing and presentation.
Off line media works that way.
Internet doesn't.
This is the FIRST reason why the presentation of your accounting firm and its services online brings NO RESULTS. If it is a traditional presentation then chances are that there won't be any contacts resulting from your online presence.
Of course, unless you're web pages have been OPTIMIZED for the most popular (and accurate) search terms, and unless you have an active program exchanging links with RELATED sites, it is not likely that you'll receive many visitors as no one will FIND your web site from among the perhaps 100 MILLION commercial web sites on the Internet.
What business owners look for on the Internet and how can you attract them on your accounting site
The solution to online marketing starts with the general GOAL of people that browse the Internet.
Why do people pay good money to get connected to the Internet?
To view advertising?
Definitely not.
People pay for the equipment and connection for one reason only:
FREE INFORMATION!
Business owners, just like everyone else online, use the Internet because it is the best, fastest, most accessible and convenient superhighway of free information.
Internet is like a giant encyclopedia owned jointly by everyone browsing the net. Whatever you want to find out about, you can find online.
He is looking for an information source which he can TRUST.
These points then give us the general concept of what's required to make your web site inviting and interesting... and such that it can produce a good number of results (prospective clients) continually.
CPA Internet marketing: To achieve anything with your visitor, you must first give free information
Lots of it. That's the only way to open a line of communication with someone whom you do not know and cannot talk to. Your web site CONTENT must do the talking.
I'm talking about a PROSPECTING web site.
See, to have any realistic chance of marketing accounting services on Internet, you need to
Straight off. Immediately. It does NOT matter what you say on your web page since the average visitor (who's not your client or associate) won't ever get that far.
He'll exact the "browser's revenge" — click the "back" button... and he's off.
If visitors see that your site is clearly just SELLING a service, they will simply go away and do so within 2-5 SECONDS.
CPA Internet marketing: A free information web site with matching appearance and content
You could create a web site that achieves RESULTS.
A site that offers lots of interesting content of the kind the average business owner is looking for.
But I promise you'll kick yourself if you try it without acquiring the knowledge of
-what KIND of web site you should set up to attract new clients
-how to optimize it for search engines... and -how to market it on the Internet. Internet marketing works and it works very well, but only if you apply the specific methodology that's proven successful.
Let me end off by stating a few basic facts.
First of all, the Internet has long since surpassed any other medium for data gathering. Every office and every decision maker has a connection. Every home has a computer with access to Internet.
For this reason, Internet has become a truly viable option for marketing also LOCALLY... and especially so if you live in a city or area with at least half a million people.
Fact number two is that you CAN market your CPA firm and accounting services on the Internet successfully. I know you can because I've done it myself and so have a select number of my clients.
Fact number three is that Internet may well be "the final frontier" today because so few in the accounting industry know how to utilize it for client-acquisition.
Only approximately 4% of CPA & accounting firms actually KNOW how to do it effectively and successfully. This means that whoever understands the potential in your area may well be the ONLY firm online reaping the benefits.
And last but not least, securing a web site of this kind with lots of free and interesting content will also give you an advantage in all other forms of local marketing, merely because you can direct business owners to your site in on the phone, in your telemarketing, direct mailing letters, listings, classifieds, ads, business cards, flyers and whatever other media you use to promote your CPA firm.
So give the Internet some thought... and keep up the good work!
_________________________________________________________________________________________
© Article Copyright 2009 Tax Marketing For You LLC
|
| Last Updated on Saturday, 05 September 2009 15:17 |
