Frequently, the first impression potential clients will form of accounting firms is their online presence. This is an excellent chance to develop solid CPA websites that are visually appealing to visitors. It is also a chance to offer information and details about accounting services the practice offers, and an opportunity to convert visitors into clients. A solid way to do this is to add a blog. Adding a blog can be very beneficial.

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. Creating blogs on CPA websites is a great way to introduce the firm to potential clients, and present the practice as approachable to its current clients. It also establishes subject matter expertise in the field of accounting.

There are several strategies to consider while creating and maintaining professional blogs on CPA websites.

When creating a blog on a firm’s website, the firm is creating content as its own publisher. While it is important to post to an accounting blog often to keep the blog fresh, it is also important to make sure the posts all have something valuable to say first so that readers will not lose interest; a blog is not a place to just sell accounting services. Accountant website blogs should be clear, concise and contain good grammar, while sharing accounting expertise with readers.

The field of accounting is relevant to anyone who pays taxes, so firms should try to set themselves apart from the competition. Accounting blogs should have current information on tax laws and tax filing tips so that readers may educate themselves. When blogs offer something of value, readers will want to come back. A CPA blog should also list what services the firm provides, and offer to provide the answers to any questions readers may have. Creating interactivity on blogs is important. It establishes community and a loyal base of readers.

Accounting practices need to share their blogs with others in their professional networks and in their fields. It is important that they promote their blogs on their CPA websites and print the names on their business cards. The more popular CPA blogs become, the more search engine authority they earn. This drives traffic to the blogs and brings more leads.

A critical part of keeping successful CPA blogs is that the authors should keep current with what interests readers. An excellent strategy is to periodically conduct a survey that asks blog readers what their concerns are. The survey should offer a few topics that might interest readers, and one of the responses should be left open-ended so that readers can suggest something original.

Blogging is a tremendous opportunity to boost search engine rankings for modern CPA websites. Every post that is created is a new opportunity for search engine listing. Writing CPA blogs that draw regular readers is the key. This benefits accounting firms by putting their brands in front of leads while selling their services to their current customers, and presenting the search engines good content to raise their search engine presence.

Tax Time Is Here! Are You Using Your Website to Optimize Your Firm’s Operations?

Today’s economic backdrop is pretty tight and CPA firms are increasingly making use of experienced designers to produce CPA websites to augment their marketing programs.

What many firms still haven’t realized is that the value of your CPA website goes far beyond simple business promotion, it can also substantially trim your business’ expenses and streamline your labor costs.

Sounds too good to be true? Here are some of the basics:

1. Email Newsletters: Switch from sending traditional newsletters via the postal service to using an email service. We’ll will create and deliver your enewsletter for you, and there are many other vendors that will be happy to do the same! This completely eliminates the costs of printing, postage, and staff costs to label and fill your envelopes. It also allows you to cheaply expand your mailing list to include even remote prospects and this brings even more qualified leads to your website.
2. Tax Forms and Publications: Another great use for your website is distributing tax forms. It’s very labor intensive and expensive to mail tax forms to your clients and over time the cost of the staff time accumulates. These are lost hours for which you cannot bill. Instead, create a document center on your website. This document center can contain tax forms that your clients can download.
3. Tax Organizers: Every tax season mailing your tax organizer becomes a major expense. It consumes staff hours and costs a fortune in printing and postage. This can cost hundreds of dollars, depending upon the size of your client base. Use your CPA website to host a PDF document instead. This way your clients can download it and print it from their homes. Some modern CPA websites, including your basic CPA Site Solutions Silver and Web Tools Packages, have their tax organizers posted as an online form. This can be securely sent online directly via the website. 
4. Online Secure File Transfer: Tax time is an expensive time of year. This is particularly true for postage expenses. As the April 15 deadline approaches, clients sometimes procrastinate sending their documents, which is frustrating for both you and the client. Frequently, you must resort to overnight mail so that you don’t miss deadlines. A CPA website can include a secure file transfer feature, which allows your clients to submit their confidential documents quickly and safely, without the postal service expense.
5. Frequently Asked Questions:A CPA website does much more than just marketing. It can also contribute to business optimization initiatives. During the year, your staff answers a lot of calls that are not billable, which can add up to hundreds of dollars of labor cost. The time loss for these calls isn’t just time spent on the phone, because the calls also need to be documented. Every time one of your staff members is interrupted, even for a moment, it takes them several minutes to adjust and return to task. Of courss let’s not overlook the main benefit of these features. In addition to helping out your customers, they can also attract prospects and website leads…
   • Interactive Financial Calculators can help your clients find answers for themselves.
   • A “Track My Refund” feature can give your clients a reasonably accurate estimation without clogging up a phone line.

While a CPA websites’ most important role in your firm is prospecting, it can also save you money by decreasing your operating overhead and helping you better serve your clients.

Effective communication is a key factor in the success of any accounting firm. It can mean the difference between a hectic and stressful tax season and a smooth and efficient one. Therefore, websites for accountants should be designed with communication in mind. Communications systems can be integrated into websites for accountants to make the entire office communications streamlined. Employees and clients will benefit from a centralized means of communicating throughout the company. The better your communications features are on your website, the better experience you and your clients will have with your company as a whole.

Designing websites for accountants with streamlined communications features may seem like a lengthy and costly project, it will pay off with improved productivity and efficiency throughout your entire company. You may want to implement these changes in the off season when you and your employees have time to adjust to the new methods of communication. Keep in mind that you may need to assist some employees and clients with the new technology. Allowing yourself ample time in the slower months of the year to roll out the new system will allow for a smooth transition.

The New Year means the beginning of a few intense months of work for accountants. Every second counts during tax season and an organized office with streamlined communication is the key to ensuring efficiency. This will allow you to better serve your clients throughout this stressful time of the year.

There are many ways to make the work flow during tax season more efficient in your office. One easy way to accomplish this goal is to set up a website that supports chat between co-workers. It should also facilitate sending and receiving email. These communications features will allow office workers as well as those who telecommute to communicate instantly. An instant messenger chat system will truly speed up the work process within your office because people will free up a lot of wasted time trying to make contact with other co-workers. A simple status message will alert people to when the person they are trying to contact is busy or available. In the meantime the co-worker can focus on other tasks until the other person becomes available.

Another important component of communication is networking. Networking is absolutely essential to any accountant. Therefore, effective websites for accountants must have a networking website on the company network. The networking website will enable employees to network with ease. Accountants need to network with co-workers, clients and other industry contacts. The website should support communication and networking capabilities for those who are away from the office. Employees who work from home or are traveling should be able to access the company network so that they can remotely participate in the work flow of the office.

Another great option for networking is the social networking website, LinkedIn. LinkedIn is a valuable resource for accountants. Encourage every accountant at your firm to set up a profile. This will allow them to send and receive referrals from colleagues and clients. In many cases this will draw in new prospects. An added benefit of LinkedIn is that you can set up a private group for your company within the site. This is ideal for interoffice communication and brainstorming in one central networking site. It will bring employees who work remotely into the discussion as if they were in the same room.

A final element that all websites for accountants with the aim of improving office communication should have is a means of managing clients. Integrating a client relationship management program is an ideal way to organize client information more effectively. Everyone in the office will be able to track client information and feedback. It will also create a centralized place for organizing information such as email addresses, documents, telephone calls and business deals. A comprehensive approach to office communications through websites for accountants will allow accountants to work efficiently throughout the craziest of tax seasons.

How many practices, I sometimes wonder, are paying an expensive professional to design and manage their CPA websites? There´s almost nothing worse for your professional image than having a tired site full of obsolete content and out of date “news” just because you´re avoiding the expense of updating it.

The way CPA websites are built and managed has changed enormously. A good deal of education was required to be a designer a decade ago. Web designers had to be proficient with HTML editors like Dreamweaver, and they had to be fluent in bizarre programming languages like HTML and ASP.

Well, stuff changes.

Don’t misunderstand what I’m saying. These people are still major components of the website design industry.

But…

There is an astonishing new instrument called a “CMS”, or “Content Management System” that renders them much less essential in the construction and upkeep of just about any individual small business website. Any moderately computer literate person on your staff can likely use these tools to manage your site.

A CMS is essentially just a “point and click website editor”. It can be used to add and remove pages. All CMS also have what’s oftentimes referred to as a “WYSIWYG” editor, a simple word processor that permits you to alter pages. As usual the lingo isn’t nearly as daunting as it may sound! WYSIWYG is only an abbreviation for “What You See is What You Get”. It permits a user to arrange the pages, upload photos and other images, and construct tables. By allowing you to make alterations to the website’s Navigation Menu you can also set up a site’s whole experience .

All the tasks that took a master coder hours to do only years ago can now be promptly and without difficultly fulfilled by nearly anybody with the help of a Content Management System.

A complimentary or inexpensive content management system is available from very nearly any leading hosting provider specialized in respectable CPA websites.

Obviously the outstanding difference between a CMS and a custom website designer is expense. For most small CPA firms this is a big difference. Despite making make upwards of $25 an hour, most website designers are normally not as motivated as you are to get your tasks completed in a timely manner. It´s not uncommon for waits on pro web design jobs to be a a month or more.

If these costs seem high to you brace yourself: they don’t even include the cost of actually designing the site. Constructing CPA websites from scratch can easily take 200 hours or more. That translates to months of lost time and thousands of dollars spent.

CMS web site providers void these costs by creating the websites in advance and presenting menus of “ready-to-use” templates.

More and more CMS providers are able to tweak their existing templates quite inexpensively, if not straight-out re-create your current site, for those site owners who are already very happy with websites they have already spent lots of money on (or those who just protest using “templates”). While this is a recent technology it’s disseminating fairly fast.

Of course the trouble with sites built in this manner is that, while inexpensive and simple to manage, they often lack essential content. The requirement for industry specialized content has given birth to a whole side industry encompassing the demand for CPA specialized content, so before running off to a general purpose or retail website provider, do a Google search for providers that focus on superior CPA websites.

CPA Site Solutions is the best of these, as far as I’m concerned. For more than ten years we have innovated fantastic CPA sites.

If you’re not a CPASS client, or if you’re a new client and you’re still not sure what your new CPA Site Solutions website has to offer, Take a look at this video demo and you’ll see what we mean when we talk about “CPA specific content”:

Make a note of the tools built principally for website owners in the CPA field: free reports, tax due dates, links to tax forms and publications, a portal for transferring accounting files, interactive financial calculators, email… A website like this may be comparatively utile for a very limited number of companies outside their intended market, possibly a head-hunter or business consultant could use much of the content on this site, but it would be squandered on a business like a retailer.

For selected large national CPA practices it´s worth the time and cost of retaining expert designers, but for nearly all small and medium sized firms, especially in these hard economic times, it´s time to consider new solutions. Finding a CMS that specializes in accounting websites will cut your costs and at the same time improve your management over your website.

Most accounting practices have high quality websites to promote their practices these days. Standing out on the Internet is all about offering something of value to the viewer. If you are able to consistently offer something of value to people, you will establish trust and loyalty. Content like free reports and interactive calculators offer a lot more marketing punch than a simple list of services.

Unfortunately, it takes more than first-class design to turn prospect’s heads’ these days. Making an impression on the web requires adopting some new marketing skills.

One option is to utilize the power of YouTube.

Video clips that are strategically used to promote financial services have plenty of advantages over other marketing efforts. A quality marketing video doesn’t cost much at all, but it takes time, thought and preparation. Once posted it can effectively generate interest in potential clients and help attract new visitors to your website.

There are many people who need the assistance of a CPA. Most of those people search for CPA services on the Internet search engines. The majority of these people are often in need of assistance with a problem they can’t understand or deal with on their own.

It’s easy to understand why videos that discuss common accounting problems are a great addition to CPA websites.

You don’t need to hire a production company for your videos. All you need to do is present yourself well. A good option is narrate the videos yourself. Another option would be to have somebody on your staff take on the task.

Remember to focus on making the video simple to understand, professional and welcoming. The videos should make people want to stay on your website and come back often. They will also help to build a certain level of trust and loyalty to your company based on the quality information they receive. Who knows, they may even become new clients.

The purpose of YouTube video marketing on CPA websites is to demonstrate the knowledge and credibility of the CPA. A lot of people don’t know anything about accounting or financial practices. Personable video clips can help your visitors feel more informed and position you as the expert to turn to for more information.

If they are done in a professional manner streaming videos can often be more effective in gaining the trust of the consumer than other forms of marketing.

YouTube advertising will connect you with the people who are looking for videos about accounting. Search engines LOVE to rank videos, and if you can get a video to rank for an important search term this will help you to effectively reach your market.

Keep in mind that YouTube itself is a search engine of sorts, and it will also drive traffic to you. Because people are actually searching on YouTube for the information you are presenting, the chances of them finding you is greatly increased. It is an active way of finding people rather than the more passive traditional print or television ads.

Videos give viewers someone they can relate to, which is important in an online setting. It is particularly important when you are marketing a subject that is somewhat difficult for laymen to relate to. 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? The personal connection you make through a video will be lasting. After viewing a helpful video or two, your business will be the first one that comes to mind when they need a CPA.

So with all of the benefits of YouTube video marketing, you’d think it is expensive. It is actually very affordable and in many cases free. The beauty of the Internet is the low barrier of entry for communication. All you need is a qualified spokesperson, a video camera, and/or some kind of screen capture software.

Youtube offers 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. This is one of the best approaches to promote a company that is part of the financial sector.

The Internet is growing in importance as a promotional medium and the full potential of video marketing is just beginning to be recognized. Looking forward the web will be increasingly valuable so it’s becoming increasingly important that CPA firms give more and more effort into applying it to its full potential.

More and more accounting practices are getting on-line with their marketing. Pretty much all accounting firms today have smart-looking, professionally designed web sites. But while great websites for accountants are the beginning of a successful internet marketing campaign, they are certainly not the end-all.

Here are a few contemporary internet marketing strategies that your competitors may not be taking advantage of yet:

Social Media
Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are three of the many social networking websites popular today that gather immense attention from individuals and businesses alike. Facebook especially has grown into the choice hangout spot for most big companies and the “like” button has evolved into a valued commodity.

Twitter is similarly utilized to fire out short messages to followers, many of whom might be looking to utilize the business’ services in the future. LinkedIn, being a professional network, can lend credence to your company and your name as well.

Video Sharing
Your business may be able to find new clients on YouTube. Millions of people peruse “how-tos” and information on the site, so posting your expertise can help people discover the resources you have to offer. These needn’t be complex videos and needn’t take up much of your valuable time to create, either: a simple “today’s business/financial tip from *Insert Your Company Name Here*” will suffice.

Article Distribution
If you can, hire a writer or two to create articles for you which can then be published in article databases, generating links back to your site. As above, the articles will need to be informative and interesting or your prospective clients won’t want to read them. These articles will not only guide traffic to your practice’s accountant website, but also attract internet search robots to link to you.

Search engines find your article or site in a number of ways: not only by keyword but also by taking note of hyperlinks contained in the body of the text. Your ranking in the search engines depends partly on the number of hyperlinks in your story. Naturally you don’t want to spam your article with hyperlinks and keywords, but strategic placement can generate a ton of new leads.

Blogging
This includes guest blogging on authority sites, maintaining your own company blog, and participating in blogging communities frequented or run by likely prospects. Blogging is superbly equipped for informing people of your CPA firm’s latest exploits in detail – something essential as you create a longstanding awareness of your business in the minds of possible clients.

When blogging, avoid over-committing to a rigid schedule. Instead, plan your blogging to fit into the time you have available.

No matter what kind of marketing you try, know one thing: forming this broad-spectrum knowledge network about your business is the very top trick to attract new customers reliably and steadily.

Provider of CPA Websites Saved Time and Increased Efficiency with CodeIgniter and Smarter Coding Procedures

CPA Site Solutions, a provider of CPA websites for accountants, announced they recently redeveloped their proprietary Email Marketing System using new architecture, methodology, and coding standards.

CodeIgniter Cut Down on Time Spent Coding

The niche web developer opted to use CodeIgniter for the system’s architecture.

“We evaluated several frameworks for PHP web application development.  Many of them could have worked, but they really tried to lock you in to their way of doing things,” explains Bob Rayl, Chief Technology Officer at CPA Site Solutions. “They did not offer the flexibility we need to accomplish some of the heavily proprietary functionality we bundle into our systems.”

CodeIgniter is an Application Development Framework for PHP developers. It provides a rich set of libraries for commonly needed tasks. CodeIgniter considerably trimmed the hours developers spent writing tedious code. And because the code comes secured and optimized out of the box, the team saved additional time and resources on those tasks.

The team chose NetBeans, an integrated development environment (IDE), for their new interface.

Localized Server Streamlined Testing and QA

The tech team at CPA Site Solutions chose to use a localized server for code development and testing on which they could “step-through” their code line by line as it was running on an isolated test environment. This enabled them to catch bugs early in the development cycle, resulting in less end-of-development quality assurance.

The team could also access a step-by-step history of the code, quickly leading them to the cause of any new bugs. And with a roll-back function in place, they could return to a previous working version if problematic code reached the production environment.

Finally, the localized server allowed multiple developers to work on the same project without having to trade entire copies of the code. Each developer simply located the latest version from the server to be in sync with other team members. They could also test small bits of code on their own working area of the server, so their testing and QA didn’t slow down the rest of the team.

New Coding Practices Increased Team Efficiency

For the application rebuild, CPA Site Solutions wrote object-oriented, reusable code that extends the basic functionality of CodeIgniter.  They also wrote libraries that sit in a separate website but deliver programmatic data to their CodeIgniter applications. For example, getting a firm’s domain information will never need to be written into any given application again; it’s now served via a service the team created and centralized.

About CPA Site Solutions

CPA Site Solutions (http://www.cpasitesolutions.com) provides websites for more than 5,000 CPA and Accounting firms. They offer personalized websites, a dedicated webmaster, a secure client portal, a client newsletter, secure email accounts, search engine optimization, and 109 additional website features designed specifically for Accountants.

*Facebook: www.facebook.com/cpasitesolutions
*Twitter: www.twitter.com/cpasitesolution
*YouTube: www.youtube.com/cpasitesolutions
*CPA Websites Blog:  www.cpasitesolutions.com/cpa-websites

This video provides an overview of CPA Site Solutions’s offerings: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxMz_GwWgX0

Accountants matter. Accountants matter a lot.

That’s a major reason I love my job so much. You don’t need to sell a bill of goods to sell accounting services. Accountants provide real value to the businesses they serve. They are able to provide expert assistance with taxes throughout the year as well as at tax time as well as help companies boost their bottom lines by helping them streamline their businesses and track their profits and losses.

Almost everyone will likely need a reliable accountant sometime in their adult life.

As an accountant I want you to honestly consider how your business is portrayed on the web. Ask yourself, are you making a strong first impression? The days of relying on newspaper ads or the phone book listings are over. Everyone has replaced those methods of finding professional services with the Internet.

You might say, “Well, I rely on my reputation and word of mouth”. Sure, word of mouth is great. In fact, this is how you’ll get most of your best clients, but it won’t give you a steady flow of new clients.

People use the Internet for everything now and that includes finding an accountant. So this means that you can no longer neglect that website of yours. It is time to start strengthening your online presence so that it matches the level of professionalism you exhibit in person.

Since websites for accountants are a service business, accountants websites need to provide information in the most simple way possible. This means simple navigation and layout with fresh content. Since people are on the Internet to answer a question or solve a problem, the best websites are designed to answer a question or solve a problem. So now that you understand the need to give your website an upgrade, here are a few ways to avoid disaster and make your redesign effective!

Sloppy Sites Are a Death Knell
Even the most simple explanation of accounting may be confusing enough for your reader to continue browsing on the Internet. Therefore it is important to leave out lots of numbers, charts and spreadsheets. Most people who look at your website are simply trying to find out about your services. Help them evaluate if you are a good fit for their needs instead of getting into the boring details of accounting practices.

Don’t Make Visitors Feel Stupid
Many accountants make this mistake. It’s possible to make yourself look smart without making your prospect feel dumb but it takes a little forethought and consideration. As an accountant, you use a lot of terms that the average person will find confusing. Make an effort to speak as plainly about your services as you possible. Don’t get bogged down in the details. If you try to explain how you’re going to do everything you’ll leave the reader either bored to tears or feeling wholly inadequate. Just tell the prospect what you’re going to do and how it will benefit them.

Be Accessible
Your website is a primary way for people to get in touch with you. Make it easy for people to find your contact information on your website. Make it intuitive so that they don’t have to search around the page for it. Put your phone number and address in the footer of every page and add lots of contact forms to your site. Use Facebook “like” buttons or “share with a friend” links to make it easy for visitors to share what they find on your site.

Don’t Use Your Business Site as a “Learning Experience”.
Your business website is not the best place to learn how to design websites. Even the best trained web designers put out a dud or two before they get the hang of producing a well organized, good looking website.

Understand your limits. Compare your web design skills to what is expected on even a basic website for businesses in your field. It is likely that you don’t have the web design skills to create a professional website. Therefore you should hire a professional web designer. The pay off will be well worth it.

Search Engines: The Contemporary Marketplace
Back in the old days there was an expression designed to explain the three most important elements to a successful business… “Location… Location… Location.” This cliche is as true today as it was a century ago, but the marketplace has changed. What matters isn’t your physical location. What street you’re on or where your storefront is in relation to commuting and pedestrian thoroughfares no longer matters much at all.

What matters now is your location in the search engines!

SEO or Search Engine Optimization is a very important component of a website. Essentially, SEO helps increase your search engine ranking, which will in turn lead people to your website. If you have a brilliant website that nobody can find, it isn’t doing you any good.

Don’t Blow Your Chance at a Good First Impression!
It is important to provide users with a pleasing aesthetic and an easy, streamlined experience on your website. A visitor landing on a sloppy looking site will go straight for the “back” button and functionality issues, such as links that don’t work, are frustrating. They also call into question your level of professionalism.

Don’t be Afraid to Sell Yourself
Don’t forget that a website is just a tool to promote your services. It can be easy to get caught up in the creation of a website. Remember the big picture and focus on selling you and your services. Make your website for people to find you and learn about your services. For one thing, if you seem shy about what you do it will look like you lack confidence in yourself, and secondly… what you do matters. You’re not selling anyone a bill of goods. You’re going to save your clients money! That’s something to proud of, so don’t hide from it. Sell… sell… sell. It’s good for you and it’s good for them.

People have varying levels of experience with accountants. For a lot of people, it can be intimidating. You need to show people that you understand their needs and can offer a solution. Reassure them and stay true to yourself so that when they meet you in person you’ll already have a rapport. If done well, you’ll have an easy way to gain new clients.

Leads are essential to any business practice, and especially to the field of accounting. Beyond simply looking for leads via effective accountant websites or undergoing customer inquiry and sales contact, leads must be sorted and nurtured so that they can be reused and recycled for later business practices.

In addition to the benefits of lead nurturing in developing new client business for your accounting firm, lead nurturing ensures you don’t miss the potential for a business merger.  In today’s economy, you can’t let an ideal business relationship slip away. Lead nurturing ensures you can consider all options when developing new business.

While lead nurturing may seem time-consuming or redundant, it is absolutely essential to market to potential clients. Here are several reasons why as an accountant, you should use lead nurturing to develop meaningful relationships with potential customers.

1) 77% of potential sales come from longer-term leads
By ignoring future opportunities that may arise from unnurtured leads, you run an enormous risk of losing revenue. Knowing who you have already touched and with whom you can expand your professional relationship allows you to grow your accounting firm and expand your networking reach exponentially.

2) Leads tend to change their mind over time
Allow your leads to consider your professional services rather than demanding an immediate “yes” or “no”.  This gives them the opportunity to weigh their options and decide what works for them. Continued touches mean that your accounting firm stays at the front of their mind.

3) Lead nurturing is a relatively simple process
After initial contact with leads from accountant website traffic, easy follow-up calls and addition of the 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 to you or your staff’s workload.

4) Lead nurturing elicits trust in clients
If you express genuine concern for your leads, they will more likely be inclined to engage in business dealings with you. Ultimately, the human side to accounting converts leads into customers, where as the business side can make you seem distant, cold, and unapproachable.

5) Lead nurturing suggests thoroughness
The process of following up with a lead shows consistency, even in the preliminary stages of business dealings that will translate into dedicated, consistent, and high quality results. The intent of lead nurturing is to win the lead over and convert them to a client for your accounting firm.

6) Lead nurturing allows you to better understand your leads
In learning which parts of the accounting website lead nurturing processes bear 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) Lead nurturing puts you ahead of your competitors
Simple, light touches for your leads beyond initial contact, set you apart from the competition, particularly those who do not practice lead nurturing.

Lead nurturing prevents redundancy
For leads who have turned you down entirely, further touches can sometimes feel like harassment and are very counterproductive; leave them alone. Isolating leads which rejected your firm altogether prevents redundancy and prevents the development of a bad reputation amongst leads who are as yet undecided.

Can Your CPA or Accounting Practice Learn Anything from a Failed Business?

Borders’ chapter 11 filing came as no surprise to anyone who watches technology. The cause was their refusing to take up digital delivery.

For accountants, emerging technologies like websites and online networking can seem just as remote from their core business as they did to Borders. But learning from Border’s example can help ensure that accounting firms do not make similar mistakes.

Historically, communications didn’t change much until the last few decades.  Then, electronic communications quickly overtook print communications, making products and services much easier to find, access, and deliver. Increased access to information online means less paper production, which is more environmentally friendly.

Today’s world is online.  Almost every reading material you can think of is available electronically. Forward-thinking marketing approaches like compelling websites for accountants are simply imperative.

Not long ago Borders Books was at the top of its industry. It had a proven product, a strong brand name and enviable market position. But despite the technological changes over the last decade, Borders chose to pursue a strategy of business as usual. Borders turned up their noses at e-books.  They ignored electronic communications of all sorts. It simply wasn’t their world.  They didn’t bother to become technologically literate. This was a crucial strategy error. Even their proven marketing tools failed them.  Marketing cannot save a bygone business model.

Technology continued to advance and Amazon and Barnes and Noble were early adopters. It wasn’t long until their e-book and online sales added significantly to their bottom line.  Both Amazon and Barnes and Noble pulled ahead of Borders based on their electronic savvy.

Meanwhile, Borders slept.  Previous customers of Borders who became excited by the electronic possibilities had to use more accommodating booksellers. As in any industry, once a customer has made a switch to another company and finds it satisfactory, that customer is almost impossible to retrieve.

Even after Borders figured out that they were losing market share, they kept doing the same old thing.

Meanwhile new technological horizons kept opening up. Former admirers soon realized that Borders’ marketing team was behind the times, deficient in technological leadership and vision. Border’s heel-dragging continued.  It’s almost as if they feared technology.

Reluctance to embrace technology spawned a series of further marketing missteps. In an effort to shore up eroding profits, Borders raised prices in retail stores and online, antagonizing their loyal customer base. Customers revolted, moving their business to Borders’ competitors. This was the final straw for Borders Books, which was forced to file for bankruptcy.

So what does this have to do with your practice?

In every industry, businesses must adapt to a changing technological climate or become obsolete. Similar to any other business, professional accountants must follow and accept the evolving world of technology and newfangled web marketing tools such as good quality websites for accountants. That is the pith of Borders Books’ lesson for CPA firms.  Avoiding its biggest mistakes will help keep your practice .