The internet is the cheapest and most efficient way of informing the public about your firm and the services you offer. Of course, not all internet users are potential clients, but even a minute percentage can represent thousands of prospects. Most regular Internet users have or are receiving further education, and many are in or are heading for high-income brackets, which makes the Internet extremely fertile territory for accounting firms to market their services.
Market your servicesEvery accounting firm appreciates the importance of name recognition, which is why we are so keen to leave business cards and promotional literature in as many places as possible. A website gives you the potential to ‘drop your card’ into literally millions of homes and offices. Almost all the media now source their information from the Internet, so a well-designed, well-posted website will provide you with potential exposure to a wide range of media outlets Attract new businessA website is an ideal medium to present your full range of services. A well-designed website can display your services in ways not available to printed publications. Visitors to your site can get the ‘big picture,’ and then zoom in on the areas that interest them. Easy prospectingSimple interactive features such as a financial planning calculator or a business health check, combined with carefully designed response forms, enable you to draw potential clients into making a direct enquiry, which will allow you to build up a detailed database of prospects Communicate with your clientsA website gives you a fantastic opportunity to receive feedback from clients without taking up valuable staff time. Similarly, a well-designed Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page will enable you to deal with general enquiries without clogging your switchboard or mailbag. You can also use your website to try out new services, and get useful feedback from clients, without having to commit vast amounts of resources Keep your clients up-to-dateYou can post up-to-date information on your website at any time. Printed literature can be very inflexible in this respect. How often have you incurred all the expense of printing and mailing literature only to discover that you want to amend it? With a website, you can update your material daily, or even hourly, at no extra expense Dramatically improve your client servicesThe potential for performing client services online is already vast and increasing almost daily. The Internet transcends time and space, allowing you to reach clients anywhere in the world, at any time of day. It provides you with a virtual 24-hour office. Recent developments in Internet technology mean that an accounting firm can now link its website to an in-house database, allowing clients access to vast amounts of information and diagnostic and advisory services.
|
