In today’s fast-paced
world, more people are searching online and asking their “friends” for
recommendations more than ever before. So, how can your business be easily
recommended online? It’s simple, if you have a digital marketing strategy that
makes you easy to be found and lets your customers be heard online.
To accomplish this,
your business should implement a combination of blogging, social media, and
email marketing to connect with potential clients who might be interested in
your services.
Did you know the first place a
potential client visits is your website? It should be engaging,
compelling, and mobile-friendly. A responsive design is critical to
online success, as more users are accessing the internet through a mobile
device than laptop/notebook or desktop computers. Did you know that Google will lower
your rank if your site is not mobile-friendly?
However, it’s not just your
website anymore. How can a visitor get the most up to date, relevant
information about your business? A blog give you a place to post new,
fresh, content on a consistent basis. Therefore, content marketing is
king! Blogging can also drive traffic to and from other communication channels,
such as your website, social media sites, and even produce leads for an email
marketing campaigns. It sets you as an industry authority, and someone who is
credible and trustworthy. You have individuals, businesses, and corporations
looking to have you manage their finances. Therefore, it takes an enormous
amount of trust in you and your brand. Building the
relationship is
important. People do business with people they know, like, and trust.
Once you have a lead or a client,
on-going communication and interaction is important to maintain that
relationship, letting clients know of any important changes in the industry
that may impact their financial situation. However, what about those that
don’t know about you. Where can you find them?
Search Engines
Chances are your prospects are looking for your products and
services, and they are searching for services that you provide.
Therefore there are 2 locations you need to pay special attention to:
SEARCH and SOCIAL. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Search Engine
Marketing (SEM) are the most important place for you to create inbound traffic
to your website or blog. People using search engines are looking for
local businesses to work with, and you want to be in those results. In fact,
people don’t search to search, they search to find. And the fastest they
can find the results or answers they are looking for, the better. What
keywords, products, services do you provide that you want to be sure your
prospects know you offer?
Google currently leads the digital marketing world with 31.1% of the
total space. Make sure your business information and location is accessible to
your customers via Google search, Google Maps, and Google Plus.
Pay-per-call advertising on Google is another great feature that
allows mobile customers to call your business directly from the ad. If users
are searching for accountants from their mobile devices, it is highly likely
they will turn into a potential customer and call you directly from their smart
phone. Even Google says that 70% of all mobile searches lead to a phone call. (
https://www.canopytax.com/blog/digital-marketing-and-your-tax-practice/)
Are you leveraging these words
and related content in your online marketing efforts: blogs, website, social
posts? And if you are struggling to compete in the natural, organic results,
then it is advised to get in the paid advertising part of search. You
don’t have to pay to be there, but you must be willing to pay when the listing
is clicked. Google AdWords has as tremendous ROI for those that have
invested time in creating a strategic campaign. Have you recently thought
of your SEO and SEM programs?
Investing in Google AdWords, Pay
Per Click (PPC) advertising, and Cost Per Acquisition (CPA) advertising are
still the most reliable ways to get your marketing message in front of
qualified leads. Yet most firms don’t even bother to invest the resources into
trying paid search.
Social Media
And what about social media?
The online communities present a unique opportunity to get your message
and brand in front of decision makers and any target market in a social
environment. Whether it is managing your social channels, such as, Linked
In, Facebook, and Twitter, or paying for Sponsored Ads on these networks, it is
a fact that social media is a growing marketing opportunity. The challenge….no
one likes ads. Therefore, content, ad copy, and target marketing is
important to consider. Have you identified your target demographic?
Have you clarified their household income and spending? DO you know
their interests and likes? Are you currently collaborating with other
businesses or brands? These are important to consider your organic reach
but also any sponsored listings.
Your audience lives on social media and they’re using platforms like
Facebook to find you. If you’re not there to meet them, you’re missing a huge
portion of your audience. Worse still, you’re missing opportunities to address
complaints, answer questions, and figure out what your clients want from you. (
http://www.madtownagency.com/blog/digital-marketing-accounting/)
“Your capabilities may lead the marketplace, but
without a digital marketing strategy, you can’t reap the rewards of your hard
work and great ideas. The key to your growth is building a digital marketing
plan that you can execute internally, or with an agency to drive sales and
build your lead funnel. Without it, you’ll be unknown to the market.” (https://www.newnorth.com/7-things-need-know-digital-marketing-financial-advisors/ )
Email Marketing
Email marketing is a fantastic way to promote your firm, your
services, events, webinars, new products or latest practice news. Many
accountancy practices revert to rather, dull, uninspiring generic email
newsletters. Insight specialize in providing either email templates or
customized bespoke emails to send. (
http://www.salesforaccountants.com/websites/)
Again, it comes down to content. Are you providing valuable content in
your messaging?
In summary, here’s a short list of things to
consider:
Website
§
Development
and Maintenance: Responsive website design, updated quarterly or seasonally
§
Photography:
Lifestyle shots
§
Top
Informational Pages: Services, experience/education/licenses, resources, online
forms, testimonials, FAQs, appointments, scheduling, existing customers/clients
§
Interactivity:
Request quote, book an appointment, newsletter signup, forms, social media
feeds/follows
Traffic and Engagement
SEO: natural rank based on Page Titles, Descriptions, Keywords,
and Page Content
SEM: Paid search based on keywords, geography, and advertising
budget
Email Marketing: Great for promoting specials, events, offering
loyalty rewards, and staying in touch
Content Marketing/Blog: Fresh, relevant, valuable industry-related
content to build your audience.
Social Media: Client Engagement. What networks are you on? Who is representing your brand?
What’s being said?
If your business needs a review, please contact me at rikki@webgirltech.com.
