Why An Accountant Loves His Website

In a previous blog, we discussed 5 reasons why you need to switch your focus to online marketing. In this blog we will delve deeper into how your website can help you generate new clients.

If you are looking to rejuvenate your ageing client base then you need to shift your marketing focus online because this is where Gen X and Y live. The evidence is compelling. Surveys show that the 72.9% of Australians are internet users. Of those internet users 74% of online adults use social media, and spend on average 3.2 hours online on social media per day. These statistics show that young people are increasingly spending more time online which creates a tremendous opportunity for accountants to embrace online marketing and rejuvenate their aging client base across the channels they use most. Online searches, content marketing and social media are the new marketing magnets for accountants looking to grow their practice.

Incredibly, I estimate more than half of the accounting firms in this country don’t have a website. Of the firms that do have a website, 95% are just electronic billboards that list the who, what and where of the firm. The content is shallow and often duplicate that comes from mass produced websites. Don’t be fooled, these sites might look good but they don’t attract the attention of the search engines like Google because content is ‘king’ when it comes to getting up the search engine rankings. These websites are like billboards in the desert that get no passing traffic.

It’s no coincidence that firms with little or no online presence are now characterised by an ageing client base. They really have no marketing plan other than hope their clients will refer their friends and colleagues. I’m generalising here but, these firms are also compliance sweatshops and with the commoditisation of compliance work they offer little value to attract referrals. Their ageing client base are retiring, selling their businesses and dare I say, dying. These firms are also in danger of leaking clients to other firms who have a strong online presence and deliver services way beyond basic compliance. I know the clients in our Accountants Accelerator Group view the tax return as the start of the client process, not the end.

Building a ‘lead generation website’ that is primarily designed to attract new clients is a process. It’s not an overnight sensation but several of our clients consistently generate more than $100k of new business each year from their website. It also serves as a recruitment tool plus when they get referrals the prospects tend to validate the referral when they visit the website. For accountants, your website should be your marketing hub and your practice will probably never reach its full profit potential without a remarkable online presence.

Your website should store all your content marketing and serve as ‘home base,’ pulling people back to your website no matter the content channel they are tuned into. They could be reading a blog, on a social media channel like Facebook or Twitter, watching a video on YouTube or reading an email. You can cross-promote your content to maximize its reach and influence. For example, you can share your blog post on social media channels, use email to promote your latest case study and promote your e-Book on your blog. All of these strategies are designed to divert prospects back to your website where you have a call to action like ‘book a free consultation’, download our free guide, subscribe to our newsletter or get instant access.

Driving traffic to your website and giving prospects the information they need is important but generating leads and converting those leads into customers is the ultimate objective. Without a website that engages, educates, builds relationships, contains calls to action and is responsive to mobile devices you won’t be winning any new clients soon.

With lead generation websites, the proof is in the pudding. One Melbourne based firm in our Accountants Accelerator Group has generated more than $300k of new business from their website in the last 15 months. Another firm in the Accountants Accelerator Group has generated a six figure return from their website for the third consecutive year. The online marketing revolution is here to stay, and your website is the vital cog in rejuvenating your ageing client base.