Inbound Marketing for Accounting Firms

Inbound Marketing For Accounting Firms

April 30, 2013

INTRODUCTION

• Skoda Minotti, CPA Firm Cleveland, Akron & Tampa

• Seven year BDO Alliance firm member• Built our own internal agency from scratch• Insights from the inside• Practice what we preach• Marketing partner with BDO Alliance firms

What is Inbound Marketing?• Creating content that your clients/prospects

will seek out rather than pushing your message onto them

• Creating marketing content that your clients highly value

• Making yourself and your content easy to find• Leverages your website to generate qualified

leads

3INBOUNDMARKETING

• Website Goals• Search Engine Optimization• Blogging• Social Media• E-Communications• Online Lead Generation Tactics• Calls-to-Action & Landing Pages• Website Tracking/Analytics• Lead Tracking

AGENDA

Setting Website Goals

What Are The Marketing Goals of Your Website?• Four Main Buckets

1. Establish a web presence/credibility2. Promote your brand3. Serve as a resource to your clients4. Generate qualified leads for your firm

WEBSITE GOALS

GOAL: Establish a Web Presence/Credibility• People are Googling your company• What do they find when they get to your website?

First impression Establishing a web presence allows you to control this message

• Smaller budgets that leverage existing templates• Typically not more than 25 pages• Functions as a “cyber-brochure”• Restrictions to design/customization• Typically leveraged by firms who live off of referrals• Verifies you exist and hopes someone will give you a call

WEBSITE GOALS

GOAL: Establish a Web Presence/CredibilityWEBSITE GOALS

• Basic overview information• No call to actions• No interaction• No unique resource information• No lead generation or tracking

INDUSTRIES

GOAL: Promote Your Brand• First interaction with your brand

A branded website allows you to control the look and feel that your clients and prospects encounter

• Allows you to differentiate your website from your competitors’• Communicate core brand values visually• Coordinate consistent messaging with your other marketing materials• More flexible - allows for custom design • Probably higher cost than template website

WEBSITE GOALS

Example: Promoting the BrandWEBSITE GOALS

GOAL: Serve as a Resource• 16% of Google searches are

performed for the first time!

WEBSITE GOALS

GOAL: Serve as a Resource• Clients, business contacts and prospects are looking for answers to their

questions online Can you be the answer?

• Become visible in search engines for questions your customers are asking• Drives them to your site • Have visitors return to your site over and over• Further brand awareness• Requires time investment to create content

WEBSITE GOALS

GOAL: Serve as a ResourceWEBSITE GOALS

GOAL: Generate Leads For Your Business• Attracting hundreds or thousands of visitors is great, but…

Do you know who they are/how to get in touch with them?• Create relevant content that your visitors find valuable, and they will give

you contact information in exchange Collect lead details by using offers (i.e., e-books, PPTs, videos, etc.)

o Will everyone do it? o Will some folks do it?

• Invest your time pursuing qualified leads • Time must be invested to create content that your visitors will value highly• Leverage your team for content

WEBSITE GOALS

No.Yes!

GOAL: Generate Leads For Your BusinessWEBSITE GOALS

• Determine marketing goals & objectives for your website Establish a web presence/credibility Promote your brand Serve as a resource to your clients Generate & track leads

SUMMING IT UPWEBSITE

Search Engine Optimization

PAID VS. ORGANIC

Does Anyone Click On Paid Ads?• Depends on the search• People trying to buy products or services favors PPC• Questions and informational searches favors organic• Organic is more favorable for CPA firms

PAID VS. ORGANIC

SEO - GOOGLEKEYWORD TOOL

SEOPAGE TITLES

SEOHEADLINES

25SEOHEADLINES

META DESCRIPTIONSSEO

SEO LINKS

Find New Link Partners• Partners/vendors• Trade associations• Community organizations• Local Chambers of Commerce• Better Business Bureau• Colleges/Universities (recruiting)

LINK BUILDINGSEO

• Think about paid vs. organic search• Keyword research using Google Keyword Tool • Make website updates to:

Page titles Meta descriptions Headlines, body copy and links

• Explore link building opportunities with business partners and local organizations

SUMMING IT UPSEO

BLOGContent Generation• Industry News/Opinion

Content Curation Sites (i.e., Scoopit.Com)• FAQs From Clients• Firm News• Guest Blogs• Repurposed Content From Other Platforms

Speaking engagements, white papers, videos, etc.

• Leverage Keywords (i.e., headline & body copy)• Build a Team of Bloggers and Go!

Blog PlatformBLOG

WordPress

Blog.com

Blogger

Attracting Traffic• Search Engine Optimization• Website• E-blast/E-newsletters/E-mail signatures• Social Media

BLOG

MeasurementBLOG

• Generate significant, targeted organic search traffic on an ongoing basis• Content “lives forever” online • Continue to attract search traffic long after it has been posted

2009 Search Hits: 1,115Blogs Posted: 131

2010 Search Hits: 5,866Blogs Posted:174

2011 Search Hits: 12,712Blogs Posted: 200

2012Search Hits: 20,416Blogs Posted: 274

BLOGSearch Growth

2012 blog posts only 2x more than 2009 Yet yielded 18x more search hits

• Start a blog WordPress is a free tool

• Start creating content• Form a blogging team• Conduct keyword research• Monitor results to shape topics• Push the rock up the hill

SUMMING IT UPBLOGGING

Social Media

LINKEDINSOCIAL MEDIA

Individual vs. Place (Business) PagesFACEBOOK

SOCIAL MEDIA

Customize To Fit Your BandTWITTER

SOCIAL MEDIA

Individual/Business PageTWITTER

• Retweeting other accounts

SOCIAL MEDIA

• Retweeting separate niche service accounts

GOOGLE PLUSSOCIAL MEDIA

• Allow users to easily share your content• Allow users to easily add you to

Circles/groups, follow on LinkedIn, re-tweet on Twitter, like you on Facebook, etc.

• Take advantage of design capabilities• Drive traffic to your website• Don’t forget Google Plus

SUMMING IT UPSOCIAL MEDIA

e-Communications

Never Purchase an Email List• Build organically through clients and

contacts• Develop process for adding new

contacts to the list• Promote signup in email signature, on

website, social media, etc.

LIST BUILDING

BUILDINGLIST

EMAIL SERVICE PROVIDERFind your ESP:www.marketingsherpa.com/page/espinator

MailChimp

ExactTarget

Constant Contact

http://www.marketingsherpa.com/page/espinator

• Company News• Industry News• New Service Offers• FAQs• Team Member Profile• Blogs• Surveys• Leverage Call-to-Action (CTA)• House All Content on Website

CONTENT

MARKETINGEMAIL

MEASUREMENT

Send Stats• Open Rate• Click Through Rate• Unsubscribes• Bounce Rate (bad email address)• Popular Links

• Build your list Never buy an email address list

• Find an email service provider (i.e., MailChimp, Constant Contact, etc.)

• Create a template• Identify content sources• Set delivery schedule

SUMMING IT UPEMAIL MARKETING

Online Lead Generation Tactics

Contact Form• Base model• Requires almost no effort from site

owner• Low lead generation

LEAD GENERATION

Practice Areas

Accounting & Auditing

Business Consulting

Employee Benefit Plan Audits

Estate Planning

Litigation Advisory

State & Local Tax

Tax Planning

RANALLO & AVENI LLC

RANALLO & AVENI LLC

Ask an Expert• Answer direct questions from

clients & prospective clients• Requires technical expertise &

monitoring• Timely response• Dedicated• Provides direct interaction with

prospects and clients• Positions you as an industry

expert/leader/authority in your market

LEAD GENERATION

Mailing List• Sign up for information• Typically a e-newsletter• Need to create and provide information• Dedication (i.e., quarterly, monthly

weekly, etc.)

LEAD GENERATION

Webinar/EventLEAD GENERATION

LEAD GENERATIONPremium Content

Lead Follow-Up• Someone MUST own this• Create process and follow it• Personal contact• Add leads to marketing communications

(i.e., e-newsletter, e-blasts, etc.)• Keep-in-touch program

LEAD GENERATION

• Requires interaction with site visitors• Create an offer for them

E-newsletters, blog alerts, events, etc.• Create mailing lists• Develop premium content

Qualified leads• Have a process for follow up

SUMMING IT UPLEAD GENERATION

Call-to-Actions & Landing Pages

• Capitalize on traffic you are driving with calls-to-action (CTA) and landing pages

• Create content people want/need• CTAs drive traffic to landing pages

PPC, web banner ads, within website, etc.

• Landing pages convert traffic into leads

LANDING PAGESCALL-TO-ACTION /

Sample CTALANDING PAGES

CALL-TO-ACTION /

LANDING PAGESCALL-TO-ACTION /

Sample Landing Page

Summing It Up• Create a piece of content that your

prospects find valuable (i.e., white papers, e-books, survey results, presentations, podcasts, etc.)

• Create a landing page that gathers contact information

• Promote the landing page E-blasts/e-newsletters, PPC, social media,

existing website, online banner ads, direct mail, traditional advertising, etc.

LANDING PAGECALL-TO-ACTION/

Website Tracking

How Are You Measuring the Success of Your Website?• Number of visitors?• Search visibility?• Quality of visitors?• Number of leads?• Number of sales?

WEBSITE TRACKING

Google Analytics• In order to start tracking, you need an

analytics program• Google Analytics is free and easy to use• http://www.google.com/analytics/ • Install tracking code and you can be up and

running in minutes

WEBSITE TRACKING

http://www.google.com/analytics/

http://www.google.com/analytics/

Google Analytics OverviewWEBSITE TRACKING

Organic Keywords

WEBSITE TRACKING TRACKING

Referring Sites


Inbound Marketing for Accounting Firms

Business

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