Be a Standout on the Web

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY * A WEB SITE IS A VALUABLE DIRECT MARKETING TOOL when it has action-oriented copy and graphics, reader involvement devices and promotional offers that prompt readers to respond. * FOCUS ON WHAT CLEARLY SEPARATES YOUR FIRM from the competition and can be locked into the minds of your prospective clients. * WHEN YOU IMPRINT A STRONG ASSOCIATION in the minds of your prospects and clients, you create something marketers call Brands that are synonymous with their products (Jell-O, Kleenex, Xerox) have successfully gained mind share. * YOUR WEB SITE WILL HAVE A GREATER IMPACT if it focuses on your clients' needs and interests instead of aggressively telling them how wonderful you are. * WEB SITES SHOULD BE INFORMATIONAL. Based on your positioning and market focus, present news, articles, facts, insights and helpful data that clearly show you are an authority in your areas of expertise. * TO COMPETE EFFECTIVELY ON THE INTERNET, your site should be ranked high by search engines and directories such as Google and Yahoo! Reciprocal links with other businesses can help achieve this goal. It also is useful to link to relevant government and nonprofit agencies. Having a digital presence is now unquestionably an important part of doing business, but the trick is in how best to use it when the growing number of Web sites makes it harder and harder to get noticed. The Internet weaves words and pictures into interactive information accessible to a huge audience, and the sites it serves are many. (There were more than billion Web pages on the Internet in 2000.) CPA firms need to learn some basics about applying Web in a way that makes their sites competitive, effective sales tools. To successfully market CPA services on the Web, you first must have a clear understanding of how your firm is distinct from the competition. Emphasize its unique capabilities as you use the technology to draw clients and readers in. Sharing valuable data that visitors can access readily is an excellent way to do this. A Web site becomes direct marketing when it has action-oriented text and graphics, promotional offers, data and devices that prompt reader response. YOU'RE SPECIAL--TELL THEM The basic strategy starts with positioning, a form of differentiation that can help create a perception about your business among clients and prospects based on your firm's strengths. Positioning is central in all and no less so on the Internet. Start by determining how your business is different from key competitors'. You know your marketplace, so to uncover ideas, answer questions such as the following: * Does your firm serve specific industries or focus on a business specialty (construction, fashion or retail clients; litigation, audit or tax services)? * Is your business built on a solid reputation, such as one of the oldest, most respected small accounting firms? * Is your firm a family business whose members offer a personal, solicitous approach? * Do you insist on achieving complete client satisfaction (staff turn projects around quickly; answer phone messages promptly; treat all clients as if they were the firm's most important ones)? * Are your services more complete or comprehensive than your competitors'? The idea is to focus on what clearly separates you from the competition and can be locked into the minds of your prospects and clients. Once you decide which qualities make your firm special, write the information out as a simple statement. Then use it as the framework for your Web site, publicity mailings and print and mail advertising. Volvo is an example of a business that has used positioning well in its Web--and other--marketing. Its media tag line is drive safely, and it promotes its cars to families with children. As a result, Volvo has become identified with safety. …