Attract New Clients and Keep Them Coming Back for More Presented by: Julie Lemberg,

1. Attract New Clients and Keep Them Coming Back for More Presented by: Julie Lemberg, CCH Solution Architect Hosted by:AccountingWEB October 18, 2013

2. Agenda • Website importance to your brand • Client engagement through your website • Value for your firm • Site Builder demo • Q&A

3. Brand: Your website is the window into your brand • It’s the face of your business: • The design and layout reflect your brand image • Accessibility to and usefulness of content and tools impact customer satisfaction • Your Website is a means to connect with your customers • Areas of specialty, relevant content • Who and how to contact • Tools and resources to offer assistance • Your unique brand message differentiates the best you have to offer, gives a good indication of what you’re like to work with, and shows how you make things happen. • Dawn Rasmussen, president of the Portland, Oregon-based Pathfinder Writing and Career Services.

4. Polling Question 1 When do you plan to create or update your site? • Immediately • Within 3 months • Within 6 months • Within 12 months • Do not plan to update

5. Brand: Avoid these • Heavy designs • Dense, too busy • Unnecessary content – detracts from user experience • Distracting designs • Splash pages • Frames • Unclear navigation • Relevant information cannot be found e.g., Contact Info • Stale content and inactive links

6. Brand: CPA Top Marketing Initiatives • Website: 30% of the respondents claimed a new Web site as their top initiative including: • New design • Mobile compatible • Blogs • Improved search engine optimization (SEO) • Niche-focused marketing: 30% of those surveyed noted a desire to focus on niche-focused efforts (concentrating on an industry or service to craft a strategy on attracting an “ideal” client). • Branding: 10% of those surveyed referred to a need for a branding or a rebranding – connected to the main initiative of launching a new website. • Social media: 8% of those surveyed said they valued education about and training on social media, specifically LinkedIn. Many marketing and management professionals admitted to under-utilizing this medium.

7. Polling Question • What are your top goals for your website? [Select as many as applicable] • Improved aesthetics • Support existing customers • Attract new customers • Remain competitive • Offer services (e.g., file sharing)

8. Value: What you are telling us you need … • Content– Tax-relevant content to ensure my customers see me as a valuable and reliable source of information. • Mobile Compatible (Responsive Design) – The predominant use of mobile devices and the 24/7 nature means that my site has to be compatible • SEO (Search Engine Optimization) – I’m a CPA not a digital marketer. I need to work with someone who can help ensure might site is found by my current and potential customers. • Social Media– Websites need to be a two-way communication vehicle. Supporting social media is an important tool for keeping connected with and collaborating with my customers. • Simplicity – I’m not an entertainment business, my site needs to be clear, elegant and easy to use.

9. Client Engagement: What the CPA Marketing experts say … • CPA firms will be more successful if they see their websites as part of an overall marketing strategy. • David Cieslak CPA/CITP, CGMA, principal with Arxis Technology. • CPAs should move from static websites to customizable sites with up-to-date content, including videos and blogs… • Amy Vetter, CPA/CITP, CPA Programs Leader at Intacct Corp., former key accounts manager for the Southeast at Intuit, and former president of AV Accounting Services • CPA firms would benefit from adding “useful” content such as checklists offering tax or financial planning advice… • J. Carlton Collins, owner of ASA Research and writer of the JofA’s Technology Q&A column • Look for CPA firm websites to feature cleaner designs with fewer words and information presented in a more mobile-friendly format.

10. In other words

11. Polling Question • How many of your customers use smartphones or tablets? [Choose one] • Around 10% • Around 25% • Around 50% • Around 75% • 100%

12. www.cchwebsites.com

13. Checklist – Does your website allow you to: • 72% of Consumers Expect Brands to Have Mobile-Friendly Sites • (AdWeek – Sept 2012) • Connect with customers by providing: • Relevant tax articles that are updated monthly. • Downloadable tax forms and publications, including a convenient tax organizer. • Interactive events calendar to easily track key milestone dates . • Financial calculators to assist in decision making. • Collaborate with your clients in new, meaningful ways such as: • Securely sharing files with clients using integrated tools. • Providing an appointment calendar for clients to schedule time with you. • Support Newsletters with customized content to your subscribers. • Grow your business by: • Generating leads through use of contact forms. • Expanding your network by linking to your social media. • Supporting mobile devices (smartphones and tablets).

14. For more information … Julie Lemberg Solution Architect 1-877-531-5519 julie.lemberg@wolterskluwer.com