Advertising can be a little tricky because it can be easy to lose your focus on the message you are trying to convey. An ad I saw online recently made me stop and think about this very topic. The ad depicted an stylish young accountant focused on her work in front of a laptop. She had a trendy tablet and smartphone within reach at her desk. I actually had to do a double take at the ad to make sure that it was an accounting ad and not an ad for lifestyle brand clothing. The accounting firm was trying to show that they were on top of the latest trends in technology but were still a traditional business. This was a real missed opportunity for the accounting firm. The advertiser should have shown how integrating technology into their business actually benefited their clients.

A lot can be learned from mistakes in advertising and applied to designing accounting websites. The first thing we can learn from the advertisement is to sell the features of your services as benefits. The second thing to take away from this missed opportunity is to avoid alienating a significant number of people in your market. Many of your prospects will be young professionals who don’t identify with tradition at all. While others will question why having all of the latest and greatest in technology will make your service to them any better than a using a nice bonded leather ledger book. You can appeal to your entire market of prospects by showing them how a traditional work ethic combined with smartly integrated technology can better solve their problems.

Focus on your clients. Before you do anything else, you are going to want to list all of the problems that people come to you with and next to each problem list your solution. This will give you a broad picture of problems vs. solutions. Make this list the central part of your accounting websites. If your accounting firm uses technology to better solve problems for clients, then don’t be afraid to show those solutions off, just be sure to make the payoff clear to the client.

A good example is the use of computer applications to optimize revenues and organize finances to allow clients to maximize their tax benefits. Programs can also be integrated into websites to allow clients to conveniently interact with their accountants. Maps integrated into websites can provide clients with interactive directions to your offices. Appointments scheduled through software on your website can really streamline the process for both you and your clients. All of these things offer real value to your clients. The more clearly you can represent that value, the more likely they will be to buy your services.

Generally speaking, most people simply need an accountant to get their taxes done or to maintain their business records. When you are setting up your CPA website keep this in mind. Your main focus needs to be on helping people identify your accounting firm as a viable solution to all of their accounting needs. If you accomplish this task, then you will have people lining up at your door.

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