When websites first made their way into the marketplace and businesses started creating their own, they served more as an online brochure of sorts – a digital display of static pages and information. This was great when websites were first hitting the streets – who wouldn’t want a place to display information to the world about their business?  Unfortunately, most SMB accounting firm websites that I have come across have not evolved much since then. Brochures can be attractive, but I usually throw them away – I don’t convert them into business. What about you?

When your website is static and not pushing out new content on a consistent basis, Google does not pay attention to it or crawl it as much (or as often as you [should] want it to). There are several ways that you can turn your website into an asset, rather than a liability.

Blogging is a great way to get started on the path of turning your website/online presence into an asset. It will also help in generating traffic and help you “get found” on Google. Here are some business blogging ideas:

• tax tips and advice
• case studies
• talk about your niche market
• common payroll mistakes you find businesses making
• remember: content is key
• add or convert your newsletters into blog posts so they can be searched and referenced online

You can think of blogging like this:

The benefit of publishing a blog post is crystal clear and measurable: Each time you publish a blog post, you’re purchasing an annuity./via Hubspot

Your website will also be an asset for you if you are able to convert traffic into a lead. The leads will come to you, and, if you give them something valuable in return, they will be likely to trade you for their information. Some ways to convert traffic are by offering:

• Whitepapers
• A type of free consultation
• Research/studies
• eBooks
• Trials and samples
• Contests

One tool that I find helpful is Hubspot’s Website Grader. The tool can help you determine how well your website is doing at getting traffic. It will also point out any SEO (Search Engine Optimization) issues, and how popular (or unpopular) it is in Social Media. I highly recommend heading over there to get your website graded.

Some other articles that I have enjoyed reading are:
Why Your Business Blog Is an Annuity
Inbound Marketing: The Next Phase of Marketing on the Web
Free Advertising on Google

In my first 2-3 years at Xcentric the staffing equation dominated the conversation, hot topics, and round table discussions at every conference I went to. As you know the tide has turned in this arena and now partners are discussing marketing, sales, and business development. This has led many firms to question the use of the Internet and how it fits into their overall marketing scheme. The book Inbound Marketing provides a comprehensive look at using the web as a marketing tool and it is a highly suggested read.

The book defines “inbound marketing” as marketing focused on being found by customers.  So, where do your best leads come from? Referrals, of course.  A conversation that started in the gym, chamber of commerce, rotary club, golf club, barber shop, etc, turned into a phone call to your firm because a client was a raving fan and told them they should give you a call. Business conversations inside these circles will continue to be the norm and your goal should be to be found in them. However, more and more of these conversations are being facilitated on the web in a distinct, targeted fashion.

Here’s what Inbound Marketing has to say about why:
* ‘Search’ on the web is targeted. Think rifle versus shotgun. If you have a specific need the web is more likely to return the targeted results you are looking for versus your friend network. This doesn’t mean you don’t ask your friends, it just means that you can now do this in a more leveraged fashion (see last point).
* Social club memberships are on the decline. Costs and time are under more scrutiny than ever and people turn to the web to fulfill some of the value previously gained in these memberships. Conversations that used to take exclusively in these ‘clubs’ are now taking place on the web in hyper focused interest groups.
* It’s leveraged. One to many versus one to one. You can ask the question over the web and get far more brains/eyes/etc on the matter than you could over a week full of meetings. Plus CTRL+C & CTRL+V is hard to do in person, easy to post a question on the web a few different places.

The question the book ultimately asks is: Will you be found in the discussions that happen on the web?  Just like the ‘in-person’ discussions, will your name be dropped, will you come through as a thought leader in that specific practice area or in your community?

The end result looks like: a blog, twitter, speaking, articles, white papers, etc…..but what does this mean?

It means:

• overcoming challenges creates a story to tell
• sharing information and best practices will lead to more business
• a call to consciousness versus hum drum business practices
• why we do what we do…and if we love it so much, why don’t we talk about it more in the public sphere

It will be an interesting adventure and a learning experience to move towards a content culture (or perhaps it should be called ‘story telling’).