If you're trying to develop your company in this day and age, you need to go online. The "net" opened whole new horizons to business and, luckily for your accounting firm, many of your competitors are not currently making proper use of forward-looking CPA website marketing strategies. Openings are still abundant in virtually every market for businesses who are willing to utilize a few basic online marketing strategies to bring new clients into their practices. However there is a hard-to-swallow truth here: A lot of Firms are finding that just getting a respectable CPA website isn't good enough. To be really successful in your online strategy, you need to be careful to respond to your inquiries quickly and respectfully.

Financial professionals run into 5 problems when first getting into the web space. Crafting a solid online presence requires a number of different tactics: social networking (like Twitter and Facebook), drawing attention to your site via article marketing and other tactics.

Let's take a look at how to handle your digital presence so that it brings in more clients, rather than simply creates more headaches. What if you aren't sure how to find the blog comments and respond to them?

Take the following paragraphs into account as you craft a plan to meet the needs of your customers and deliver outstanding results as you expand into cyberspace.

Got a Comment on Your Blog? You MUST Respond!

Making a blog is an excellent way to attract a customer base and keep the world informed about where your business is heading. However, be prepared for feedback – and be prepared to answer that feedback, too. It's polite to answer someone who's taken the time to read what you've written: addressing questions and concerns at this level not only shows professionalism but also helps to prevent escalation.

Assigning someone from your organization to respond to blog comments (even if that person is you) is good web etiquette – remember, communication flows both ways.

Answer Emails the Same Day

Make a dedicated effort to answer all your emails within one or two business days. You don't need to have the information they're looking for right away - but let them know you received their email and you'll get back to them. (And then be sure to do it.) The best course of action is to set up your email client with an auto-response so that your clients know the email has reached you. After that, it's best to reply as quickly as you can in person, even if it is just an "I will look into that" response in the interim. Be sure to actually follow up!

Don't Forget Forum Posts

A fair number of companies start forums on their site to get conversations going, draw attention to their business, and give their clients more ways to reach them. Although this is less common on CPA website designs, it's still a tactic that some use. If you decide to start a forum, it's absolutely critical that you monitor it regularly (check in every hour or so) and respond to all worthy posts - especially if they're negative. Ensuring your forum is properly moderated, free of spam and inflammatory material is tremendously important, as well as dealing with issues promptly.

Can't Stand Twitter? Get Past It!

Twitter has become one of the most widely used forms of social communication online in recent years and a platform for sharing experiences – both positive and negative – about companies they've dealt with. Folks are now using Twitter as a way to reach companies - and, alarmingly, lodge complaints against them. (They also say nice things, too.) Assume that folks ARE reading these comments and make sure you respond to them. It's certainly important for the person who leaves the message - but it's even more crucial for anyone "watching" your conversation to see that you haven't ignored your naysayers and supporters. It doesn't matter whether the tweet is negative or positive - both kinds deserve a response. Remember, ignoring your clients online is a surefire way to lose business.

One note: Twitter is less important for the service professional than for the retail outfit or big brand. That said, it IS the wave of the future. Be careful not to ignore this new tool, even if you have evidence that your target market isn't using it - because they very likely will be soon.

"Online" Shouldn't Mean "Casual"

The object of both types of communication is the same, after all. Email is now a routine form of communication for many individuals and must be answered in the same manner as a letter: with respect and attention, swiftly and completely.

If you decide to develop a presence on the web - and I definitely suggest you do - don't make the mistake made by others. Getting CPA websites up to speed and then returning to business as usual is not an effective strategy.