A twenty-first century approach to marketing: marketing your practice online.

• Author: Schimel, Barry R.

Almost every CPA firm has a Web site. Too often, however, a Web site is little more than an electronic brochure, lying there, waiting for someone to come along and read it. A Web site is only part of an effective strategy for using Internet technology to market your firm's services to current and prospective clients.

Push technology over the Internet offers CPA firms a unique opportunity to increase their effectiveness in marketing and selling services, and communicate with clients and prospects while nurturing business relationships. Using knowledge-based emails, your firm can offer business opportunities and firm announcements, branding the message with the firm's logo colors, and providing hyperlinks to your Web site.

Email marketing with electronic newsletters and other documents should be incorporated into and aligned with your firm's marketing plan. This economical use of technology is effective because it allows for more frequent--and more personalized--contact than print bulk mailings. Furthermore, it can provide market intelligence as a result of click-through data.

A simple solution with complex issues

Make no mistake: The issues associated with electronic marketing are complex. Although it's possible to undertake this approach yourself, you will probably avoid many pitfalls if you use an outside service provider. Consider some of the issues involved in pursuing an email marketing strategy. They include management of the following:

* User privacy

* Bounced emails

* Your database

* Virus protection

* Unsubscribing users

* Client support and complaints

Many services provide an easy solution to sending emails. All are Application Service Providers (ASPs) that provide the hardware, software, maintenance, and other tools necessary to send emails in bulk. Some providers you may wish to explore include:

* www.mailermailer.com

* www.constantcontact.com

* www.bizactions.com

We founded BizActions LLC in Rockville Maryland, after having been managing partners of competing CPA firms in the Washington, D.C., suburban area. The inspiration for this project was our realization that the Internet can be a marketing medium for CPAs and provide client education. Clients' appreciation of this added service enhances their relationship with the CPA firm. We believe that the result uniquely assists CPAs in growing and maintaining successful practices.

The mechanics of setting up to send email newsletters and other documents through any ASP are generally...