After you’ve turned your website into a prospect attraction machine, it’s time to make sure they stick. As CPA Nicole Davis points out, it’s better to invest more in retaining clients than getting them. Most client retention advice can be distilled into this: In every client interaction, engage with the aim of understanding and helping them. Of course, there are many nuances that arise while you’re doing that, so here are some practical tips to hang on to clients once they’ve reached your website.
Tip #1: Stay top of mind with regular client emails
Once you’ve started working with clients, you want to make sure you keep in touch with them. One of the easiest ways to stay in front of clients is through a regular client email. At MBS Accountancy, we use a monthly client newsletter to update clients on what’s been happening in our firm, and notify them of upcoming deadlines and changes related to accounting and taxes. This monthly newsletter is particularly valuable for clients who are in their inbox more than their social media feed. As a bonus, you can feature blog articles in this email and drive clients to your website.
Ryan Lazanis has a great podcast episode about simplifying regular client check-ins into a few steps:
- Create a recurring task or reminder to reach out to clients every month.
- Ask a single question (e.g., “How is business coming along?”).
- For retainer clients, you can check their QuickBooks® dashboard and make an observation about their current financials. This way, they get a quick check-in and a reminder that you’re in their corner.
As a side note, you may also like this list of marketing tools that can help you build an incredible client experience.
Tip #2: Review website analytics reports regularly
As the old Druckerism says, “What doesn’t get measured doesn’t get improved.” If you’re serious about providing a great user experience on your website, installing website analytics is a must-do item. You can start with Google Analytics, a free tool from Google that tracks popular pages, keywords people use to reach your website, audience demographics, and much more. Other options include:
- Fathom: Started as a privacy-friendly alternative to Google Analytics and similar tools, Fathom features a robust dashboard that protects user data through data hashing and other measures. Another key difference: Fathom built its business model on plan subscriptions, not ads like Google. (Editor’s note: Intuit is phasing out Fathom; here is more information.)\
- Hotjar: If you want to know how people interact with your website, you can use Hotjar to build heatmaps during user sessions that which sections earned their clicks and which were “moused over.”
- GTmetrix: This free tool by cloud services provider Carbon60 grades your website page speed and recommends ways to improve it.
Tip #3: Send clients thoughtful gifts and branded merchandise
Digital marketing is everywhere, which is why you can use physical gifts to make a lasting impression on clients. As an additional benefit, physical gifts are also great for building social buzz for your accounting firm since people are more likely to post about their new backpack, coffee mug, or other gift and tag your company.
If you’re interested in client gifts, here are some websites to check out:
- Custom Ink: This website features a great assortment of products that you can brand with your firm’s colors and show off or give to clients.
- Swag.com: If you’re tired of storing branded merchandise (also called “swag”) in an office closet or basement, you can use this service as an all-in-one service for choosing, storing, and shipping cool swag to clients.
- Printfection: This platform lives up to its slogan, “Create and send branded swag anywhere.” From storage and shipping to its large selection of brandable products, this platform is a great choice for offloading swag management and shipping.
Build a platform, not a brochure
Your website has the potential to be your greatest asset that connects all of your online profiles into a central, on-brand hub. For mediocre firms, a website is merely an online brochure that was built by the cheapest freelancer they could find on Fiverr. But for modern firms, a website serves as a powerful platform for generating high-quality leads, building an incredible brand, and serving the needs of potential and existing clients.
