Your lead capture pages have got the same principal role. These pages entice your guests to provide their email addresses and hopefully even (at least) their first names. No sale: merely get contact info. Accounting websites are great marketing tools but not many prospects are going to be looking for a new CPA the first time they visit. What we're building here is a pool of prospects. We can keep in touch with these people over time using emailings until their circumstances change and when they need an accountant our brand will be there waiting for them. I cannot overstate the long term value of leads like this.
1. Don't just put lead capture, or "opt-in", forms on the newsletter and contact pages. Add opt-in forms to your service pages and your free reports, too. You can also generate secondary leads by adding "email this report to a friend" links to these pages. These pages are designed to sell, and if your prospect decides to initiate a contact you don't want to make them hunt around for a form. Put opt-in forms on all these pages.
2. Opt in forms should be easy to find. Don't hide them behind links on separate pages. The need to be easy to find, and easy to use. The key is to capture just the right amount of information from your visitors. If you ask for too much information you'll spook the prospect but if you don't get enough you won't be able to follow up. You can ask for extra information, but don't make the fields mandatory. A good start is to make the "name" and "email address" fields mandatory. You can use an auto-responder to ensure visitors immediately start receiving emails from your company. The form results can be sent to your inbox, from which you can respond manually where appropriate and add their contact information to a database or spreadsheet.
3. Make sure your form identifies exactly which page prompted the response. Forms on the service pages should get immediate personalized follow ups while newsletter sign-ups should be treated as long term leads and treated with more patience. This will also give you clues exactly what kind of accounting service the prospect is looking at. A lead from the "Compilations" page or "Strategic Business Planning" page is going to be treated differently from a lead that came from the "Personal Financial Planning" or "Tax Preparation" page.
4. Headlines matter. Craft a headline that will compel your visitor to read the rest of the text on your page. Keep your message moving. Your headline should be concise and exiting. Don't beat around the bush. Be direct and people will read on.
5. Don't show off your literary aptitude by being unnecessarily verbose. Keep the message simple. Bullets and lists are great. Generally, readers love to have information broken down into small, easily digestible parts for them. It's easier to eat bite sized portions of food rather than cramming the whole burger into your mouth at once; similarly, the good news about your company is more easily assimilated if it is revealed in stages. Just because accounting is a complex subject it doesn't have to follow that your website needs to become unreadable. Your reader doesn't need to know every detail, just the bits that benefit him. Pages like this won't bring in leads.
6. Have you told your reader exactly what you want them to do? Does your copy really make it clear how your service is going to benefit them? Using "call to action" style language undoubtedly helps drive your message home and will get more names on your list.
7. Make it worth the readers time. You need to offer some value to the reader to get them to give you their contact information. If you present your visitor with an offer they can't refuse, usually a free initial consultation for business owners, you will bring in a bunch of new subscribers. I've had a number of clients balk at the free consultation but the more valuable the offer, the better chance you have of making a good impression from the get-go and obtaining new customers.
8. Use a privacy statement. Naturally as an accounting professional you would never betray a trust like this but a lot of people are going to be suspicious of your motives so include a privacy statement. Reassure prospects that you aren't going to exploit their information and send them junk they don't want, and that you are definitely not going to re-distribute their information. Unfortunately your professionalism won't be assumed and your privacy policy will help establish it. lots of of your visitors don't know you yet and may assume the worst.
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