Accounting Today - May 2012

accountingtoday.com
May 2012 | accounting today 45

regional leadership, according to
Allen, “positioning the firm from a
messaging standpoint and its com-
mitment to the state.”
Making sure your firm is po-
sitioned appropriately online is
where SEO comes into play. Rea &
Associates’ SEO consultant concen-
trates on the more complex parts of
online optimization that the firm
cannot handle in-house, including
link-building, on-page optimization
and keyword research.

Geek Squad
FROM PAGE 1
THE OUTSIDERS

Particularly in the research stage, whether undertaken to maximize SEO or rebuild a brand, external contributions are often necessary.

“We wanted someone with an
outside perspective, especially
when it came to branding,” Tolin
said. “We joke that we all drink the
Rea & Associates Kool-Aid; we’re
all fans of the firm and we needed
someone who wasn’t to bring in
from the outside, who could say,
‘Here is what clients told me and
what we should do with it.’ ... They
can [also] bring best practices from
other industries.”
The divide is less clear at Skoda
Minotti, an Ohio CPA, business
and financial advisory firm whose
marketing strategy is handled by its
in-house full-service agency.

FULL INTEGRATION

Once staff — and clients — have bought into the firm messaging, the marketing team can run with it, in many different directions.

Since Rea & Associates’ new
brand is young, Tolin is still working
with the firm’s agency on total sat-
uration, encompassing everything
from training brochures to article
templates to financial statement
covers. Concurrently, she’s collabo-
rating on new digital strategies.

The answers are out there
Every ;rm has its own set of challenges. If you’re looking
for individualized support for your ;rm, CPA Mutual is
here for you.