Does SEO, Search Engine Optimization, scare you? Being the specialized area of marketing that it is, most public accounting firm marketers have chosen to outsource this function, and rightfully so. Or ignore SEO altogether.

Brian Swanson of Flashpoint Marketing recently did one of our very popular Ask The Expert sessions here at iShade. Speaking with Brian yielded several takeaways that can all be wrapped up in an umbrella of “SEO is one component of a broader digital marketing strategy–it’s not a stand-alone thing.”

For example, does your firm have video on the web site? “This is a great area to be in,” noted Brian, “especially with the YouTube/Google relationship.”

Whether your site has video or not, it appears that the main thing to think about as a professional services firm marketer is along the lines of what your firm is doing/not doing to convey your thought leadership to your target markets. Brian’s comments about the first half of 2012 touched on thought leadership when he remarked, “Many firms in the past six months have realized their sites do not reflect their thought leadership. Web sites can’t just sit there; marketers know that the sites have to work.”

“Think of digital marketing as four wheels of a car,” quipped Brian. I won’t tell you about the rest of the car, that’s up to you.
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