State your case: effective marketing: out-thinking the competition, not out-spending.

The sphere of influence CPAs have regarding their clients goes beyond tax planning. Clients look to CPAs for advice on everything from insurance options to human resources management to business growth issues.

And while small-business clients may want to grow, they may feel that sophisticated corporate marketing is the playground of tycoons. However, effective marketing requires businesses to out-think competitors, not out-spend them.

For example, most businesses have a website, but few fully exploit their marketing possibilities. If your small-business clients have a website and are open to creatively positioning themselves for a competitive edge, consider the following.

FROM THE TOP

Management support is crucial to a website's success. Ask a management team member to assume responsibility for the development and ongoing production of the website. This person can coordinate with other management team members to ensure that timely information is shared by key company officials.

The designated webmaster can provide direction to the web designer, either an in-house employee or contractor, as well as the company's head of internal technology to ensure that the site is maintained.

USE YOUR BRAND

A brand is, at its core, an expression of a firm's culture. It presents a business' opportunity to express its company's values, standards, credibility--and even style. Is your company young and full of energy, seeking to do things in a different way? Or is it more traditional, bringing to the table years of experience?

One way to inject the life of your company into your website is through executive profiles. Along with the standard education and work experience, share other information, such as unusual hobbies.

Developing a brand is not easy, so it's worth spending some time with a marketing firm to develop the basics--a logo, a slogan and key message points. Weave this brand throughout your website.

'WRITE' STUFF

Hire the best writer you can; someone who can reinforce a brand with useful information that is creatively expressed, which will transform a website into a living force.

Don't fall into the trap of thinking you need a Hollywood production house to make your website shine. Again, it's about out-thinking competitors, not out-spending them.

A good writer can interview the company president to share new developments and promote new products; speak with the research and development team about new services or products to promote; and spend time with personnel to relate tales of their work and personal lives.

A keen writer who grasps your company's culture and translates it into an engaging tale can build a website that is conducive to new stories and information. Pay particular attention to keeping the homepage fresh; if prospects or clients do not see anything new on a homepage, they may correctly surmise that the website is a graveyard of static ideas.

MAY I HELP YOU?

How many times have you visited a website for a phone number, name or an address, and been frustrated? In determining website content, focus first on the basic needs of clients, personnel, prospects, vendors, media and the marketplace.

Include information on the firm and the management team to instill credibility; provide contact information and directions; and clearly describe services or products.

The goal is to make it as easy as possible for visitors to help themselves to information. Any complication and visitors will move on to the next company.

To determine whether your website is user-friendly, ask your clients and employees to use the site and provide feedback regarding their experiences.

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IN THE KNOW

Within all companies are those with knowledge and passion for their respective businesses, and these experts can make a difference in the lives of clients and prospects.

Companies should ask their writers to cull that information from in-house experts and post it on the website. Knowledge sharing is valued and appreciated by clients, referral sources, trade journals and others in the marketplace--and it shows a company's credibility.

Celebrate the knowledge of personnel--it can position a firm as a leader in the marketplace. What's more, personnel will, no doubt, be pleased to share their knowledge and bask in the limelight.

Lyne Noella is director of corporate strategy at Stonefield Josephson, a California-based CPA firm. You can reach her at [e-mail].