In mid-2024, we sat down with Martine Hoosen of Bookwiz, to find out more about her experiences with websites & marketing. 

How did you manage your website & marketing before Bizink?

Before Bizink, our website and marketing was a non event, literally a non event. I think I had 2 websites prior to Bizink and I was so hands off with it and I thought that’s how it had to be. The idea of me being able to go into the backend wasn’t something I thought I could do, because previously I couldn’t!
It was almost dictated to me that they had to control it. I paid a fortune, we launched the site and then nothing happened. There was no support, no ongoing guidance on how to maintain the website or what needed to be done. When I needed their help to make changes, I would contact them and then get big invoices. I didn’t know how to login and do anything on the site so it was a bit of an eye opener when I came onboard with Bizink.

And how about since switching?

It’s night and day difference between what I was getting and what I now get with Bizink.

It was clear you understood the industry, the terminology, our target audience and understood what we did. But it was also the encouragement that we received as well. You’re there saying we’ll show you how to set up your monthly newsletter and post a blog and connect it to my socials. It was then I realised it was actually a tool for business that I can login into!

And having all the regular content is incredible. While we don’t all want to be posting the same content at the same time, suddenly I can login and choose the content I want, take it and make it my own. I can easily create my own newsletter and I don’t have to spend hours of my time feeding information to someone else, only for them to get the terminology wrong.

The fact that your niche is our industry is great.

And I was so surprised actually when someone said once your website is ready, we’ll do a 1-on-1 training session to show you how to use it. I did feel previous providers had controlled that before.

Up until that point I didn’t realise my website could be an additional tool for my business. A tool to build authority, to attract new clients and it wasn’t anything to be scared of. I know my limits, I’m not going to do technical things, but to do an email blast or blog post hooked up through my socials is great. It wasn’t something I thought I could do, unless I would have to pay a fortune to get it done for me.

To this day I still can’t get over the cost.

How have you found it dealing with Bizink?

It’s excellent, if I have an issue it’s a quick email and someone gets back to me quickly. Many bookkeepers are scared of the marketing space but you make it easy to understand, you ask the questions, you communicate things in a simple, clear way.

Can you describe a key outcome that Bizink has helped you achieve?

Being able to have one place where I can publish blogs, send newsletters, I can easily login and grab an image I need. It keeps everything together and it flows through and connects to my socials, all from that one place whereas previously I had to have it in all different spots and go in and do it myself was huge.

What impact did that have on your business?

It’s allowed me to do things that I never thought I would be able to do (or if I did I would have to outsource it).
Now I can schedule it all from the one place. You’ve allowed me to utilise my website for my business in a cost effective manner, without paying thousands of dollars every month for someone to do it for me. And it was easy!

Outsourcing in the past had failed. I would ask them to write things but it didn’t sound like me, it was a fail.

With previous websites because they had to manage it all, I didn’t really feel like it was actually mine. They had to make changes but I’d get a big invoice for it.

What would you say to other firms considering working with Bizink?

Don’t go and spend thousands of dollars having a website built that you can’t get in there and do yourself, you’re dealing with people that perhaps aren’t specialised.
Bizink is specialised in our industry and the regular content that you guys are putting in there is a massive timesaver.
For bookkeepers, marketing is not our space, so to have our content written already that’s suited to us that we can take, build on it, use it and send it out is incredible.
I couldn’t recommend anything better than using Bizink if you want a cost effective, affordable, easy-to-use solution as well as ongoing support on hand that you’re not paying an absolute bomb for.

Why do you recommend Bookwiz Academy members choose Bizink?

A lot of members are starting out or in early stages and they’ll start asking about websites because they have got quotes that are so expensive. Straight away I’m like read this article about Bizink in the Bookwiz Academy becuase you don’t need to be paying a fortune! And then other members will start jumping in and commenting that Bizink are amazing.

I tell them you don’t want to pay thousands of dollars for something that you end up having not much control over, and you don’t end up with what you wanted because you’re dealing with people that aren’t specialists. The cost is a big part of it, I cannot believe how affordable Bizink is for both the upfront cost but the ongoing cost too considering the content, support, community. It’s a complete package.

There’s no one else like Bizink, there is no one doing what you do!

You guys give so much valuable advice and information, you’re accessible and very generous in what you give. Generous is the word – Matt’s always giving away his scripts.
Marketing is an area where the majority of us are hesitant and avoid doing much. The encouragement you give for example here’s some ways to ask for referrals, that is invaluable for an industry where it’s out of our comfort zone. It’s gold nuggets of wisdom for us.