The main alternatives are running your own ads in-house, hiring a specialist agency, paying per booked appointment, building referral partnerships and investing in content and search. They differ most on who owns the data, whether the enquiry is exclusive to you and how long they take to work.
Why firms look for alternatives
Bought leads are quick to start, but firms commonly report the same problems: the same taxpayer contacted by several firms, thin screening, and no control over how the lead was generated or what it was promised. When a vendor's advert overstates what you can do, your firm handles the consequences on the first call.
The options side by side
| Option | Exclusive to you | You own ad accounts and data | Speed to first cases | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buy leads from a vendor | Sometimes; check in writing | No | Days | Firms with spare intake capacity that need volume now |
| Run ads in-house | Yes | Yes | Weeks to months | Firms with a marketer who has run regulated campaigns |
| Specialist agency | Yes | Should be yes; confirm | About 2 to 4 weeks | Firms that want a full system without hiring |
| Pay per booked appointment | Usually | Varies | Weeks | Firms that want cost tied to calendar outcomes |
| Referral partnerships | Yes | Yes | Months | Every firm, as a base layer |
| Content and search | Yes | Yes | Months, then compounding | Firms planning beyond the next quarter |
1. Running your own ads
You keep every enquiry and every insight. The difficulty is skill and time: Meta's Financial Products and Services category restricts targeting, search auctions are expensive, and compliant creative takes care. It works best when someone on staff has done it before in a regulated category.
2. A specialist agency
A good specialist builds the ads, forms, follow-up and reporting, and runs them for you. The questions that separate good from bad are in our guide to choosing a tax resolution marketing agency. The most important: you should own the ad accounts, the data and the creative.
3. Paying per booked appointment
Some providers charge per consultation booked rather than per lead. This moves screening risk to the provider, which is useful, but check the definition of a qualified appointment, what happens on no-shows and whether the appointments are exclusive.
4. Referral partnerships
CPAs and preparers who do not do resolution work, bankruptcy and family law attorneys and mortgage brokers meet taxpayers with IRS problems every week. Referrals convert well because the trust is borrowed. They are slow to build and hard to scale on their own, which is why they work best alongside a paid channel.
5. Content and search
Pages that explain specific notices and situations attract people at the moment they are deciding, and they are increasingly what AI assistants cite when someone asks what to do about an IRS letter. It is the slowest option and the one that keeps working after you stop paying for it.
How to choose
- Need cases this month: referral outreach plus a paid channel, run in-house or by a specialist.
- Need predictable volume all year: a paid system you own, with fast intake and weekly reporting.
- Thinking two years out: add content and search now, because it takes months to compound.
Whichever you choose, compare options on cost per retained case, not cost per lead.
Want these numbers for your own firm? Book a strategy call and we will walk through your lead sources, intake and cost per retained case.