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When websites first made their way into the marketplace and businesses started creating their own, they served more as an online brochure of sorts – a digital display of static pages and information. This was great when websites were first hitting the streets – who wouldn’t want a place to display information to the world about their business?  Unfortunately, most SMB accounting firm websites that I have come across have not evolved much since then. Brochures can be attractive, but I usually throw them away – I don’t convert them into business. What about you?

When your website is static and not pushing out new content on a consistent basis, Google does not pay attention to it or crawl it as much (or as often as you [should] want it to). There are several ways that you can turn your website into an asset, rather than a liability.

Blogging is a great way to get started on the path of turning your website/online presence into an asset. It will also help in generating traffic and help you “get found” on Google. Here are some business blogging ideas:

• tax tips and advice
• case studies
• talk about your niche market
• common payroll mistakes you find businesses making
• remember: content is key
• add or convert your newsletters into blog posts so they can be searched and referenced online

You can think of blogging like this:

The benefit of publishing a blog post is crystal clear and measurable: Each time you publish a blog post, you’re purchasing an annuity./via Hubspot

Your website will also be an asset for you if you are able to convert traffic into a lead. The leads will come to you, and, if you give them something valuable in return, they will be likely to trade you for their information. Some ways to convert traffic are by offering:

• Whitepapers
• A type of free consultation
• Research/studies
• eBooks
• Trials and samples
• Contests

One tool that I find helpful is Hubspot’s Website Grader. The tool can help you determine how well your website is doing at getting traffic. It will also point out any SEO (Search Engine Optimization) issues, and how popular (or unpopular) it is in Social Media. I highly recommend heading over there to get your website graded.

Some other articles that I have enjoyed reading are:
Why Your Business Blog Is an Annuity
Inbound Marketing: The Next Phase of Marketing on the Web
Free Advertising on Google

1. fear of the unknown
2. fear of security
3. lack of control over data/systems
4. previous investments in technology
5. previous investments in people
6. lack of connectivity options
7. cost compared to current IT spend
8. contract rigidity
9. concern about the provider viability

I’ll be writing an article to tease these out in the coming weeks.  Stay tuned.

p.s.  I would love your comments on why you wouldn’t take your firm to the Cloud  (and of course, we welcome any comments on how).

• Flexibility
• Scalability
• Business Ability
• Affordability

Article link here

Unlike other non-bluetooth devices that require an additional receiver to be plugged into the computer in order to connect, these new keypads pair up with your laptop to limit cross talk with other wireless devices in addition to reducing cable clutter.

Here are a few to consider:

Interlink Electronics Bluetooth Calculator Keypad
This device masquerades as a 10 keypad by day and calculator by night.  Toss this keypad in your bag and you can crunch numbers on and off the computer. At the flip of a switch this keypad will allow you to use the built-in display to perform calculations when not connected to a computer.

Microsoft Bluetooth Number Pad
A no frills version of the above keypad has been introduced to market by Microsoft for users that do not need the calculator functionality.  A carrying case is included in the packaging.

In my first 2-3 years at Xcentric the staffing equation dominated the conversation, hot topics, and round table discussions at every conference I went to. As you know the tide has turned in this arena and now partners are discussing marketing, sales, and business development. This has led many firms to question the use of the Internet and how it fits into their overall marketing scheme. The book Inbound Marketing provides a comprehensive look at using the web as a marketing tool and it is a highly suggested read.

The book defines “inbound marketing” as marketing focused on being found by customers.  So, where do your best leads come from? Referrals, of course.  A conversation that started in the gym, chamber of commerce, rotary club, golf club, barber shop, etc, turned into a phone call to your firm because a client was a raving fan and told them they should give you a call. Business conversations inside these circles will continue to be the norm and your goal should be to be found in them. However, more and more of these conversations are being facilitated on the web in a distinct, targeted fashion.

Here’s what Inbound Marketing has to say about why:
* ‘Search’ on the web is targeted. Think rifle versus shotgun. If you have a specific need the web is more likely to return the targeted results you are looking for versus your friend network. This doesn’t mean you don’t ask your friends, it just means that you can now do this in a more leveraged fashion (see last point).
* Social club memberships are on the decline. Costs and time are under more scrutiny than ever and people turn to the web to fulfill some of the value previously gained in these memberships. Conversations that used to take exclusively in these ‘clubs’ are now taking place on the web in hyper focused interest groups.
* It’s leveraged. One to many versus one to one. You can ask the question over the web and get far more brains/eyes/etc on the matter than you could over a week full of meetings. Plus CTRL+C & CTRL+V is hard to do in person, easy to post a question on the web a few different places.

The question the book ultimately asks is: Will you be found in the discussions that happen on the web?  Just like the ‘in-person’ discussions, will your name be dropped, will you come through as a thought leader in that specific practice area or in your community?

Not all hackers involved in these groups fall under the unethical stereotype that probably comes to mind initially.  Some actually include federal agents, corporate IT professionals, lawyers and people who want to find out what latest attacks their systems are up against.  However, keep in mind that many of these public resources are openly available to unethical hackers as well.

Some  8000 people gather in Las Vegas each summer for DEF CON,  the largest and longest running underground hacking conference.  The conference organizers call themselves “goons” and go by names like “Priest” “Dead Addict” and “The Dark Tangent”.  The wireless network at the conference is nicknamed “the world’s most hostile network’ (as an attempt at flattery, so they say).  Besides discussing  computer security, the event includes all kinds of other hacker-friendly fun like  Capture the Flag  (where teams attempt to attack and defend computers and networks) and Spot the Fed (where everyone  tries to pick out the Federal agents from among the attendees by calling people up on stage and asking them questions).

The “Spot the Fed” contest took an interesting turn at a recent conference when the conference organizers changed it to “Spot the Reporter” to expose a Dateline NBC reporter who was there undercover trying to catch attendees admitting to crimes on a hidden camera .  The event organizers were alerted of her intentions prior to the event and even contacted her several times to ask her to register as press.  So, when she persisted to turn down their requests and showed up at the event as a regular attendee with the hidden camera, they decided to call her out publically in their new game called “Spot the Reporter”.  However, before they got a chance to call her to the stage, she bolted (followed by several hundred angry attendees and registered reporters).

The word on the street is that by the time she had made it to the airport, the hackers back at DEF CON had all of her personal information pulled up on the conference projectors and website- including her social security number, address, and  flight information.  The lesson here is don’t mess with hackers.

As professionals in the accounting industry we all need to commit to keeping our systems as secure as possible.  You might be surprised to know the most effective thing you can do to minimize your risk related to hackers is to keep Windows up-to-date.  Each week there’s potential that Microsoft will release an update that addresses some sort of security flaw.  If your firm hasn’t adopted a set of tools and policies to ensure these updates are regularly completed, please don’t hesitate to give us a ring so we can point you in the right direction.

By the way, if you happen to want a more in-depth retelling of the reporter incident mentioned above, here’s a link to an article with some footage caught on tape.

I’m finding that in life and in business it seems that the issue with tacking new initiatives or getting things done isn’t ‘do I have the time?’.  The real question is ‘do I have the energy?’- the energy to start something new; the energy to take on a new project.

To my question.

What are you doing that is a waste of energy? Possibly write 3 things you engage in that are a waste of energy. Revisit them after tax season and see what you think then…

We are honored to serve you and proud to be the team that supports more accountants than any other technology company nationwide.  Thank you for your continued trust in Xcentric.