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Among many relationships your marketing spend needs to be viable enough to return a justifiable accountable profit. By keeping a close eye of the two, can help you stay on track.

SEO is just as important for accountants and bookkeepers as it is for businesses in other industries. If you are providing bookkeeping and accounting services in local areas, SEO can help you target and attract local clients and increase your brand awareness. Research by Backlino shows that the first organic search result on Google has an average click-through rate of 31.7% and is 10 times more likely to get a click than the result in 10th place. The high-ranking sites are there for a reason, i.e. Google has established that these sites are authoritative, credible and deserving of ranking at the top. Moreover, if you rank higher than your competitors, you’re in much better stead to win clients.

Some SEO tips for bookkeepers and accountants include:

• Create a blog to demonstrate thought leadership in your field. Creating high-quality and share-worthy content may also help you build backlinks to your site.

• Create social media accounts for your business and share your blogs.

• Conduct keyword research to identify the key bookkeeping/accounting terms and queries your target audience is searching for. This will help you inform and structure your website content.

• Create a Google My Business (GMB) page, ensuring all key information is completed correctly.
• Ask clients to leave reviews on your GMB page. 

It’s definitely worth setting aside a few hours each week to invest in optimising your website SEO. If you have the budget, you can also consider outsourcing to an SEO agency.

I think it is important to look further than the headlines. China's economy is changing, but not necessarily as a manufacturer.

Stats. I have seen usually show that manufacturing goes through cycles of surges and declines depending on a whole range of things like seasonal aspects as well as the state of the world economy. Amongst those surges when times are good China generally rallies faster and when times are bad China generally slows off slower.

What may be in place is that more labour intensive industries such as those in textiles are moving away due to higher wages, whereas China is aiming for more advanced manufacturing.

I reckon China will still be THE worlds manufacturer for a long while yet.

Running a business comes with a lot of expenses, but the good news is that many of these expenses are tax deductible (including bookkeeping which is part of the tax-related operating expenses category). These expenses are sometimes referred to as revenue or working expenses. Examples of bookkeeping expenses you may be able to claim include fees/costs relating to:

• Bookkeeping services to prepare your business records

• BAS and income tax return preparation and lodgement 

• Assessment appeals

• ATO audits (e.g. preparing your documents and representation on your behalf)

• Professional tax advice 

You can claim most expenses related to running your business if:

• The expenses were incurred in the corresponding financial year

•  They are directly linked to running your business

• The expense was for your business, and not for personal or private use (for any expenses that were for both business and personal use, you can only claim the part used for business purposes)

• You have records to evidence the expense (e.g. receipts, invoices, etc).

Of course, it’s always recommended to consult with a registered accountant or tax agent to get clarity on what you can and can’t claim in your income tax return. Many expenses are overlooked by business owners and they end up missing out.

You can get more info on tax deductible expenses on the ATO's website: https://www.ato.gov.au/Business/Income-and-deductions-for-business/Deductions/Deductions-for-operating-expenses/

Hi Kellie,

To add a bit more context, can you expand on what you mean by "blind recruitment", and specifically why you're thinking of adopting this strategy for your business?

I know for certain businesses or positions e.g. modelling agencies, hiding some or all of the candidate's details doesn't make sense.. but for others, there may be merits in doing so, I guess it just depends on your business and what you're trying to achieve.

Hi Lisa,

I appreciate your time, efforts and I value your advice.

Thank you so much.

Hi there,

Like John mentioned, it really does depend on your business.

Themes like Valentines Day are predominantly suited to businesses that directly relate to gifts and activities a consumer would purchase or be involved in specifically for Valentines Day. Examples of business who would benefit by engaging in marketing activities based around a Valentines day theme would be:

-Florists

-Chocolatier/sweets company

-Overnight stay venue

-Restaurants

-Jewellery stores

For marketing to be successful you will need to have a specific goal.

If I had a florist, I would advertise my business widely and make my business top of mind for when Valentine's Day approaches.

How? Again, depends on your business and your market. Think of ways to stand out and don't get lost in all of the advertising clutter.

Feel free to reach out for specific help!

Not a podcast, but he has great, short videos on YouTube - search Brian Dean.