How Blogging Brings Business

How Blogging Brings Business

The internet is an amazing way to reach millions of people that you might not have been able to reach otherwise.

Through the internet, a person can read something that someone who is thousands of miles away wrote within seconds of posting online. Because of this, blogging is an essential part of businesses and marketing.

Blogs Can Create Stronger Connections between Business and Customers

Did you know that by 2020, customers will manage 85% of their business relationship without talking to a human? This means that your consumers are more likely to do research about your company before even contacting you.

A great way for them to learn about your company is through a blog. Consistent blogging allows consumers to learn about:

  • Culture of your company
  • Expertise you have in your industry
  • Solutions you have for the reader’s problems

A blog helps to establish a sense of trust between you and the reader, which is an important step toward the reader becoming your customer.

How Blogging Helps Our Business

Before Business Solutions Unlimited started blogging it was rare that we got inquires about our services from prospects out of town. Since we started blogging about six months ago, more people from other towns have contacted us about our services.

Consistent blogging on various topics about our industry has increased the amount of content on our website. And that has provided the search engines with more resources to provide to their customers – the searchers.

A Case Study of a Blog Post that Generated a Nice Lead

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The above image of a Google search result illustrates how writing about specific topics in your industry can have a positive and profitable impact on your business.

The topic, Employee Handbook, is one of our services that’s listed as a bullet on our Human Resources webpage.

As a bullet in a list of services, Google and other search engines probably wouldn’t give that profitable service the time of day as a search result.

However, as a blog post, Google identified the content as an authority resource on the topic and gave that post a healthy ranking for searchers. The result for us, a phone call from a company in Orlando looking for an expert to help update their employee handbook.

Not bad for a blog post that took 30 minutes to write.

The use of keywords within blogs can connect your business with individuals who might never have heard of your company or known what you do. Make your company stand out to individuals who are next door as well as thousands of miles away.

Now, start sharing your company’s personality and expertise by blogging! If you need assistance, give us a call. We’re always here to help.

Payroll doesn’t come in shades of Grey

Payroll doesn’t come in shades of Grey

Unlike many other areas of employment law, there is a very small amount of “grey” area when it comes to the laws of payroll. Simply put, as a payroll professional you must be aware of payroll mistakes that can get you in trouble. Even the most attentive payroll professionals can make mistakes sometimes or overlook payroll laws; it can be easy to carry on business as usual when you are unaware that you are actually violating the law. For instance, did you know that under Florida law if an employee resigns or if they are involuntarily terminated they only need to be paid on the next regular payday? Some illegal payroll activities include: misclassifying worker status to avoid paying employment taxes, paying an employee in cash in efforts to avoiding income and employee taxes, discrimination based on gender, sexual orientation, age and/or race, failure to pay for certain travel time, docking pay of salaried employees and inadequate record keeping.

As a payroll professional it is your responsibility to make sure you know the rules and laws of payroll for your company. You either do it right or you risk being caught with no real defenses and you had better be ready to pay to resolve a claim if one is finally raised because, that is not a fight your company is going to want be in. It can result in time and substantial funds lost. So brush up on what you shouldn’t be doing as a payroll professional and make sure you stay on top of any possible mistakes. We know it is hard to protect yourself against what you don’t know & that’s why we are here to help. We can process your payroll for you as we understand the laws governing payroll. We can also help you with any & all aspects of Human Resources. Contact us today for a free consultation.

Attn: HR – New Regulations

Attn: HR – New Regulations

Within the past few months the Obama administration has been issuing numerous regulatory actions that affect the workplace. As a company, it is vital to be aware of the new regulatory activities that are in place and to implement them into the human resources department. There are two developments that have just recently reached their effective dates and one that has an effective date coming up soon. The first development that individuals within the HR department should be aware of is the Federal contractor obligations on human trafficking. This new regulatory action was extended to an effective date of March 2, 2015 and works on strengthing the protection against human trafficking within federal contracting.  This rule requires contractors to prove that they have implemented a compliance plan and procedures to help identify and remove human trafficking from their organizations. This rule also prohibits contractors from charging recruitment fees. Another regulatory action that HR needs to be aware of is the FMLA has updated the definition of “spouse”. The Department of Labor has ruled that the definition of “spouse” under the Family and Medical Leave Act or FMLA to include same-sex marriage. This ruling became effective March 27, 2015. The final regulatory action that the HR department needs to be aware of is the immigration-related employment issues. This ruling extended employment authorization eligibility to H-4 dependent spouses of certain H-1B visa holders who are in the process of obtaining their green cards. This ruling will become effective May 26, 2015. Each of these regulatory actions contain necessary information and rules that companies will need to follow and therefore the HR department should be prepared on the rules of each of these regulations as well as future regulations.

Shop Local

Shop Local

Throughout the United States there are many different types of businesses. Some businesses are major corporations, some are small mom and pop shops, and then there are those that are in between. Small businesses are the back bone of the United States. When you decide to run to the store whether it is for groceries, to fix something, or anything else you might be in the need of more than likely to first think of running to a major store corporation but don’t shrug off those “mom and pop” small businesses just yet. Unfortunately, many times than not small businesses tend to be overlooked for all the wrong reasons. Many individuals believe that small business prices will automatically be higher than that of a corporate store, which is not necessarily true, plus they overlook the benefits of shopping at a small business such as customer care and community support. Making the decision to shop at small businesses instead of big corporations can be beneficial to not only yourself but also to your community.  In 2010, there were 27.9 million small businesses registered within the United States that creates many jobs available to those in our communities. In fact, 49.2% of our nation’s private sector workforce is employed by a small business. Small businesses not only help our economy and create jobs for people but also create relationships.  Within small businesses every person matters to that company, every person’s opinion of their company matters because they will go out and recommend that business to the next person. That is why within small businesses, the company is more willing to go above and beyond for the customer. If the corner store down the road is out of something they are going to be more willing to reach out to their vendors to help get that item for you as quickly as possible.  Need to make a return, but past the return date? The local small business owner might be more willing to bend the rules of the return policy for you. Our world has become a place where much of our life is impersonal. When you call customer service you speak to an automated recording, your pharmacist doesn’t know you let alone your mother, father, brother, sister, grandmother, and grandfather. Small businesses build relationships within their community; they take the time to get to know you and your family. They ask “how are you today?” and genuinely care because each and every person that walks into their business is a person to them not just another customer. So when you need to run out to grab a gallon of milk or fill a prescription, consider going to your local small business instead of the big corporation because what we put into them they give us 100% back.

Accounting for Sustainability

Accounting for Sustainability

Malcolm X once said “The future belongs to those who prepare for it today.” We must plan and prepare for the future that we want, not only for ourselves but for future generations that will follow in our footsteps.

Businesses are a major part of what makes our great nation thrive. To run those businesses one must have money to open and maintain the business. Without money there is no business and without businesses our great nation faces a potential downward spiral. Therefore to help ensure the success and the continued productivity within a business is an accounting department. Through accounting we are able to help ensure that businesses are here for the long haul. No one understood this more than HRH The Prince of Wales, who created a project titled Accounting for Sustainability. Through this project they aim to demonstrate and encourage change that results in sustainable business practices, develop practical tools to assist this change, and facilitate the environment to help further the change toward sustainable business practices. The mission statement for this project is “To catalyse action by the finance, accounting and investor community to support a fundamental shift towards resilient business models and a sustainable economy.”

Too often do we think of the short-term gains and losses of one’s business, instead of thinking of the future of the business and how it might affect our nation’s economic success. Through this project there are many opportunities that will help a company follow the path to ensuring their company’s a sustainable one. The Accounting for Sustainability offers a A4S CFO Leadership Network to ignite the change within the CFO and business community and the A4S Accounting Bodies Network which provides over two million accountants to help incorporate sustainability into accounting qualifications, standards and approaches.

The person who builds a strong foundation for their company shall maintain that sustainability that all business owners hope for.

To learn more about The Prince’s Accounting for Sustainability click here.