Craig Hanson CPA - August 2021

Craig Hanson CPA - August 2021

August 2021

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CraigHansonCPA.com • (701) 252-6190

How Craig the Biology Student Became Craig the Accountant What I Loved About School

I’ve been thinking about my journey to becoming a certified public accountant (CPA), and as kids head back into classrooms this back-to-school season, I can’t help but guffaw at how the student who was so invested in science and English became an accountant. I’ve always been outdoorsy. I was active with the Boy Scouts, and as you all know, I love to fish. I really enjoyed the lessons and ideals taught there, and I proudly became a leader while my sons were in the Boy Scouts, too. Recently, the Boy Scouts have come under fire for sexual harassment claims, and these failures by leadership have sadly tarnished the great lessons that scouting can offer. However, I’m still a proud scout and will continue to advocate for it.

important for everyday life! And I use this skill every day. Proper communication is vital in accounting and to help clients.

It’s not common to find someone drawn to both the sciences and arts, but that’s who I was (and, in some ways, still am). Yet, I found my way to accounting simply because I was good at it. I remember taking an accounting class in high school, and I happened to be one of the few students in class who understood the concepts. I would be so busy helping my classmates with their homework that I would completely forget to do my own work! It just came naturally to me. Where I had been intrigued by science and English, accounting felt like my fit. I contentedly decided to keep other subjects (such as how our natural world functions or the proper use of grammar) to my personal studies and curiosities. So, it only made sense that I would become an accountant — even if I do wish I were outside more! I’ve always been someone who enjoyed learning, and that’s probably a good thing. In accounting, you’re always learning. For starters, you have to maintain your CPA license so continuing education is part of the deal. But at the rapid rate in which tax laws are adapted and changed, you have to be a good learner, too. My clients rely on me to be the expert, so I have to study like one.

This back-to-school season, my hope is that students will engage in their education. It’s okay to be interested in science or math, while also enjoying English and art. Study for the sake of learning, and you will find that you learn more than you could have imagined.

So, given my affinity for nature, it was only natural that I would be fascinated by biology, chemistry, and other introspective, natural sciences. But I would be remiss if I didn’t mention my grade school biology teacher. He always had interesting stories and a thoughtful, easy way of describing these big concepts to explain life on Earth. I always paid attention in his class! I felt like an oddball, though, because in addition to enjoying biology, I also really enjoy English. It taught me why grammar is so important, and to this day, I get incredibly frustrated when I read something that doesn’t have proper grammar. It’s so

Good luck to all teachers, school staff, students, and parents!

—Craig Hanson

CraigHansonCPA.com

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Use These 3 Methods to Measure Your Results Advertising on Podcasts?

If you’re not already advertising on podcasts, you might want to add it to your list of marketing strategies. According to a 2019 survey from Edison Research and Triton Digital, more than half of all Americans have listened to at least one podcast. That’s over 167 million people your company could (and probably should) be targeting. But once you do advertise on a podcast, you’re faced with a different challenge: How do you measure your results? As it turns out, there are quite a few ways to track the bang you’re getting for your buck. Here are just three of them, ranked from the most effective to the least.

the podcasts you advertise on are options on the list. You can do this with an online survey or by incorporating it into your live sales process. According to Marketing Insider, 80%–90% of customers will complete this kind of survey, making it a pretty accurate tracking method. The biggest downside is that you won’t be able to track podcast-driven traffic that doesn’t convert to sales, which is possible with both pixel-based tracking and the next option we’ll dive into.

Promo Codes and Vanity URLs

Finally, you can drop a podcast-specific promo code or URL into your advertisement, then track how many clients visit your website or purchase using those options. One big perk of this method is that it’s shareable between customers: If one person finds you from a podcast and makes a referral, you'll be able to track their referral back to the podcast, too. Unfortunately, Marketing Insider

Pixel-Based Tracking

This method requires a true partnership between the podcast and its advertisers. To make it work, the podcast publisher has to install a pixel (a tiny digital tracking and information-gathering tool) through its hosting provider. Then, you have to install one

reports that only 2 in 3 listeners remember promo codes, and only 1 in 6 use vanity URLs when they’re provided. That means you might end up with podcast-driven customers who appear to have found you from somewhere else.

on your website. Together, the pixels will reveal the connection between podcast downloads and visits or conversions on your site. You get a lot of detailed

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