Week 2 Part B - Business Research

LOCAL

 

1. OceansideBookkeeper.com
2. http://www.oceansidebookkeeper.com/
3. Oceanside Bookkeeper provides financial services to small businesses in Oceanside, California with payroll, bookkeeping, accounting, personal and business taxes. 
4. It would appear that this particular bookkeeping company is only actively using one social media platform. After carefully searching (Instagram, Facebook, Linkedin, Youtube) I found a Youtube video that referenced a phone number to the website account “OceansideBookkeeper.com.” There is only one video, made 8 years ago, has 47 views, and no subscribers to the Youtube Channel. This is not linked to the website, nor is any other social media platform. 
5. The video does not do much for this business. It certainly follows a stereotypical trajectory of what people perceive accountants and bookkeepers to be: dry and dull. Bad lighting, unengaging, and I immediately loose interest. You at least gain his credentials and experience, but there is no branding and no reason for me to choose this company over others. 
   
   
   

1.  Mother Lode Bookkeeping, Encinitas CA 
2. https://www.mlbinc.com/
3. Mother Lode Bookkeeping is a small bookkeeping firm that provides financial services to individuals and small businesses. Because of its small size, they pride themselves on providing personalized and quality services that larger firms are unable to. They serve the Encinitas Community and the county of San Diego. 
4. I chose this business because I have passed their office several times in Encinitas on my walks. I love the branding and colors. The office is in a spectacular area of Encinitas, one block from the ocean and just off the 101. Upon arriving to the website, I immediately notice some overlapping of text and potentially bad web development. The layout is noticeably different from my last view a few months ago. If they can fix this, they have a great landing page that features downtown Encinitas. I located a Facebook page, an Instagram page #motherlodebookkeeping, no Youtube channels/videos, and a Linkedin profile. 
5. Well, as much as I love this business, they are not very active on social media platforms. The Facebook page it owns has no pictures, no followers (except me now), and appears to not be actively managed. The Instagram page is marginally better, but has no posts and no followers. It at least has a profile image of a business card, which at least visually identifies it. The Linkedin Profile appears to be the only platform that is somewhat managed. It lists 6 staff members and a one sentence bio that describes their services. No other platforms appeared in my search. I believe that the location and the service creditability it has acquired with its community of clients, has created the illusion to abandon the use of social media. However, I feel that the opportunity to grow and reach new clients is attainable through social media. 

LARGE U.S. COMPANY 

1. Intuit/QuickBooks Online Bookkeeping 
2. https://quickbooks.intuit.com/oa/live/?cid=ppc_G_e_US_.QBL_US_GGL_Brand_Bookkeeping_Exact_Search_Desktop._intuit%20bookkeeping_txt&gclid=Cj0KCQjwm9yJBhDTARIsABKIcGb1fVhx0qVe9Jb3U0sHSRyjnWXAzkfN_OtJ0lW_CS-xD1cqgeYdAbwaAoa4EALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
3. QuickBooks/Intuit is a full-service bookkeeping service that provides expert bookkeeping services, auditing, financial reporting, and customer service whenever you need them. 
4. QuickBooks Online/Intuit is the largest provider of bookkeeping services in the world, and uses the most recognizable accounting software used in the accounting industry to service it’s clients. It offers bookkeeping services, payroll, and tax preparation services to individuals and small companies, and services large companies as well. It is a Fortune 500 Company and seems to be on every social media platform. 
5. Arriving at the Intuit QuickBooks Facebook page, I notice a sleek and clean layout that is selective on what brand QuickBooks Intuit represents, and who they are marketing to : Small Businesses. “Backing Your Success” is the message you immediately see on the Facebook layout, and posts include video content and images supporting how they support small business needs with their products. They even champion the Intuit Learning Experience with webinars and tutorials, endorsed by celebrities like Pit Bull, on how to grow your business with QuickBooks/intuit products. Their Instagram is sleeker, using only video content and driven by a theme of tutorials and tips to grow a small business. The videos engage followers and get them to click links to continue learning about the video content. They are easy and colorful to digest. The Youtube page of QuickBooks Intuit displays the same message from it’s Facebook page, and offers a multitude of product videos, tutorials, and small business support tips. The theme is universal on all of it’s platforms: Small Business Support. A quick search revealed Twiter, TikTok, and Linkedin accounts with the exact same content. They brand and advertise repetitively and strategically.

    I discovered many things in my search for this assignment. I was able to see a bookkeeping business at various sizes and customer reach levels. I also learned how these three different businesses have implemented social media platforms to promote and engage existing and new clients.  On the smaller-end, I saw Oceanside Bookkeeping, a self-employed bookkeeper who forgoes the use of social media, other than an ill-made video introduction made 8 years ago, and who has potentially limited his marketability and growth potential by not reaching customers outside his geographical location. The company name itself may be too geocentric. Next, Mother Lode Bookkeeping, a brand I look up to, has started to make a social media presence, but finishes there. These potential branding and marketing tools are missing images, content, and effort to show how unique and special they truly are. Again, their growth potential is marginalized by the Encinitas community, but they have the branding and expertise to grow substantially larger. Then there is QuickBooks/Intuit. They are a beast and certainly capitalize on their market potential with clean, strategic, and to-the-point service for small businesses on all social media arenas. The video content and posts are action driven and designed to get viewers (small business owners) to act by purchasing QuickBooks/Intuit products and Bookkeeping Services. They actively post and manage their social media accounts, engage the small business viewer, and show they are listening to business prospects by offering value with their tips and resources for the business community.  I discovered that I don’t necessarily need to be active like QuickBooks to engage existing and new clients. I just need to be thoughtful and a good listener to what prospects are looking for from me and competitors within my industry. They want value and support. I don’t need to run national campaigns. Instead, I could target small demographics within my area of business, and design content aimed at providing value and solutions with my services and products.