Social Media Management Tools - week 14

 Many small business owners are strapped for time, and if just starting out, strapped for money. Running a small business means being on the go for many hours a day with very little time to monitor social media. This is where social media management tools come into play. They do most of the work for you and make accessing analytics easier.

Starting out as a very small accounting firm, social media will play an important role in advertising and connecting with potential clients. After researching the tools available, I would start with Buffer. It offers access to the social media platforms that I would use. They do offer a free option, but I like what the Essentials plan offers the best, and it is only $5 per month.

I like that you can customize posts for each channel. You have unlimited social channels (within Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest) and unlimited posts per channel. They make it easy to track your reach, engagement, following, and the growth of your reach. The analytics appear to be pretty extensive for monitoring key metrics. You can store and analyze data, analyze boosted posts, and compare boosted posts with organic results in order to optimize how much you spend on advertising.

Online Advertising Week 13 Part A

 I am sitting there scrolling through my social media feeds. Stupid ad! Another stupid ad! Wait, what is that? I stop and check out this ad.

You can order pajamas with images of your pet! I am a sucker for animals. I share this site with my friends with pets that I work with. The ad worked. It captured my attention and I spread it to others.

I find most ads irritating. I continue to scroll until I get fed up. When researching my social media I actually looked at what was marketed toward me. How do they know that I am menopausal? Oh, my date of birth on Facebook.

Most of the call to action is a link to their website where you can purchase the product. The companies that I do shop at I get daily emails and usually go directly to their website. It is the unusual on social media that I wouldn't normally search out that captures my attention. But I question the trustworthiness of websites that I do not know. If I think that I might want to purchase something, it warrants more research and reviews.

So how does digital marketing compare to traditional marketing? Digital marketing is good for all ages of prospective clients. Traditional is geared more toward Baby Boomers and Gen X.

Traditional marketing focus is on the service or product. It relies on business cards, TV and radio ads, flyers and brochures, billboards and signage, and direct mail. Traditional marketing is more for professionals, like lawyers and dentists. It is more expensive and difficult to measure the results. Images however, leave more of a lasting impact in potential clients minds.

Digital marketing is oriented toward the customer. It is customizable and a way to address the customers unique wants and needs. It puts the customers satisfaction first. Digital marketing entails email, internet ads, YouTube, E-commerce, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. This is the most cost effective method and much easier to determine reach and results.

So what method is better?  The truth is, you can reach a wider market using both methods. The most important is to create a customer centered website that contains valuable content and share that information on social media as well. If your target audience is younger, focus more on digital content. If you have a professional business, the more traditional method is beneficial because clients generally search based on the location. A business, whether professional or product, should use both methods for the best effect on marketing strategy.

Classmates Use of Business Specific Tools Week 12 Part B

 Reviewing my classmates posts is a very interesting experience. Only one person from my group had a post to view so I ventured out to other classmates blogs.

Everyone is so different. What works for one business does not always carry over to another.

Andrew Estelle made an interesting point that with enough imagination any business owner can utilize business specific online tools. I must admit, I am not very imaginative and I really don't think imagination and accounting go hand in hand.

LinkedIn seemed to carry over to all of the blogs that I viewed. Networking and connections were the main reasoning, but also access to helpful information.

Nancy Williams brought to my attention FreeConferencCall.com. I really like the fact that she mentioned that she has not had any connection issues. I also appreciate that it is free and callers get a 1-800 number to call along with a code to connect.

I think that these classmates did a good job finding specific tools for their businesses. Everyone seemed to be dialed in to what would work for them. From LinkedIn to Google for Business to Vimeo and Spotify. It was interesting to discover what else is out there, but I wouldn't use for my business. I do think that everyone could utilize Google My Business. You don't have to have a storefront to use this tool. All you need is to state your region/area and what you do. It would be beneficial to drive traffic to their websites. LinkedIn looks like it is the common denominator.

Blogs I commented on:

Jinx Hu - Atlanta Cafe

Nancy Williams - Illustrations & Floral Prints

Regina Tompkins - Regina Tompkins Voice Overs

Andrew Estelle - Weed em & Reap

Using Business Specific Online Tools -- Week 12 Part A

 Covid-19 forced many businesses to adapt to working remotely from home. Many accounting firms were already working with cloud-based systems to collaborate with clients. Cloud accounting provides mobile access anytime, is cost and time effective, and makes collaboration easy.

My accounting firm will be only my husband and myself to start. We plan to utilize QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop, Xero, Netsuite, and Sage to manage our clients' accounts.  These tools will provide real-time data to process each client's financial information. Communication would be via video chat, most likely zoom, phone, and email.

An effective platform to connect with potential clients is LinkedIn. This is a place to showcase your knowledge and provide value to potential clients. It is important to first establish a professional profile using words that your ideal client would use to search for services. The story is a way to establish your expertise and build a relationship. It is a way to talk to ideal clients about problems they face and how you can solve them.

Aside from your professional profile, it is helpful to build a business network with lawyers, bookkeepers, financial advisors, and consultants. These networks can help provide referrals for future clients. The business can also connect with other businesses with similar audiences. 

With LinkedIn the business can post questions or educational content, furthering your expertise. Articles can be written or shared to establish credibility.

I would also utilize Google My Business and Google Maps to increase the firm's reach within the community and surrounding communities. Having a complete profile and identified area would increase results when someone searches for accounting or bookkeeping services.

I am unsure whether I would use MEET UP groups. Although it would connect me with other accountants or bookkeepers, I am unsure of the benefit. I would rely on QuickBooks Advisor, where I could offer assistance with accounting questions and LinkedIn.

In conclusion, the collaboration tools I would use with clients would be cloud-based accounting tools, Zoom, phone, and email. I would utilize LinkedIn for professional relationships and potential clients, as well as QuickBook Advisors.

Blog Comments Week 11 Part B

 My classmates have very interesting takes on marketing with other social media. I am new to the social media world and I enjoy reading their opinion on social media and how they would use it. Depending on the business, my views seem to align with theirs. 

I find it interesting that as a writer or an artist, they are less likely to use Google for business. I did some research and it is doable and would make their business more visible. I feel that it is important to use all marketing venues possible, especially when the business is new. It is a game of trial and error to see whether it works or not. Although some platforms would definitely not work for some businesses.

I know that for my business I would not use an influencer, but I enjoyed reading my classmates' breakdown of influencers. It would be important to find the right fit for the brand.

One key takeaway is to make a strategy that you can maintain. Some platforms demand a lot more time to keep up on, let alone posting.

Everyone seemed to have formulated the best outlets for their business and learned something new. If I felt they dismissed something that might or might not work I left a comment. 

Blogs that I commented on:

Laura Dominguez, Jinx Hu, Nancy Williams, and Drew Estelle

Marketing with Twitter, LinkedIn, and More -- Week 11 Part A

 There are many options for marketing on social media. Some businesses do better on some than others, but all have value. This week I will discuss Twitter, LinkedIn, Google for Business, and using social influencers.

The business that I want to start is my own CPA firm. I believe that the mediums best suited for my firm would be Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google for Business. I just do not see social influencers adding to the professionalism of a CPA firm

The first thing to do is set up a profile on Google for Business. This is a free business online listing that will show up when people in my local area do a search. Most people begin a search for a service by Googling it. It is basically the yellow pages from days gone by! To make sure that I have a higher ranking in a Google search it is important to have a complete and accurate listing. Plus, the higher my ranking, the more likely I will be on the first page of the search. Many people won't go past the first page! By providing all of the relevant information I can enhance my brand awareness and recognition, be easy to find, and grow my client base.

LinkedIn is a professional network that connects businesses with other businesses. It is a good way to strengthen my professional relationships and networking abilities. The professional profile will improve my business's visibility on search engines. A complete profile can help the business connect with opportunities by showcasing my skills, experience, qualifications, and education. LinkedIn is an excellent way to target specific individuals or businesses based on profession or business size.

At first, I did not think that Twitter would be a good option for a CPA firm. But upon further research, I realized that Twitter is an invaluable tool to grow my brand and reach people. It offers free publicity and networking possibilities.

 The key is to be succinct in the tweets. The tweets should have value, like helpful tips, observations, and useful links. It is an excellent way to demonstrate my expertise. It is microblogging that has immediate reach. It is a way to educate my followers, promote services, or tweet a new article that I published. Tweets are an easy way to redirect traffic to my company website or blog and build my relationship with followers. 

By experimenting with the timing of my tweets, I can see when my followers are engaging with my content. The lifespan of tweets is short so tweeting multiple times throughout the day increases audience engagement. Being more active in conversations increases visibility and will help me gain credibility. I can also share tweets from other accounting firms to provide information and another way to follow my Twitter feed.

LinkedIn and Twitter are perfect ways to provide relevant content that will keep my followers engaged and educated on trending topics. They also provide a way to find and connect with others in the industry. I do not expect a lot of followers right away, it takes time, but these platforms will help to establish my brand and visibility.