Intuit ties QuickBooks to Demandforce Marketing Software

By Chris Kanaracus, IDG News Service: Intuit has integrated the online marketing software gained through its $423.5 million acquisition of Demandforce with its QuickBooks accounting software, giving small businesses a way to make closer connections with customers.  Small companies lack the resources to "market their business, tell their story and keep up regular communications with customers," said Patrick Barry, chief marketing officer for Demandforce. Those tasks have become more complex with the rise of the Internet, social media and mobile devices, he said.  The QuickBooks integration allows Demandforce to load customer and transaction data from QuickBooks into its cloud-based service and use it to create marketing campaigns and other forms of customer outreach.

For instance, Demandforce could send "thank you" emails automatically to customers after QuickBooks completes a transaction. The system can also build campaigns based on QuickBooks data showing which customers came into a business, what they bought, and how much they spent.

Demandforce is known for integrating with many industry-specific back-end systems used by small businesses such as dentist offices, repair shops and spas. But the Quickbooks integration expands DemandForce's reach to potentially millions of additional prospective users who have more general business processes, he said.

Demandforce is now available for the QuickBooks Pro, Premier and Online editions. Pricing information for Demandforce wasn't available, with monthly subscription costs varying according to a customer's size, according to Barry.

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Intuit's acquisition of Demandforce may very well give small business owners the boost that they need to grow their businesses.  Small businesses generally struggle both financially and logistically with how to get the word out about their business.  Demandforce looks like it might be just what small business owners need.  Using information that is collected during the ordinary course of business via Quickbook, you can connect with your clients with specific marketing campaigns tailored to meet your specific needs.

The purchase by Intuit was executed earlier this year on April 27th.  While I'm excited about what this could mean for small business owners marketing to their hyperlocal markets, only time will tell on how things will work out as the two companies merge.