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Increasing SMB Acquisition
Many SMB marketers ask us about the best way to acquire SMB customers. There's no easy answer to this question, because the ideal marketing mix for your company depends on your product set, price point, distribution channels and target audience. That said, there are some basic steps you can take to maximize acquisition effectiveness:
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Research. What
do you know about your customers? What is your ideal
customer's company size, industry, age, buyer title,
rate or stage of growth, location, type of ownership,
attitude towards the Internet/technology? What
media do they consume, and where do they go online?
Without this information, your campaigns are shots
in the dark. You can build a profile of your highest-potential
prospects by modeling your best customers, whether
through database analysis or customer surveys.
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2. |
Lists. A
direct mail industry rule of thumb is that 40% of
a program response rate depends on your list. Ask
your broker how the names are acquired, what selects
are available, how often the list is updated and
who else has used the lists recently (with what
kinds of offers) and what results they have had. |
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Offer. Make
the best offer you can afford to generate the greatest
number of responses. Keep the offer simple; requiring
the respondent to choose between offers will reduce
your response rate. Since busy SMBs are often resistant
to changing their systems – for example payroll
provider, checking account or Web hosting plan – reduce
perceived risk through testimonials, case studies
and interactive tools that demonstrate savings. |
We'll continue on this topic in the February issue.
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>> Savings Program Partners for MasterCard,
American Express
 Microsoft
and Monster have joined MasterCard's Easy
Savings program. Cardholders receive a 3% discount for services
purchased through Microsoft adCenter, and a 5% discount on recruitment services
from Monster. OPEN
Savings from American Express, meanwhile, has partnered with
Yahoo! Small Business. OPEN cardmembers receive a 5% discount on Yahoo! search
marketing and other services.
>> Dell Goes Global with Award Program
 Dell has expanded its Small
Business Excellence Award from the U.S. to worldwide. Offered in partnership with the NFIB, winners will be chosen on a global basis in conjunction with two international entrepreneurship groups – the International Council for Small Business and Endeavor. The program is designed to award small business technology innovation, and the winner receives up to $50,000 in Dell solutions.
>> New Small Business Credit Cards
 Several
financial services providers have introduced new small business credit cards. Chase
is offering the Office
Depot Worklife Rewards Visa card, branded with the office product retailer's
loyalty program. This card provides 5% back on all Office Depot purchases, and
1% back on other purchases. TD Banknorth, meanwhile, introduced its Simply
Flexible Business Visa card, which gives customers a more competitive APR
when they pay 10% or more of their monthly balance.
>> IBM Restructuring Targets SMBs
 IBM
is restructuring its hardware division around customer types instead of individual
products. According to published reports, the move was made to improve
product design for, and sales to, small
and medium businesses. IBM CEO Sam Palmisano has said that SMB could become
its single largest customer segment, surpassing the financial services industry.
>> D&B Sponsoring SBA Credit Management Training
 The
U.S. Small Business Administration and Dun & Bradstreet have formed a partnership
to create training resources to help small businesses manage their business credit. The
training resources, available on the SBA
website, include an online webinar, CD-ROMs, informational brochures and other resources on establishing and protecting business credit.
Send us your news.
>> AllBusiness SMB State of the Union: 74% of SMB principals list search engines as their top source for business information to help them run their company.
>> Staples National Small Business Survey: More than half of small business professionals say they actually dream about work.
>> SBA Office of Advocacy: Small businesses continue to lead growth in the U.S. economy.
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Vertical Market Knowledge
To improve the sales success of its SMB-focused channel
partners, a major software supplier sought to improve their
knowledge of key verticals. BBI created a series of "hot
sheets" that provide an easy-to-understand overview
of each industry. The sheets define the industry, review key trends and provide a comprehensive list of resources. Contact
us to discuss how BBI can support the sales
efforts of your SMB-focused reseller partners.
Subscribe a Colleague
If you have marketing colleagues who don't get The Bredin Report, subscribe them today. They'll be glad you did.
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BBI helps Fortune 500 and emerging companies achieve their
SMB marketing goals through research, strategy
and communications. Contact us to learn how we
can help you. |
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