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Marketing to SMBs via Educational Resources
Many marketers offer educational resources to acquire and retain SMBs. But how well do they really work? We recently surveyed 270 SMBs on their perceptions of educational resources, and surveyed major marketers on their performance. We'll present the full results in a webcast at 1pm Eastern on Tuesday, July 22; here are the highlights.
- Educational content drives traffic. 45% of SMBs report using the Internet frequently or very often to find educational content.
- Articles still work best. 59% rated articles a useful or very useful format. Interactive tools such as quizzes and calculators were next at 37%. Web 2.0 formats – forums podcasts, webcasts and blogs – were well behind.
- SMBs look to you first. 54% of respondents visit vendor sites frequently or very often for educational information, compared to 37% for media sites, 33% for trade associations and 30% for government and non-profit sites.
- Content boosts your brand. 50% of respondents agree, or agree strongly, with the statement "I am more likely to think favorably of a vendor whose site has educational content." 46% are more likely to explore your site, 42% are more likely to visit your site, and 41% are more likely to buy from you if your site has educational content.
- Marketers want to be trusted advisors. Most marketers reported that as their chief objective in providing educational content (59% ranked it their #1 or #2 goal), followed by enhancing customer retention and loyalty (56%) and acquiring new customers (53%).
- ...and it's working. 74% of respondents rated educational resources effective or very effective at achieving their goal of becoming a trusted advisor. However 46% agreed educational content meets their retention and loyalty goals, and only 20% agreed that educational content has helped them meet their acquisition goals.
Which resource center do SMBs like best? What metrics do your peers use to
measure educational content? Register today for our July 22
webcast to
get the full results of both surveys, and learn best practices in implementing
online educational resources. |
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>> Visa Partners with Facebook
Visa has launched the Visa Business Network which lets entrepreneurs network, obtain expert advice and reach prospective customers on Facebook. Google is providing applications, and content will come from AllBusiness, Forbes.com and Microsoft. Visa is promoting the site with a multimedia marketing campaign, and will give a $100 advertising credit on Facebook to each of the first 20,000 small businesses that sign up.
>> Sprint Announces Loyalty Program
Sprint-Nextel announced the Business Premier loyalty program, which is built on Nextel's Premier club. SMBs receive discounts and awards based on their monthly billing. This program from the nation's third-largest carrier competes with AT&T Wireless' Exclusively Business program (which recently announced a winner of a NetJets sweepstakes), and seeks to retain customers tempted by increasingly aggressive competitive pricing and contracts.
>> VMware launches SMB site
Virtualization software provider VMware has introduced Optimize My IT to educate SMBs on virtualization's business benefits. The site includes videos (also available on YouTube) highlighting key applications, and links to resources for additional information.
>> On Deck Capital Raises $100M
On Deck Capital has secured $100 million to lend to small businesses that would not qualify for bank loans. On Deck Capital uses a proprietary model to assess a company's financial status based on business performance, as opposed to the business owner's personal credit record.
>> Dell Announces Small Business Award Winner
Dell and the NFIB awarded the winner of the Small Business Excellence Award at the NFIB's National Small Business Summit in Washington, D.C. The winner received $25,000 in Dell products and services, a lifetime membership to NFIB, and time with Dell Chairman and CEO Michael Dell. Dell also introduced the global Dell Small Business Excellence Award; winners from 12 countries will be announced in September.
>> Microsoft Hits the Million Mark
Microsoft announced the millionth subscriber to Microsoft Office Live Small Business, a site hosting and promotion service targeting businesses with fewer than 10 employees.
Send us your news.
>> Wells Fargo/Gallup Small Business Index: Small business owners tighten their purse strings.
>> AMI Partners: U.S. SMB IT & telecom spending is growing 3X faster than GDP.
>> NFIB: Inflation is the top concern of small business owners for the first time since 1981.
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We've moved!
To accommodate our growing team, we've moved into Harvard
Square. Next time you're in Cambridge, come say hi and check out our geothermally-heated, recycled-construction material building (this is Cambridge, after all). We'll spring for the frozen yogurt at one of our favorite small businesses, BerryLine.
Selling Smarter to SMBs
To educate its SMB-focused reseller partners on best practices in marketing to SMBs, BBI developed a monthly webcast series for a major network equipment vendor. We recommended topics, recruited speakers and developed the promotional materials, presentation and follow-up communications. The result? Better educated, and more loyal, resellers. Contact us to learn how we can help you equip your sales team to sell smart to SMBs.
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