Webcast recording: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/recording/3477333486879196418 What applications do SMBs plan to acquire in 2022? How do they research technology solutions? Which media and influencers do they rely on? What messaging resonates most strongly? Which content formats do they prefer from vendors like you? Who conducts the research? And what is their business outlook, and the ongoing impact of the pandemic? You’ll learn: ● SMB operational status and business outlook ● Technology purchase intent ● The information sources SMBs use to research products and services for their business ● The specific influencers, sites and publications that SMBs use to assess products and services for their business ● The benefits of new hardware or applications that are most important to SMBs ● The content formats that SMBs prefer from vendors like you at the consideration stage of the sales cycle ● Which role conducts product research for different tech product categories ● How SMBs want to work with a salesperson as they investigate new products for their business ● The effect of the pandemic on supplies, pricing, hiring and RTO ● What SMBs prefer to be called, for messaging ● How SMBs define their overall business goals You’ll get terrific insights that you can put to work in your 2022 SMB marketing plans.

1. January 27, 2022
How SMBs Research Applications and
Other Tech

2. INCREASING SALES TO SMBS
2

3. INSIGHT
• Qualitative
• Focus groups
• Workshops
• In-depth interviews
• Quantitative
• Custom online
• SMB Pulse omnibus
• Snap Poll
• Attitudes and usage
• Buyer identification
• Competitive perceptions
• Market segmentation
• Media behaviors/
preferences
• Message/positioning
testing
• Net promoter score
• Persona/buyer journey
• Purchase intent,
behaviors, channels and
preferences
Analytics Output
• Crosstab tables
• Correlation analysis
• Sig testing
• Segmentation
• Pricing
• Path analysis
• Factor/cluster analysis
• Perceptual mapping
Insight for CE/product/
marketing strategy
Data for PR/content/social/
collateral programs
Topics Methods

4. OUTREACH
Video
Email
Newsletters
Checklists/
Worksheets
Case Studies
Articles Blog Posts
White Papers
Podcasts
E-books
PR Surveys
Social Media
Handbooks/
Guides
Webcasts
Slideshows
Infographics
Interactive
Tools
• Survey data
• Creative brief
• Editorial calendar
• Content development
• Content audit
• Analytics
Contribution
• Expert
• Actionable
• Relevant
• Easy to understand
• Professional
• Brand-building
• Custom
Principles
Direct Mail
Event
Collateral
Brochures /
Sell Sheets
Custom Pubs
4

5. WHAT WE’LL COVER
Operational status
Media preferences
1
2
3
Application adoption intent
Content preferences
Roles in research process
4
5
6
Messaging
Application purchase intent, and preferred tech solution media and messaging, among 500 U.S.
SMB principals
5

6. METHODOLOGY
6
Online survey via the Bredin.com/SMBPulse
Principals of U.S. SMBs with up to 500 employees
WHEN
HOW
WHO
% Indicates highest % in a column
(A) / (B) / (C) Indicates statistically significant difference between segments
The SMB Pulse is open to marketer participation.
October 22 to November 10, 2021
Sample Size Weighting
1-19 EEs
Very Small Businesses or VSBs
250 97.7%
20-99 EEs
Small Businesses or SBs
150 2.0%
100-500 EEs
Midsized Businesses or MBs
100 0.3%
Some charts in this deck do not total to 100% due to rounding.

7. SAMPLE FIRMOGRAPHICS
Company Age
Title/Role Company Size
21%
21%
8%
30%
13%
7%
2-9
9%
45%
27%
19%
Less than 2 years
2-9 years
10-19 years
20 years or more
250-500
20-99
10-19
1 (just me)
100-249
7 500n
100%
Principal
(e.g., Owner, Founder,
Partner, CEO, President)
25%
20%
17%
21%
12%
5%
Less than $100K
$100K to $499K
$500K to $999K
$1M to $4.9M
$5M to $10M
More than $10M
Company Revenue
Small
Businesses
Midsized
Businesses
Very Small
Businesses

8. SAMPLE FIRMOGRAPHICS
8
West
22%
South
39%
Midwest
20% Northeast
19%
Geography
42%
44%
14%
Population Density
Urban
Suburban
Rural
25%
27%
35%
13%
Manufacturing
Construction/ Contracting/Electrical/
Landscape/Plumbing/etc.
18%
Manufacturing 5%
Transportation and Warehousing 3%
Automotive 3%
Agriculture/Forestry/Fishing/Mining 2%
Computer Hardware/Electronic
Equipment
2%
Telecommunications 2%
Energy/Utilities 1%
Pharmaceutical/Medical
Devices/Biotechnology
1%
Personal Services/Ed
Personal Services 9%
Education/Training 4%
Industry
Professional Services
Financial Services/Accounting/
Bookkeeping
4%
Computer Software/Internet 4%
Medical/Dental 4%
Advertising/Consulting/Design/
Marketing Services
3%
Banking/Insurance/Mortgage 3%
Computer Services/Consulting 3%
Legal 2%
Architect/Engineering 1%
Publishing/Printing/Media 1%
Retail/Wholesale
Retail 12%
Real Estate 5%
Food/Beverage/Restaurants 3%
Entertainment/Recreation 2%
Wholesale 2%
Travel/Hotel/Hospitality 1%
500n

9. 16%
9%
17%
38%
16%
4%
High school or lower grade
Trade/technical/vocational training
Associate degree
Bachelor’s degree
Master’s or professional degree
Doctorate
75%
12%
8%
2%
2%
2%
White/Caucasian
Black or African American
Hispanic American
Asian American/Pacific Islander
American Indian or Alaskan Native
Multiple ethnicity/other
SAMPLE DEMOGRAPHICS
9
37%
33%
30% Democrat
Republican
Independent
Education Level
Political Affiliation
Race/Ethnicity
2%
31%
41%
23%
2%
Gen Z
(18 to 22)
Millennial
(23 to 38)
Gen X
(39 to 54)
Boomer
(55 to 73)
Silent Gen.
(74+)
Respondent Age
n=500
57%
Male
43%
Female
Gender

10. DETAILED FINDINGS

11. OPERATIONAL STATUS AND OUTLOOK
• Four in five SMBs are back to being fully operational
• Business optimism increases with company size
11
• Which best describes your current company situation, in light of COVID-19?
• How do you expect your 2021 revenue to compare to 2020?
78%
77%
84%
19%
20%
15%
4%
3%
1%
VSBs (A)
SBs (B)
MBs (C)
Open for business; fully operational Open for business on a limited basis Closed, but plan to reopen
Operational
Status
Growth
Outlook
5%
9%
13% (A)
42%
53% (A)
61% (A)
19%
23% (C)
13%
21% (BC)
11%
7%
13% (B)
5%
6%
VSBs (A)
SBs (B)
MBs (C)
Up by more than 100% Up by 10% to 100% Up by less than 10% Same as 2020 Down compared to 2020

12. 2022 APPLICATION UPGRADE INTENT BY COMPANY SIZE
12 n=varies
IF USE When are you most likely to upgrade these applications/software, services or technologies? (IN 2022)
• Overall, VSBs are most likely to upgrade design, customer service and marketing/e-commerce software in 2022
• SBs are most likely to upgrade collaboration, customer service and marketing/e-commerce software
• For MBs, it is design, customer service and videoconferencing applications
38%
42%
31%
32%
42%
33%
25%
29%
34%
33%
35%
35%
24%
24%
48%
42%
41%
45%
48%
51%
35%
42%
31%
35%
47%
46%
31%
31%
46%
71%
44%
43%
64%
48%
53%
50%
42%
42%
36%
50%
43%
41%
November VSBs (A) SBs (B) MBs (C)
Marketing/e-commerce applications
Design/illustration software AB
IT/data security solutions
PCs/laptops/desktop computers A
Customer service software A
Collaboration software
Videoconferencing software A
Merchant processing
Payroll/PEO/HCM/workforce scheduling app/srvcs
Document creation and management
Accounting/financial management software
CRM/salesforce automation software
Internet access A
Telecoms/VoIP service
1
3
1
1
2
2
1
3
2

13. 2022 APPLICATION ADOPTION INTENT BY COMPANY SIZE
13 n=varies
IF DON’T USE When are you most likely to adopt these applications, services or technologies? (IN 2022)
• PCs/laptops/desktops are a top-three purchase for SMBs in 2022, regardless of size
• VSBs and SBs also mention adopting financial management software; MBs mention CRM and payroll solutions
33%
17%
22%
26%
19%
26%
20%
18%
15%
18%
16%
17%
17%
15%
39%
45%
39%
36%
36%
39%
29%
34%
31%
36%
31%
35%
31%
35%
51%
37%
38%
42%
39%
33%
47%
33%
41%
39%
57%
40%
47%
52%
November VSBs (A) SBs (B) MBs (C)
PCs/laptops/desktop computers A
Internet access A A
Marketing/e-commerce applications A A
Document creation and management A
Videoconferencing software (350n) A A
Accounting/financial management software
Merchant processing AB
IT/data security solutions A A
Telecoms/VoIP service A A
Collaboration software A A
CRM/salesforce automation software A AB
Customer service software A A
Design/illustration software A AB
Payroll/PEO/HCM/workforce scheduling apps/srvcs A A
2
1
2
1
2
1
3
2
2
2

14. POLL
14
14
How are SMBs most likely to conduct research on products or services for their business?
O A vendor’s website
O Facebook
O Rating/review sites
O Search
O Word of mouth

15. RESEARCH MEDIA
15
15
55% 55%
34%
30% 30%
25% 25% 24% 24% 23% 22% 22% 20% 20%
65%
(A)
54%
41% 40%
42%
(A)
42%
(A)
46%
(A) 37%
(A)
37%
(A)
39%
(A)
45%
(A) 36%
(A) 29%
(A)
37%
(A)
64%
61%
59%
(AB)
54%
43%
(A)
47%
(A)
57%
(A) 49%
(A) 45%
(A)
50%
(A)
59%
(AB)
58%
(AB)
48%
(AB)
55%
(AB)
Search (e.g., Bing,
Google, Yahoo!)
Word of mouth /
peer
recommendations
Facebook YouTube Product section of
vendor’s website
Resources section
of a vendor’s
website
Business or
general news sites
Forums or
discussion boards
Print publications
(magazines,
newspapers)
Niche sites, e.g.,
industry trade
groups, etc.
LinkedIn Live events or
trade shows
Postcard, letter or
catalog from
vendors
Webinars/webcasts
VSBs (A) 1-19 250n SBs (B) 20-99 150n MBs 100-500 (C) 100n
1
1 3
2
1 3
2
1 3
19% 19% 18% 18% 18% 16% 16% 15% 14% 14% 11% 8%
38%
(A) 32%
(A)
41%
(A)
39%
(A)
29%
(A)
23%
31%
(A)
31%
(A)
28%
(A)
31%
(A)
32%
(A) 23%
(A)
50%
(A)
48%
(AB)
52%
(A)
51%
(A)
48%
(AB) 40%
(AB)
54%
(AB) 47%
(AB)
35%
(A)
50%
(AB)
40%
(A) 34%
(AB)
Email newsletters Instagram Ratings or review sit Tech websites like
CNET, etc.
Bloggers/influencers/
independent experts
TikTok Twitter Radio or TV Pinterest One-off (i.e.,
promotional) emails
Outdoor billboards or
signage
Clubhouse (the audio-
only app)
% VERY LIKELY
• When researching solutions for their businesses, SMBs are most likely to use search, regardless of size
• After that, they are most likely to use word of mouth
• Media usage generally increases with company size
How likely are you to use each of these specific information sources to research and/or assess products or services
for your business? Please select one response in each row.
Clubhouse
(the audio-only app)
Outdoor billboards
or signage

16. AWARENESS VS. RESEARCH MEDIA
• SMBs are most likely to use search to first learn about as well as to research products and services for their business
• They use every medium more heavily for research than awareness – especially the vendor’s website
16
16
33%
19% 17% 15% 15% 14% 13% 13% 12% 12% 11% 10% 10% 10%
55%
30%
25%
34%
23% 24%
20%
23%
20%
30%
24%
19% 19%
14%
Search (e.g., Bing,
Google, Yahoo!)
YouTube Business or
general news sites
Facebook LinkedIn Print publications
(magazines,
newspapers)
Email newsletters Live events or
trade shows
Webinars/webcasts Product section of
vendor’s website
Niche sites, e.g.,
industry trade
groups, Chambers
of Commerce, etc.
Tech websites like
CNET, Spiceworks,
etc.
Ratings or review
site (e.g.,
G2Crowd, Software
Advice)
One-off (i.e.,
promotional) emails
First Learn Research and/or Assess
1
1 2 2
3 3
How likely are you to use each of these specific information sources to FIRST LEARN ABOUT/RESEARCH AND/OR
ASSESS products or services for your business? Please select one response in each row.
10% 9% 9% 9% 9% 8% 8% 6% 5% 5% 4%
15%
26%
21%
24%
18%
16%
14%
20%
11%
9%
17%
Radio or TV Resources section of a
vendor’s website
Postcard or catalog in
the mail from vendors
Forums or discussion
boards
Bloggers/influencers/
columnists
Twitter Pinterest Instagram Outdoor billboards or
signage
Clubhouse (the audio-
only app)
TikTok
3
% VERY LIKELY

17. INFLUENCERS
• SMBs follow a wide range of influencers
• Dave Ramsay, Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg and Gary Vaynerchuk are top of mind
17
17
Which specific authors, bloggers, columnists, experts, podcasters, Twitter personalities, video bloggers etc. do you
follow for business tips, advice and perspective, and/or to research or assess products and services for your
business?

18. MEDIA
• As with influencers, SMBs rely on a wide range of media
• Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg and C|NET are top-of-mind SMB media
18
18
What specific publications, newsletters, sites or blogs do you rely on for industry and/or general business news and
advice, and/or to learn about products and services for your business?

19. CONTENT FORMATS
23%
22%
22%
21%
21%
20%
19%
19%
19%
19%
18%
18%
18%
16%
15%
15%
13%
12%
43% (A)
34% (A)
37% (A)
39% (A)
41% (A)
37% (A)
36% (A)
39% (A)
35% (A)
33% (A)
41% (A)
33% (A)
32% (A)
29% (A)
35% (A)
33% (A)
31% (A)
33% (A)
49% (A)
49% (AB)
52% (AB)
49% (A)
55% (AB)
58% (AB)
55% (AB)
54% (AB)
44% (A)
51% (AB)
51% (A)
52% (AB)
43% (A)
48% (AB)
49% (AB)
44% (A)
45% (AB)
42% (A)
Video on vendor’s website
Article
Facebook post
Email newsletter
LinkedIn post
Research report
Analyst report
Webinar/webcast
Checklist/worksheet
Case study
Interactive tool (e.g., calculator, quiz)
e-book/guide/handbook
Blog post
Podcast
White paper
One-off email (for example from a sales rep)
Infographic
Tweet
19
How likely are you to use each of these specific content formats from vendors like Adobe, Amazon, Dell, Google, Intuit,
LinkedIn, Microsoft, Salesforce, etc., to research or assess products or services for your business?
VSBs (A)
1-19 250n
SBs (B)
20-99 150n
MBs (C)
100-500 100n
% VERY LIKELY
1
2
3
1
2
2
2
1
2
• To research products and services, VSBs and SBs most prefer video on your website; MBs, a research report
• Other than LinkedIn posts, there is little overlap in preferences by company size
• Like media usage, content usage generally increases with company size, especially for less-popular formats

20. AWARENESS VS. RESEARCH CONTENT FORMATS
14%
13%
13%
11%
11%
10%
10%
10%
10%
9%
9%
9%
8%
8%
7%
6%
6%
4%
23%
22%
22%
19%
21%
15%
19%
20%
19%
20%
19%
23%
19%
15%
18%
17%
13%
14%
Article
Email newsletter
Facebook post
Webinar/webcast
LinkedIn post
One-off email (for example from a sales rep)
Case study
Research report
e-book/guide/handbook
Analyst report
Checklist/worksheet
Video on vendor’s website
Interactive tool (e.g., calculator, quiz)
White paper
Blog post
Podcast
Tweet
Infographic
• In aggregate, articles are an effective content format at the top and middle of the sales funnel, as are email
newsletters and Facebook posts
20
How likely are you to use each of these specific content formats from vendors like Adobe, Amazon, Dell, Google,
Intuit, LinkedIn, Microsoft, Salesforce, etc., to FIRST LEARN ABOUT/RESEARCH OR ASSESS products or services
for your business?
% VERY LIKELY
1
2
3
1
1
3
First Learn Research or Assess Products

21. TECHNOLOGY BENEFITS
• SMBs value different benefits based on their size, and SBs and MBs generally value each benefit more than VSBs do
• VSBs most value tech that improves their offerings; SBs, customer service; MBs, security, growth and productivity
21
When you are researching new technology/software at your company, how important are each of these factors or
benefits?
VSBs (A)
1-19 250n
SBs (B)
20-99 150n
MBs (C)
100-500 100n
% VERY
IMPORTANT
63%
61%
60%
58%
54%
53%
52%
50%
47%
45%
44%
42%
41%
35%
33%
70%
68%
74% (A)
71% (AC)
68% (A)
65% (A)
73% (A)
54%
69% (A)
65% (A)
56% (A)
69% (A)
60% (A)
61% (A)
53% (A)
68%
69%
67%
56%
70% (A)
70% (A)
68% (A)
52%
70% (A)
63% (A)
62% (A)
66% (A)
65% (A)
58% (A)
56% (A)
Improves our products and services
Improves our capabilities/functionality
Improves our customer service
Lowers our overall business costs
Improves our data security
Helps us take advantage of growth opportunities
Improves our competitiveness
Lowest-cost solution
Improves employee productivity
Helps us keep up with changes in customer, etc., use of technology
Improves our “anywhere, anytime” access to apps, data and documents
Improves our compliance with government/industry regulations
Improves our analytics/budgeting/reporting
Lowers our IT costs
Current solution is dated/reaching “end of life”
1
2
3 1
2
3
1
1
1

22. RESEARCH ROLE
Principal
78%
Principal
47% Principal
40%
Principal
83%
Principal
52%
Principal
38%
Principal
86%
Principal
53%
Principal
40%
Head of finance, 5% Head of finance, 20%
Head of HR 19%
Head of HR 32%
CPA 7%
CPA 16%
CPA 5%
Head of IT 12%
Head of IT 20%
Peers/colleagues 5%
Peers/colleagues 5%
Attorney 5%
Business banker 6%
Business partner(s) 5%
Head of operations 6%
Office manager 5%
Other employees 6%
Other employees 5%
VSBs (A) 1-19 250n SBs (B) 20-99 150n MBs (C) 100-500 100n VSBs (A) 1-19 250n SBs (B) 20-99 150n MBs (C) 100-500 100n VSBs (A) 1-19 250n SBs (B) 20-99 150n MBs (C) 100-500 100n
• SMB principals see themselves as most likely to be the primary researcher for every surveyed application
• The bigger the company, though, the more likely that other roles lead the research
22
Who is the primary person who researches and/or assesses products or
services for your business, for each of these categories?
50%
Accounting/financial
applications
Hiring services/HR
applications
Internet access/
telecoms/VoIP service

23. RESEARCH ROLE (CONTINUED)
Principal
77%
Principal
48% Principal
39%
Principal
82%
Principal
46% Principal
41%
Principal
82%
Principal
54% Principal
45%
Head of finance 5%
Head of finance 10%
Head of IT 22%
Head of IT 27%
Head of IT 5%
Peers/colleagues 5%
Board/investors 5%
Business banker 5%
Business partner(s) 7%
Head of marketing 13% Head of marketing 23%
Head of sales 5%
IT consultant/MSP 10%
Other employees 5%
Other employees 6%
Other employees 12%
Other employees 7%
Other employees 6%
Other employees 7%
Other consultancies 5%
VSBs (A) 1-19 250n SBs (B) 20-99 150n MBs (C) 100-500 100n VSBs (A) 1-19 250n SBs (B) 20-99 150n MBs (C) 100-500 100n VSBs (A) 1-19 250n SBs (B) 20-99 150n MBs (C) 100-500 100n
• Not surprisingly, the second-most important role tends to be function-relevant, i.e., the financial head leads research
for financial apps, the HR head leads research for HR apps, the IT head leads research for IT-related products
23
Who is the primary person who researches and/or assesses products or
services for your business, for each of these categories?
50%
IT/data security
solutions
Marketing/customer
service applications
Merchant
processing/payments

24. RESEARCH ROLE (CONTINUED)
Principal
86%
Principal
58% Principal
51%
Principal
82%
Principal
58% Principal
50%
Principal
83%
Principal
51% Principal
44%
Head of IT 11%
Head of IT 14%
Head of IT 7%
Head of IT 11%
Peers/colleagues 5%
Attorney 5%
Board/investors 5%
Business partner(s) 5%
Business partner(s) 5%
Business partner(s) 5%
Business partner(s) 7%
Head of operations 5%
Head of operations 9%
IT consultant/MSP 5%
IT consultant/MSP 6%
Office manager 6% Office manager 7%
Other employees 7%
Other employees 7%
Other employees 6% Other employees 7%
Other consultancies 5%
VSBs (A) 1-19 250n SBs (B) 20-99 150n MBs (C) 100-500 100n VSBs 1-19 250n SBs 20-99 150n MBs 100-500 100n VSBs 1-19 250n SBs 20-99 150n MBs 100-500 100n
• The solutions with the most roles involved (for SBs and MBs) are merchant processing, PCs, telecoms and
videoconferencing
24
Who is the primary person who researches and/or assesses products or
services for your business, for each of these categories?
50%
PCs/laptops/
desktop computers
Productivity
applications
Videoconferencing
software

25. WORKING WITH A SALESPERSON
25
Which of these best describes how you prefer to work with a salesperson when you are researching a product or
service for your business?
VSBs (A)
1-19 250n
SBs (B)
20-99 150n
MBs (C)
100-500 100n
45%
38%
15%
2%
We prefer to conduct all research
ourselves
We do most research ourselves, but
are open to a salesperson answering
questions
We like to have a salesperson help us
understand a product or service, but
we supplement that with our own
research
We rely pretty much exclusively on a
salesperson to help us understand
everything about a product or service;
we do little or no additional research
46%
(BC)
38%
14%
2%
29%
43%
23%
(A)
4%
33%
37%
23%
7%
(A)
• At the research stage, VSBs are much more likely than SBs or MBs to want to conduct research themselves — i.e., not
to want to be contacted by a salesperson
• However, many SMBs of all sizes want the support of a salesperson, so be sure to enable self-help and sales support

26. Research
• Product / go-to-market strategy / CE / NPS
• Persona / buyer journey
• Original data for standout content and PR
Strategy
• Content strategy
• Creative brief / ed cal
Content
• Original content development
• Exclusive SMB focus
HOW BREDIN CAN HELP
Stu Richards, CEO
stu@bredin.com
Work with the experts in SMB insight and engagement
26

27. POLL
27
27
Would you like to discuss SMB research and/or content support with Bredin?
O Yes
O No

28. THANK YOU