What is the SMB business outlook, and how confident are they about spending, hiring and expanding as the pandemic wanes? What are their priorities and concerns? What technology do they use, and what do they plan to buy? What are the key differences in SMB outlook and spending plans by size and country?
You’ll learn:
* The current SMB state of mind: business outlook, operational status, and expected time to return to ‘normal’
* SMB priorities and challenges
* Key application usage and purchase plans – including the specific SaaS solutions they plan to adopt
* Credit usage and intent – including traditional banks vs. fintech
* Job board usage and intent – including the specific sites they plan to use
* The tech brands that SMBs trust most
* Key differences among respondents by company size, country and more
We hope you watch the webcast recording - https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/recording/8056390393923833347
In this fast-paced and informative webcast, you’ll learn:
* The events or triggers prompt SMBs to start investigating new products or services
* Who within the SMB organization initiates product research in key categories
* Which specific information sources SMBs use to learn about products and services for their business
* The publications, newsletters, sites and blogs SMBs look to for product information
* The authors, bloggers, columnists, experts, podcasters, and social media personalities that are the most influential with SMB principals
* The content formats that work best at the awareness stage of the sales cycle
* The awareness tactics that are most likely to generate SMB leads
* The salesperson’s role in new product awareness
* The stage at which SMBs hire different roles, to help with targeting
* Key differences among respondents by company size, country and more
You’ll get actionable insights to put to work right away in your SMB sales and marketing plans.
SMBs are feeling pretty optimistic: 35% of them expect to grow by double digits this year, and 10% expect to grow by more than 100%. That translates into plans to invest in telecommunications services — whether to improve internet access speed or upgrade a phone system. SMBs understand what being connected — to customers, prospects, vendors, peers, remote workers, influencers, and others — means to their business.
To find out how you can boost sales to SMBs, we recently surveyed 500 U.S. SMB principals.
What do SMBs plan to buy in 2020? How do they make purchase decisions – who is involved, and how long does it take in key product categories? What resources do they use to conduct product research, and make a purchase decision? What messaging resonates best with this large and diverse segment? What can vendors do to make it easier for them to buy?
To answer these questions – and more – we recently surveyed 500 U.S. SMB principals. You’ll learn:
• SMB business outlook and challenges
• What SMBs plan to buy in 2020 in major purchase categories such as tech, financial services, travel and more
• Who conducts research, and makes the purchase decision
• How long the decision-making process takes for key product categories
• The role of peers and consultants
• Purchase channel preferences
• The media that work best to engage SMBs across the sales cycle
• The messaging that works best with SMBs
• The role of content in boosting sales
How to Support and Engage SMBs During COVID-19Bredin, Inc.
COVID-19 has been grinding on relentlessly for ten months now, taking a heavy toll on countless small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs). 1.85 million businesses closed completely or temporarily in the second quarter, according to Oxxford; in April, the National Restaurant Association found that four in ten restaurants had already closed. Despite encouraging vaccine news, it will be months before business returns to any semblance of normal. So in the meantime, we wanted to find out how SMBs are coping – and what you can do to support and engage them effectively.
You’ll learn:
• SMB perspectives on the effect of COVID-19 on their business
• How COVID-19 has changed SMB priorities
• How SMB staffing has changed
• When SMBs will return to their workplaces
• What SMBs want vendors like you to do to help them manage through the crisis
• Which vendors have been especially helpful
• How COVID-19 has changed SMB content consumption
• What SMBs want in your content
• The effect of advisory content on acquisition and retention
• The topics SMBs want to learn about from vendors like you
In this fast-paced and informative webcast, you’ll learn:
* The events or triggers prompt SMBs to start investigating new products or services
* Who within the SMB organization initiates product research in key categories
* Which specific information sources SMBs use to learn about products and services for their business
* The publications, newsletters, sites and blogs SMBs look to for product information
* The authors, bloggers, columnists, experts, podcasters, and social media personalities that are the most influential with SMB principals
* The content formats that work best at the awareness stage of the sales cycle
* The awareness tactics that are most likely to generate SMB leads
* The salesperson’s role in new product awareness
* The stage at which SMBs hire different roles, to help with targeting
* Key differences among respondents by company size, country and more
You’ll get actionable insights to put to work right away in your SMB sales and marketing plans.
SMBs are feeling pretty optimistic: 35% of them expect to grow by double digits this year, and 10% expect to grow by more than 100%. That translates into plans to invest in telecommunications services — whether to improve internet access speed or upgrade a phone system. SMBs understand what being connected — to customers, prospects, vendors, peers, remote workers, influencers, and others — means to their business.
To find out how you can boost sales to SMBs, we recently surveyed 500 U.S. SMB principals.
What do SMBs plan to buy in 2020? How do they make purchase decisions – who is involved, and how long does it take in key product categories? What resources do they use to conduct product research, and make a purchase decision? What messaging resonates best with this large and diverse segment? What can vendors do to make it easier for them to buy?
To answer these questions – and more – we recently surveyed 500 U.S. SMB principals. You’ll learn:
• SMB business outlook and challenges
• What SMBs plan to buy in 2020 in major purchase categories such as tech, financial services, travel and more
• Who conducts research, and makes the purchase decision
• How long the decision-making process takes for key product categories
• The role of peers and consultants
• Purchase channel preferences
• The media that work best to engage SMBs across the sales cycle
• The messaging that works best with SMBs
• The role of content in boosting sales
How to Support and Engage SMBs During COVID-19Bredin, Inc.
COVID-19 has been grinding on relentlessly for ten months now, taking a heavy toll on countless small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs). 1.85 million businesses closed completely or temporarily in the second quarter, according to Oxxford; in April, the National Restaurant Association found that four in ten restaurants had already closed. Despite encouraging vaccine news, it will be months before business returns to any semblance of normal. So in the meantime, we wanted to find out how SMBs are coping – and what you can do to support and engage them effectively.
You’ll learn:
• SMB perspectives on the effect of COVID-19 on their business
• How COVID-19 has changed SMB priorities
• How SMB staffing has changed
• When SMBs will return to their workplaces
• What SMBs want vendors like you to do to help them manage through the crisis
• Which vendors have been especially helpful
• How COVID-19 has changed SMB content consumption
• What SMBs want in your content
• The effect of advisory content on acquisition and retention
• The topics SMBs want to learn about from vendors like you
How many SMBs are there? What is an SMB, anyway? How are SMBs alike, and how do they differ in their business concerns and outlook? What industries are they in? How is the rate of business formation changing? What do SMBs plan to buy in 2019, and what are the most effective tactics to engage them? What messaging resonates best with this large and diverse segment?
To find out, we surveyed 500 U.S. SMB principals and compiled third-party data to provide a comprehensive overview of the SMB market.
You’ll learn:
• How SMB is defined
• How many SMBs are in each major industry
• The changing rate of business formation
• How SMBs rate their business outlook and challenges
• What SMBs plan to buy in 2019
• The media that work best with SMBs across the sales cycle
• The messaging that works best with SMBs
You’ll get valuable insights to put to work right away in your 2019 SMB marketing program.
Improving the small business banking experienceBredin, Inc.
How much do small business owners (SBOs) trust different industries, including banks, credit unions and alternative lenders? What do small businesses want from the bank relationship? What are banks doing well, and what can they do better, to improve the customer experience – and as a result, acquisition, retention and cross-sell? What kinds of credit are SBOs using – or do they plan to use – from banks and alternative lenders? How are SBO attitudes towards, and planned usage of, alternative lenders evolving?
To answer these questions, we recently surveyed 500 U.S. SBOs. There are some great learnings on what SBOs value in a lender relationship, and what you can do to enhance it.
You’ll learn:
• The SBO business outlook
• SBO trust in 26 different industries, from alternative lenders to wireless service providers
• SBO awareness of and trust in 27 leading banks
• Bank industry, and top bank, Net Promoter Scores
• What SBOs want in a bank relationship
• Where banks are under- and over-performing against SBO preferences
• Current use and providers of credit products – including business credit cards, savings and checking accounts, loans, LOCs, factoring and MCAs
• Planned use and potential providers of credit products
• How SBO attitudes towards alternative lenders have changed
• SBO usage of and satisfaction with banking apps and events
• The impact of content marketing on bank brand perception, loyalty and upsell
• How to boost awareness and trust via content marketing
You’ll get valuable insights to put to work right away in your SBO customer experience and content marketing plans.
The pandemic has forced many SMBs to reassess their application infrastructure to boost productivity and better support distributed teams. Selling SaaS solutions in this environment raises a number of key questions, though, such as: How familiar are SMBs with the cloud? What cloud solutions are they using? Which are they considering adopting next? What is motivating their cloud adoption? Who do they want to buy from, and what do they want from cloud solution providers?
To answer these questions – and to help you sell the cloud more effectively to SMBs – we recently surveyed 500 U.S. SMB principals.
How familiar are small and medium businesses (SMBs) with the cloud? What cloud solutions are they using? Which are they considering adopting next? What is motivating their cloud adoption? Who do they want to buy from, and what do they want from cloud solution providers?
To answer these questions – and to help you sell the cloud more effectively to SMBs – we recently surveyed 500 U.S. SMB principals.
In this report you’ll learn:
What keeps SMBs up at night
The terminology that works best with SMBs when discussing the cloud
The applications SMBs use today
SMB application adoption plans
Which applications SMBs use in the cloud – and their migration outlook
How freemium services drive adoption
Why SMBs adopt cloud solutions
How SMBs rank cloud benefits
The channels SMBs prefer
What SMBs want from a cloud vendor
You’ll get actionable insights to put to work in your 2020 SMB marketing plans.
The new hot crypto
A new cryptocurrency called Chia Network will begin trading on May 4, and China’s crypto community is getting ready. Chia uses a Proof-of-Space-Time model under which miners, or farmers as they are called in this case, reserve disk space for a certain amount of time to mine blocks and get rewards.
Prices of solid-state hard drives have surged in China online and offline as prospective farmers prepare to mine the cryptocurrency. Farmers favor using SSDs for Chia mining. (South China Morning Post)
Every year we take the opportunity to run a comprehensive survey of professionals at SaaS companies ranging from early startups to established businesses with over $100M in revenue. Our aim is to better understand the key performance indicators used by SaaS companies to run their business.
For the 2016 SaaS Metrics survey report, we have added several questions based on the comments and responses over the years. New topics covered this year include company spending on customer retention and the definition/measurement of customer health.
The business landscape is being transformed by a series of megatrends, of which digital technology is already proving to be the most pervasive and potentially disruptive.
NIN Ventures (or NIN.VC) is a first of its kind technology venture capital fund to be raised via World Wide Web. NIN.VC will invest in early / growth stage financial services, education software, internet and digital media, mobile communication, cloud computing, 3D printing, and other path breaking companies. The fund will invest $1,000,000 - $5,000,000 in early / growth stage companies as a part of a syndicate or lead.
NIN Ventures Technology (QP) Fund LLC is now LIVE and OPEN for investments. Whether you are an investor, CEO raising financing, fellow venture capitalist looking for deal flow opportunities, or just curious, feel free to reach us at contact@nin.vc or (312) 953 0930 with any questions or material requests.
Presented by Nate Curran and Greg Bullock of the Center for Entrepreneurial Innovation (CEI), this presentation is the definitive resource for entrepreneurs and startups who want to know more about business incubators, accelerators and coworking spaces. It shares the differences and similarities as well as answers questions such as "how do I know what is right for my business" and "how do I maximize my experience." Download the full kit at http://info.ceigateway.com/phxsw2016.
SMB Business Outlook and Spending PlansBredin, Inc.
How are SMBs faring as the pandemic persists? What is their business outlook, and what are their spending plans?
In this webinar you’ll learn:
* The SMB state of mind: business outlook, operational status, and expected time to return to ‘normal’
* SMB priorities and challenges
* Key application usage and purchase plans
* Credit usage and intent – including traditional banks vs. fintech
* Job board usage and intent – including the specific sites they plan to use
* The brands that SMBs trust most
* Key differences among respondents by company size
* How all of these have changed in the past six months
You’ll get terrific insights that you can put to work in your 2022 SMB marketing plans.
Webinar recording - https://register.gotowebinar.com/recording/2253221902084314883
The results of our fourth SME survey are in!
Bentleys commissioned The Voice in 2014, a long-term research project to follow and explore the mindset, needs, expectations, and concerns of our clients.
We have now completed our 4th survey where we asked micro, small and medium business across Australia, about the challenges they face in regards to business confidence, risk management and international trade.
The survey has identified several challenges that face SMEs. Bentleys is here to help navigate the complex landscape and specific barriers that SME owners struggle with every day.
How many SMBs are there? What is an SMB, anyway? How are SMBs alike, and how do they differ in their business concerns and outlook? What industries are they in? How is the rate of business formation changing? What do SMBs plan to buy in 2019, and what are the most effective tactics to engage them? What messaging resonates best with this large and diverse segment?
To find out, we surveyed 500 U.S. SMB principals and compiled third-party data to provide a comprehensive overview of the SMB market.
You’ll learn:
• How SMB is defined
• How many SMBs are in each major industry
• The changing rate of business formation
• How SMBs rate their business outlook and challenges
• What SMBs plan to buy in 2019
• The media that work best with SMBs across the sales cycle
• The messaging that works best with SMBs
You’ll get valuable insights to put to work right away in your 2019 SMB marketing program.
Improving the small business banking experienceBredin, Inc.
How much do small business owners (SBOs) trust different industries, including banks, credit unions and alternative lenders? What do small businesses want from the bank relationship? What are banks doing well, and what can they do better, to improve the customer experience – and as a result, acquisition, retention and cross-sell? What kinds of credit are SBOs using – or do they plan to use – from banks and alternative lenders? How are SBO attitudes towards, and planned usage of, alternative lenders evolving?
To answer these questions, we recently surveyed 500 U.S. SBOs. There are some great learnings on what SBOs value in a lender relationship, and what you can do to enhance it.
You’ll learn:
• The SBO business outlook
• SBO trust in 26 different industries, from alternative lenders to wireless service providers
• SBO awareness of and trust in 27 leading banks
• Bank industry, and top bank, Net Promoter Scores
• What SBOs want in a bank relationship
• Where banks are under- and over-performing against SBO preferences
• Current use and providers of credit products – including business credit cards, savings and checking accounts, loans, LOCs, factoring and MCAs
• Planned use and potential providers of credit products
• How SBO attitudes towards alternative lenders have changed
• SBO usage of and satisfaction with banking apps and events
• The impact of content marketing on bank brand perception, loyalty and upsell
• How to boost awareness and trust via content marketing
You’ll get valuable insights to put to work right away in your SBO customer experience and content marketing plans.
The pandemic has forced many SMBs to reassess their application infrastructure to boost productivity and better support distributed teams. Selling SaaS solutions in this environment raises a number of key questions, though, such as: How familiar are SMBs with the cloud? What cloud solutions are they using? Which are they considering adopting next? What is motivating their cloud adoption? Who do they want to buy from, and what do they want from cloud solution providers?
To answer these questions – and to help you sell the cloud more effectively to SMBs – we recently surveyed 500 U.S. SMB principals.
How familiar are small and medium businesses (SMBs) with the cloud? What cloud solutions are they using? Which are they considering adopting next? What is motivating their cloud adoption? Who do they want to buy from, and what do they want from cloud solution providers?
To answer these questions – and to help you sell the cloud more effectively to SMBs – we recently surveyed 500 U.S. SMB principals.
In this report you’ll learn:
What keeps SMBs up at night
The terminology that works best with SMBs when discussing the cloud
The applications SMBs use today
SMB application adoption plans
Which applications SMBs use in the cloud – and their migration outlook
How freemium services drive adoption
Why SMBs adopt cloud solutions
How SMBs rank cloud benefits
The channels SMBs prefer
What SMBs want from a cloud vendor
You’ll get actionable insights to put to work in your 2020 SMB marketing plans.
The new hot crypto
A new cryptocurrency called Chia Network will begin trading on May 4, and China’s crypto community is getting ready. Chia uses a Proof-of-Space-Time model under which miners, or farmers as they are called in this case, reserve disk space for a certain amount of time to mine blocks and get rewards.
Prices of solid-state hard drives have surged in China online and offline as prospective farmers prepare to mine the cryptocurrency. Farmers favor using SSDs for Chia mining. (South China Morning Post)
Every year we take the opportunity to run a comprehensive survey of professionals at SaaS companies ranging from early startups to established businesses with over $100M in revenue. Our aim is to better understand the key performance indicators used by SaaS companies to run their business.
For the 2016 SaaS Metrics survey report, we have added several questions based on the comments and responses over the years. New topics covered this year include company spending on customer retention and the definition/measurement of customer health.
The business landscape is being transformed by a series of megatrends, of which digital technology is already proving to be the most pervasive and potentially disruptive.
NIN Ventures (or NIN.VC) is a first of its kind technology venture capital fund to be raised via World Wide Web. NIN.VC will invest in early / growth stage financial services, education software, internet and digital media, mobile communication, cloud computing, 3D printing, and other path breaking companies. The fund will invest $1,000,000 - $5,000,000 in early / growth stage companies as a part of a syndicate or lead.
NIN Ventures Technology (QP) Fund LLC is now LIVE and OPEN for investments. Whether you are an investor, CEO raising financing, fellow venture capitalist looking for deal flow opportunities, or just curious, feel free to reach us at contact@nin.vc or (312) 953 0930 with any questions or material requests.
Presented by Nate Curran and Greg Bullock of the Center for Entrepreneurial Innovation (CEI), this presentation is the definitive resource for entrepreneurs and startups who want to know more about business incubators, accelerators and coworking spaces. It shares the differences and similarities as well as answers questions such as "how do I know what is right for my business" and "how do I maximize my experience." Download the full kit at http://info.ceigateway.com/phxsw2016.
SMB Business Outlook and Spending PlansBredin, Inc.
How are SMBs faring as the pandemic persists? What is their business outlook, and what are their spending plans?
In this webinar you’ll learn:
* The SMB state of mind: business outlook, operational status, and expected time to return to ‘normal’
* SMB priorities and challenges
* Key application usage and purchase plans
* Credit usage and intent – including traditional banks vs. fintech
* Job board usage and intent – including the specific sites they plan to use
* The brands that SMBs trust most
* Key differences among respondents by company size
* How all of these have changed in the past six months
You’ll get terrific insights that you can put to work in your 2022 SMB marketing plans.
Webinar recording - https://register.gotowebinar.com/recording/2253221902084314883
The results of our fourth SME survey are in!
Bentleys commissioned The Voice in 2014, a long-term research project to follow and explore the mindset, needs, expectations, and concerns of our clients.
We have now completed our 4th survey where we asked micro, small and medium business across Australia, about the challenges they face in regards to business confidence, risk management and international trade.
The survey has identified several challenges that face SMEs. Bentleys is here to help navigate the complex landscape and specific barriers that SME owners struggle with every day.
Why Knowing Profitability Is the Key to Success at Your InstitutionBaker Hill
Most financial institutions don’t understand that the majority of their relationships are not profitable. This results in poor strategic planning especially when dealing with issues with the balance sheet. Senior Management has to understand and deal with different types of risk, along with income statement stagnation in these times of rising interest rates.
How to collaborate digitally with your partners?Anila Macula
1. How working from home can be an opportunity to get to know your business partners better
2. Channel Sales evolution and best practices
3. Which tools you can use for digital partner collaboration
The Voice of Australian Business 2015: Our insights into Tax, tech & life aft...Bentleys (WA) Pty Ltd
Bentleys commissioned The Voice in 2014, a long-term research project to follow and explore the mindset, needs, expectations, and concerns of our clients. Now we unveil the results of the third wave of The Voice, in which we continue to examine Australian SMEs experiences and thoughts around the taxation environment, as well as exploring responses to measures introduced in the 2015 Federal Budget. Future planning by small business is the tertiary focus of the research.
Bentleys WA welcomes you to join us for the release of Bentleys - The Voice of Australian Business Survey - Part 3.
The Voice 3: Perth, WA Launch
We are excited to share with you our findings and insights at our Perth, WA launch.
You will receive key insights on:
• SME business confidence
• The SME business environment
• Issues with access to funding
• Succession planning & superannuation
• The impact of changing business conditions and much more valuable information
To help the channel embrace the cloud, Ingram Micro Cloud offers Cloud University as a benefit to its resellers. Ingram Micro Cloud University is filled with educational offerings and practical business knowledge designed to support resellers as they transition to the cloud. From Sales to Service Delivery, Marketing to Operations, Ingram Micro Cloud University will help lift your business to the cloud, with confidence and ease. Hosted by Microsoft, IDC and Ingram Micro.
A short presentation on early-stage financing with a primer on how angel investors consider risk and reward for equity investments in high-growth companies at their earliest stages.
The holiday season seems to start earlier each and every year. So, how early are retailers deploying holiday campaigns? And what strategies are they using to generate the highest ROI? Lauren Freedman, President of the eTailing group, and Baynote worked together to survey 77 retailers on their holiday predictions, readiness, promotions and spending in 2013. The results of the survey will be available in the coming weeks, but you can sign up now and we will send you the results as soon as they are available.
Retail and the Economy - Current Trends and Future PredictionsPrecisely
2020 was a year like no other. The global pandemic forced many businesses to change the way they transact and interact with customers. Consumer buying behaviour changed dramatically, unemployment rates soared, travel stopped and home improvement boomed.
View this on-demand webinar to hear from leading economist Bob Schwartz on the impact of the global pandemic on the Australian and New Zealand economy so far, and predictions for both short term and longer term around:
• Unemployment
• Housing market
• Consumer spending
• Population estimates
• Government subsidies
• GDP
Hear about new data and solutions that can help your business adapt to the changing economic landscape including daytime population, dynamic demographics, consumer spend data, income estimates, mobile trace data, and more.
Generating and Qualifying Inbound SMB LeadsBredin, Inc.
Stu Richards was recently join by Stephen Archut, Director of Product Marketing at Explorium.ai, in a special Fastcast on Generating and Qualifying Inbound SMB Leads. In this fast-paced and informative Q&A, you’ll learn:
* The media that SMBs rely on to first learn about offerings like yours
* The content formats that work best at the top of the sales funnel
* The benefits of external data
* How to develop an effective data acquisition strategy
* The most common kinds of external data
* Data integration challenges
* How to onboard external data at scale
Watch the full Fastcast recording here - https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/recording/8783854779455236866
How SMBs Research Applications and Other TechBredin, Inc.
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.
How much hiring will small and midsized businesses (SMBs) do this year? What kinds of SMBs will do the most hiring? How do they find job candidates, and what do they want in a hiring service? How do they rate the services they have used? What services will they use going forward?
To answer these questions, we recently surveyed 500 U.S. SMBs. There are some terrific learnings on the SMB hiring outlook, what they want in a hiring service, who they will use in 2019 and beyond, and how you can engage and acquire SMBs.
• SMB business outlook
• How 2019 SMB hiring plans compare to 2018
• The biggest challenges SMBs have in the hiring process
• What SMBs value most in a hiring service
• The features SMBs want on hiring websites
• Usage and perception of 19 leading job search sites
• Usage of other hiring tactics, such as word of mouth
• The importance to SMBs of hiring advice
• Key differences among SMBs by hiring outlook, size, industry, growth outlook, respondent age and more
You’ll get valuable insights to put to work right away in your SMB marketing plans.
Improving the Small Business Customer ExperienceBredin, Inc.
How much do small business owners (SBOs) trust different industries, including financial services such as banking and alternative lending? What do small businesses want from the bank relationship? What are banks doing well, and what can they do better, to improve the customer experience – and as a result, acquisition, retention and cross-sell? What kinds of credit are SBOs using – or do they plan to use – from banks and alternative lenders? How are SBO attitudes towards, and planned usage of, alternative lenders evolving?
To answer these questions, we recently surveyed 500 U.S. SBOs. There are some great learnings on what SBOs value in a lender relationship, and what you can do to enhance it.
• The SBO 2019 business outlook
• SBO trust in 26 different industries, from alternative lenders to wireless service providers
• SBO awareness of and trust in 28 leading banks and over 50 alternative lenders
• Bank and alternative lender industry Net Promoter Scores
• What SBOs want in a bank relationship
• Where banks are under- and over-performing against SBO preferences
• Current use and providers of credit products – including business credit cards, savings and checking accounts, loans, LOCs, factoring and MCAs
• Planned use and potential providers of credit products
• How SBO attitudes towards alternative lenders have changed
• SBO preferred contact media
• SBO usage of and satisfaction with banking apps and events
• The impact of content marketing on bank brand perception, loyalty and upsell
• How to boost awareness and trust via content marketing
You’ll get valuable insights to put to work right away in your SBO customer experience and content marketing plans.
Through every change in marketing technology, the email newsletter has remained one of the most effective tools in the SMB marketer’s kit. Because of its importance, we surveyed 500 U.S. SMB principals to better understand the role email newsletters play in today’s dynamic marketing environment.
In this SlideShare you’ll learn:
• How SMBs rate their business outlook and challenges
• The formats and topics SMBs are most interested in
• Which industries SMBs most want email newsletters from, and from which they’re already subscribed
• The content mix they prefer
• Where SMBs are most likely to subscribe to an email newsletter
• What gets SMBs to forward an email newsletter to colleagues
• The effect of an email newsletter program on awareness, brand perception and purchase propensity
You’ll get valuable insights to put to work right away in your SMB email newsletter program.
Improving the Small Business Customer ExperienceBredin, Inc.
It’s a common perception that small businesses think all banks are alike. They don’t. Their experience with, and perceptions of, different banks vary widely. And that means that the fortunes of banks serving SBOs can also vary widely.
To help you improve SBO customer experience — and as a result, acquisition, retention and revenue — we recently surveyed 500 U.S. small business principals. The findings are instructive; there are some great learnings on what SBOs want from their bank – and how they feel about your company.
What technology are small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) most likely to buy this year, and next? How does technology contribute to their success? What do they want from a technology provider? Why do they make a purchase decision to buy?
To find out, we surveyed more than 500 U.S. SMB principals.
How Much Do Influencers Influence SMBs?Bredin, Inc.
One of the topics we heard about most in 2017 was influencers, especially in the B2C world. For B2SMB marketers, though, influencer campaigns raise a number of questions: What role should influencers play? Which influencers can motivate your customers? What’s the profile of an SMB influencer? How can influencers be used most effectively?
To find out, Bredin surveyed over 300 U.S. SMB principals.
Which cloud solutions are small and midsized businesses (SMBs) using? Which are they considering adopting next? How do they learn about, research and decide to purchase a cloud solution? Who do they want to buy from, and what do they want from cloud solution providers?
In the full report we present the results of our most recent survey of over 300 U.S. SMBs.
Have you left your email newsletter strategy on autopilot? If so, you aren’t alone. With all the innovations in marketing technology, social media, content marketing and mobile, many marketing teams are focused on what’s changing, and have taken an “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” approach to email marketing. But perhaps your newsletter is worth a lot more attention than you’re giving it.
Supporting Your SMB Sales Team with ContentBredin, Inc.
One of the biggest challenges our clients in SMB marketing have is collaborating with their sales colleagues to develop effective sales materials. A key part of this challenge is knowing exactly what SMBs want from a salesperson, and when to engage with them.
To find out how you can better connect with SMBs via sales content, we recently surveyed 386 U.S. SMB principals.
Bredin Fastcast: Supporting Your SMB Sales Team with ContentBredin, Inc.
One of the biggest challenges our clients in SMB marketing have is collaborating with their sales colleagues to develop effective sales materials. A key part of this challenge is knowing exactly what SMBs want from a salesperson, and when to engage with them.
To find out how you can better connect with SMBs via sales content, we recently surveyed 386 U.S. SMB principals.
Bredin Fastcast: Getting SMBs to Share Your ContentBredin, Inc.
As a marketer to small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs), your company probably uses content marketing to drive awareness and engagement, enhance your brand, nurture prospects, close sales and retain customers. If so, you’re probably facing a key challenge of content marketing: getting SMBs to share your content with their peers.
To find out how you can get SMBs to share your content more, we recently surveyed 493 U.S. SMB principals.
Bredin Fastcast: Selling Telecoms Services to SMBsBredin, Inc.
SMBs are feeling pretty optimistic – and that translates into plans to invest in telecommunications services, whether to improve Internet access speed or upgrade a phone system. SMBs understand what being connected means to their business.
To find out how you can take advantage of SMB interest in your offerings, we recently surveyed over 700 U.S. SMB principals. The findings are instructive; there are some great learnings on how SMBs learn about, research and make telecoms purchase decisions; their purchase intent and timing; perceptions and trust of leading telecoms brands; SMB content marketing preferences; and how telecoms vendors can improve the sales process.
To find out how you can take advantage of this opportunity, we recently surveyed over 300 U.S. SMB principals. The findings are instructive; there are some great learnings on how SMBs learn about, research and make tech purchase decisions; their purchase intent and timing; preferred purchase channel; perceptions and trust of leading tech brands; and how tech vendors can improve the sales process.
Millennial entrepreneurs are quickly replacing retiring Boomers. How can banks serve this huge, diverse and technology-adept audience? You’ll learn:
• The business challenges Millennials face – and the opportunity that creates for banks
• The bank transaction preferences of Millennial entrepreneurs
• Their loan application activity and experience – and the challenge for traditional banks
• Awareness and perceptions of alternative lenders
• Bank brand perceptions and switching likelihood
AI-Powered Personalization: Principles, Use Cases, and Its Impact on CROVWO
In today’s era of AI, personalization is more than just a trend—it’s a fundamental strategy that unlocks numerous opportunities.
When done effectively, personalization builds trust, loyalty, and satisfaction among your users—key factors for business success. However, relying solely on AI capabilities isn’t enough. You need to anchor your approach in solid principles, understand your users’ context, and master the art of persuasion.
Join us as Sarjak Patel and Naitry Saggu from 3rd Eye Consulting unveil a transformative framework. This approach seamlessly integrates your unique context, consumer insights, and conversion goals, paving the way for unparalleled success in personalization.
SMM Cheap - No. 1 SMM panel in the worldsmmpanel567
Boost your social media marketing with our SMM Panel services offering SMM Cheap services! Get cost-effective services for your business and increase followers, likes, and engagement across all social media platforms. Get affordable services perfect for businesses and influencers looking to increase their social proof. See how cheap SMM strategies can help improve your social media presence and be a pro at the social media game.
The Forgotten Secret Weapon of Digital Marketing: Email
Digital marketing is a rapidly changing, ever evolving industry--Influencers, Threads, X, AI, etc. But one of the most effective digital marketing tools is also one of the oldest: Email. Find out from two Houston-based digital experts how to maximize your results from email.
Key Takeaways:
Email has the best ROI of any digital tactic
It can be used at any stage of the customer journey
It is increasingly important as the cookie-less future gets closer and closer
The Secret to Engaging Modern Consumers: Journey Mapping and Personalization
In today's digital landscape, understanding the customer's journey and delivering personalized experiences are paramount. This masterclass delves into the art of consumer journey mapping, a powerful technique that visualizes the entire customer experience across touchpoints. Attendees will learn how to create detailed journey maps, identify pain points, and uncover opportunities for optimization. The presentation also explores personalization strategies that leverage data and technology to tailor content, products, and experiences to individual customers. From real-time personalization to predictive analytics, attendees will gain insights into cutting-edge approaches that drive engagement and loyalty.
Key Takeaways:
Current consumer landscape; Steps to mapping an effective consumer journey; Understanding the value of personalization; Integrating mapping and personalization for success; Brands that are getting It right!; Best Practices; Future Trends
Most small businesses struggle to see marketing results. In this session, we will eliminate any confusion about what to do next, solving your marketing problems so your business can thrive. You’ll learn how to create a foundational marketing OS (operating system) based on neuroscience and backed by real-world results. You’ll be taught how to develop deep customer connections, and how to have your CRM dynamically segment and sell at any stage in the customer’s journey. By the end of the session, you’ll remove confusion and chaos and replace it with clarity and confidence for long-term marketing success.
Key Takeaways:
• Uncover the power of a foundational marketing system that dynamically communicates with prospects and customers on autopilot.
• Harness neuroscience and Tribal Alignment to transform your communication strategies, turning potential clients into fans and those fans into loyal customers.
• Discover the art of automated segmentation, pinpointing your most lucrative customers and identifying the optimal moments for successful conversions.
• Streamline your business with a content production plan that eliminates guesswork, wasted time, and money.
Most small businesses struggle to see marketing results. In this session, we will eliminate any confusion about what to do next, solving your marketing problems so your business can thrive. You’ll learn how to create a foundational marketing OS (operating system) based on neuroscience and backed by real-world results. You’ll be taught how to develop deep customer connections, and how to have your CRM dynamically segment and sell at any stage in the customer’s journey. By the end of the session, you’ll remove confusion and chaos and replace it with clarity and confidence for long-term marketing success.
Key Takeaways:
• Uncover the power of a foundational marketing system that dynamically communicates with prospects and customers on autopilot.
• Harness neuroscience and Tribal Alignment to transform your communication strategies, turning potential clients into fans and those fans into loyal customers.
• Discover the art of automated segmentation, pinpointing your most lucrative customers and identifying the optimal moments for successful conversions.
• Streamline your business with a content production plan that eliminates guesswork, wasted time, and money.
SEO as the Backbone of Digital MarketingFelipe Bazon
In this talk Felipe Bazon will share how him and his team at Hedgehog Digital share our journey of making C-Levels alike, specially CMOS realize that SEO is the backbone of digital marketing by showing how SEO can contribute to brand awareness, reputation and authority and above all how to use SEO to create more robust global marketing strategies.
Everyone knows the power of stories, but when asked to come up with them, we struggle. Either we second guess ourselves as to the story's relevance, or we just come up blank and can't think of any. Unlocking Everyday Narratives: The Power of Storytelling in Marketing will teach you how to recognize stories in the moment and to recall forgotten moments that your audience needs to hear.
Key Takeaways:
Understand Why Personal Stories Connect Better
How To Remember Forgotten Stories
How To Use Customer Experiences As Stories For Your Brand
How to Use AI to Write a High-Quality Article that Ranksminatamang0021
In the world of content creation, many AI bloggers have drifted away from their original vision, resulting in low-quality articles that search engines overlook. Don't let that happen to you! Join us to discover how to leverage AI tools effectively to craft high-quality content that not only captures your audience's attention but also ranks well on search engines.
Disclaimer: Some of the prompts mentioned here are the examples of Matt Diggity. Please use it as reference and make your own custom prompts.
Mastering Multi-Touchpoint Content Strategy: Navigate Fragmented User JourneysSearch Engine Journal
Digital platforms are constantly multiplying, and with that, user engagement is becoming more intricate and fragmented.
So how do you effectively navigate distributing and tailoring your content across these various touchpoints?
Watch this webinar as we dive into the evolving landscape of content strategy tailored for today's fragmented user journeys. Understanding how to deliver your content to your users is more crucial than ever, and we’ll provide actionable tips for navigating these intricate challenges.
You’ll learn:
- How today’s users engage with content across various channels and devices.
- The latest methodologies for identifying and addressing content gaps to keep your content strategy proactive and relevant.
- What digital shelf space is and how your content strategy needs to pivot.
With Wayne Cichanski, we’ll explore innovative strategies to map out and meet the diverse needs of your audience, ensuring every piece of content resonates and connects, regardless of where or how it is consumed.
Digital marketing is the art and science of promoting products or services using digital channels to reach and engage with potential customers. It encompasses a wide range of online tactics and strategies aimed at increasing brand visibility, driving website traffic, generating leads, and ultimately, converting those leads into customers.
https://nidmindia.com/
Digital Commerce Lecture for Advanced Digital & Social Media Strategy at UCLA...Valters Lauzums
E-commerce in 2024 is characterized by a dynamic blend of opportunities and significant challenges. Supply chain disruptions and inventory shortages are critical issues, leading to increased shipping delays and rising costs, which impact timely delivery and squeeze profit margins. Efficient logistics management is essential, yet it is often hampered by these external factors. Payment processing, while needing to ensure security and user convenience, grapples with preventing fraud and integrating diverse payment methods, adding another layer of complexity. Furthermore, fulfillment operations require a streamlined approach to handle volume spikes and maintain accuracy in order picking, packing, and shipping, all while meeting customers' heightened expectations for faster delivery times.
Amid these operational challenges, customer data has emerged as an important strategy. By focusing on personalization and enhancing customer experience from historical behavior, businesses can deliver improved website and brand experienced, better product recommendations, optimal promotions, and content to meet individual preferences. Better data analytics can also help in effectively creating marketing campaigns, improving customer retention, and driving product development and inventory management.
Innovative formats such as social commerce and live shopping are beginning to impact the digital commerce landscape, offering new ways to engage with customers and drive sales, and may provide opportunity for brands that have been priced out or seen a downturn with post-pandemic shopping behavior. Social commerce integrates shopping experiences directly into social media platforms, tapping into the massive user bases of these networks to increase reach and engagement. Live shopping, on the other hand, combines entertainment and real-time interaction, providing a dynamic platform for showcasing products and encouraging immediate purchases. These innovations not only enhance customer engagement but also provide valuable data for businesses to refine their strategies and deliver superior shopping experiences.
The e-commerce sector is evolving rapidly, and businesses that effectively manage operational challenges and implement innovative strategies are best positioned for long-term success.
The What, Why & How of 3D and AR in Digital CommercePushON Ltd
Vladimir Mulhem has over 20 years of experience in commercialising cutting edge creative technology across construction, marketing and retail.
Previously the founder and Tech and Innovation Director of Creative Content Works working with the likes of Next, John Lewis and JD Sport, he now helps retailers, brands and agencies solve challenges of applying the emerging technologies 3D, AR, VR and Gen AI to real-world problems.
In this webinar, Vladimir will be covering the following topics:
Applications of 3D and AR in Digital Commerce,
Benefits of 3D and AR,
Tools to create, manage and publish 3D and AR in Digital Commerce.
Mastering Local SEO for Service Businesses in the AI Era is tailored specifically for local service providers like plumbers, dentists, and others seeking to dominate their local search landscape. This session delves into leveraging AI advancements to enhance your online visibility and search rankings through the Content Factory model, designed for creating high-impact, SEO-driven content. Discover the Dollar-a-Day advertising strategy, a cost-effective approach to boost your local SEO efforts and attract more customers with minimal investment. Gain practical insights on optimizing your online presence to meet the specific needs of local service seekers, ensuring your business not only appears but stands out in local searches. This concise, action-oriented workshop is your roadmap to navigating the complexities of digital marketing in the AI age, driving more leads, conversions, and ultimately, success for your local service business.
Key Takeaways:
Embrace AI for Local SEO: Learn to harness the power of AI technologies to optimize your website and content for local search. Understand the pivotal role AI plays in analyzing search trends and consumer behavior, enabling you to tailor your SEO strategies to meet the specific demands of your target local audience. Leverage the Content Factory Model: Discover the step-by-step process of creating SEO-optimized content at scale. This approach ensures a steady stream of high-quality content that engages local customers and boosts your search rankings. Get an action guide on implementing this model, complete with templates and scheduling strategies to maintain a consistent online presence. Maximize ROI with Dollar-a-Day Advertising: Dive into the cost-effective Dollar-a-Day advertising strategy that amplifies your visibility in local searches without breaking the bank. Learn how to strategically allocate your budget across platforms to target potential local customers effectively. The session includes an action guide on setting up, monitoring, and optimizing your ad campaigns to ensure maximum impact with minimal investment.
A.I. (artificial intelligence) platforms are popping up all the time, and many of them can and should be used to help grow your brand, increase your sales and decrease your marketing costs.In this presentation:We will review some of the best AI platforms that are available for you to use.We will interact with some of the platforms in real-time, so attendees can see how they work.We will also look at some current brands that are using AI to help them create marketing messages, saving them time and money in the process. Lastly, we will discuss the pros and cons of using AI in marketing & branding and have a lively conversation that includes comments from the audience.
Key Takeaways:
Attendees will learn about LLM platforms, like ChatGPT, and how they work, with preset examples and real time interactions with the platform. Attendees will learn about other AI platforms that are creating graphic design elements at the push of a button...pre-set examples and real-time interactions.Attendees will discuss the pros & cons of AI in marketing + branding and share their perspectives with one another. Attendees will learn about the cost savings and the time savings associated with using AI, should they choose to.
3. Output
INSIGHT
Topics Methods
• Qualitative
• Live / online focus groups
• In-depth interviews
• Quantitative
• Custom online
• SMB Pulse omnibus
• Snap Poll
Insight for CE / product /
marketing strategy
Data for PR / content / social /
collateral programs
• 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
4. OUTREACH
Video
Email
Newsletters
Checklists /
Worksheets
Case Studies
Articles Blog Posts
White Papers
Podcasts
eBooks
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
5. 5
WHAT WE’LL COVER
Business status
Key application usage
and purchase plans
1
2
3
Priorities and challenges
Credit usage and intent
Tech brand trust
4
5
6
Job site usage and intent
Business, tech, credit and hiring outlook among 862 SMB principals in the U.S., Canada, U.K., and
Australia/New Zealand
6. Company size counts
548 1-19 EEs (Very Small Businesses or VSBs)
182 20-99 EEs (Small Businesses or SBs)
132 100-500 EEs (Mid-sized Businesses or MBs)
6
Online survey via the Bredin.com/SMBPulse
862 principals of SMBs with up to 500 employees
WHEN
HOW
WHO
% Indicates highest % in a column
(A) / (B) / (C) Indicates statistically significant difference between columns
The SMB Pulse is open to marketer participation
1. See counts and weighting on slide 9.
METHODOLOGY
May 19 to June 11, 2021
Country counts
500 United States1
118 Canada
136 United Kingdom
108 Australia/New Zealand
Some charts in this deck do not total to 100% due to rounding.
7. 7
SAMPLE CHARACTERISTICS: TOTAL
n=862
5%
36%
20%
27%
13%
Up by more than 100%
Up by 10% to 100%
Up by less than 10%
Same as 2020
Down compared to 2020
Principal (e.g.,
Owner, Founder,
Partner, CEO,
President, etc.)
1%
19%
29%
44%
7%
Gen Z (18 to 22)
Millennial (23 to 38)
Gen X (39 to 54)
Boomer (55 to 73)
Silent Generation (74+)
Respondent Age Company Age Business Outlook
Title/Role Company Size
29%
27%
7%
21%
10%
6%
10-19
5%
31%
29%
36%
Less than 2 years
2 to 9 years
10 to 19 years
20 years or more
100%
100-249
20-99
2-9
Business Status
68%
29%
3%
Open for business;
fully operational
Open for business
on a limited basis
Closed, but plan to
reopen
1 (just me)
250-500
8. 8
SAMPLE CHARACTERISTICS: TOTAL
Country
41%
43%
15%
Population Density
Urban
Suburban
Rural
34%
28%
27%
10%
Manufacturing
Construction/ Contracting/Electrical/
Landscape/Plumbing/etc.
13%
Manufacturing 4%
Agriculture/Forestry/Fishing/Mining 2%
Transportation and Warehousing 2%
Computer Hardware/Electronic
Equipment
2%
Energy/Utilities 1%
Telecommunications 1%
Pharmaceutical/Medical
Devices/Biotechnology
1%
Automotive 1%
Other
Personal Services 6%
Education/Training 4%
Industry
Professional Services
Financial Services/Accounting
/Bookkeeping
6%
Advertising/Consulting/
Design/Marketing Services
5%
Computer Software/Internet 5%
Computer Services/Consulting 5%
Banking/Insurance/Mortgage 3%
Architect/Engineering 3%
Legal 3%
Medical/Dental 2%
Publishing/Printing/Media 2%
Retail/Wholesale
Retail 10%
Real Estate 6%
Entertainment/Recreation 4%
Wholesale 3%
Food/Beverage/Restaurants 3%
Travel/Hotel/Hospitality 2%
Male
Female
74%
26%
Gender
58%
14%
16%
13%
n=862
United Stakes
Canada
United Kingdom
Australia/
New Zealand
9. 25%
19%
14%
21%
14%
7%
Less than $100K
$100K to $499K
$500K to $999K
$1M to $4.9M
$5M to $10M
More than $10M
9
SAMPLE CHARACTERISTICS: U.S.
n=500
Geography Company Revenue
Counts and Weighting
250 VSBs (1-19 EEs): 97.7%
150 SBs (20-99 EEs): 2%
100 MBs (100-500 EEs): 0.3%
West
20%
South
38%
Midwest
20% Northeast
22%
7%
6%
8%
36%
35%
7%
High school or lower grade
Trade/technical/vocational training
Associate degree
Bachelor’s degree
Master’s or professional degree
Doctorate
41%
32%
26%
Democrat
Republican
Independent
Education Level Political Affiliation
12. 71%
70% (C)
70% (C)
59%
25%
26%
28%
41% (AB)
4%
5% (C)
2%
Total
VSBs (A)
SBs (B)
MBs (C)
OPERATIONAL STATUS
12
• Businesses are most fully open in the U.S. and A/NZ; the least in Canada
• Mid-size businesses are least likely to be fully operational
71%
77%
53%
63%
78%
25%
21%
37%
32%
20%
4%
2%
9%
5%
2%
Total
United States (500n)
Canada (118n)
United Kingdom (136n)
Australia/New Zealand (108n)
Open for business fully operational Open for business on a limited basis Closed, but plan to reopen
n=862
;
Which best describes your current company situation, in light of
COVID-19?
13. SPENDING OUTLOOK
13
• Canadian SMBs, and MBs, are most likely to cut back on spending as a result of COVID-19
• U.S. SMBs and VSBs, the least
41%
8%
51%
65%
8%
27%
56%
7%
37%
61%
14%
25%
United
States
Canada
United
Kingdom
Australia/
New
Zealand
We are more cost-
conscious and will
spend more
conservatively
We are more growth-
focused and will spend
more aggressively
N/A — it hasn’t
changed
n=862
52%
7%
41%
(BC)
59%
23%
(A)
18%
(C)
VSBs (A) SBs (B) MBs (C)
67%
(A)
27%
(A)
5%
How would you say your company’s spending outlook has changed as a result of COVID-19?
49%
9%
42%
Total
14. TIMING TO RETURN TO “NORMAL” BY COUNTRY
14
• U.S. SMBs are returning to pre-pandemic business conditions the fastest; Canadians, the slowest
• Three in four U.S. SMBs have already returned to full headcount; nine in 10 will by year-end
39%
46%
22%
29%
38%
68%
76%
53%
64%
55%
42%
51%
26%
33%
31%
7%
7%
5%
10%
8%
7%
6%
6%
4%
13%
9%
9%
6%
7%
12%
22%
24%
18%
23%
19%
10%
9%
10%
13%
13%
19%
17%
16%
24%
22%
20%
16%
33%
25%
19%
9%
6%
12%
12%
13%
20%
18%
31%
22%
19%
7%
4%
17%
9%
9%
4%
2%
11%
5%
4%
6%
3%
12%
7%
9%
4%
3%
5%
4%
6%
2%
1%
8%
2%
3%
5%
3%
9%
6%
7%
Revenue
Total
United States (A)
Canada (B)
United Kingdom (C)
Australia/New Zealand (D)
Staffing/headcount
Total
United States (A)
Canada (B)
United Kingdom (C)
Australia/New Zealand (D)
Profitability
Total
United States (A)
Canada (B)
United Kingdom (C)
Australia/New Zealand (D)
Already have First half of this year End of this year 2022 2023 2024 or later
n=862
How long do you think it will take you to return to your pre-pandemic:
Revenue
Staffing/
headcount
Profitability
Revenue
Staffing/headcount
Staffing/headcount
15. TIMING TO RETURN TO “NORMAL” BY SIZE
15
• VSBs have returned to pre-pandemic staffing and profitability the fastest
• However, MBs are most likely to return to pre-pandemic revenue, staffing and profitability by the end of this year
n=862
How long do you think it will take you to return to your pre-pandemic:
Revenue
Staffing/
headcount
Profitability
Revenue
Staffing/headcount
Staffing/headcount
39%
37%
38%
43%
68%
69% (BC)
45%
35%
42%
40% (C)
39% (C)
27%
7%
6%
18% (A)
23% (A)
7%
5%
18% (A)
30% (AB)
9%
7%
16% (A)
29% (AB)
22%
21%
21%
17%
10%
9%
21% (A)
22% (A)
19%
18%
25% (A)
27% (A)
20%
23% (C)
18%
11%
9%
10%
11%
8%
20%
22% (BC)
14%
11%
7%
9% (B)
4%
6%
4%
4%
4%
4%
6%
7%
4%
4%
4%
5%
(C)
2%
0%
2%
3%
1%
1%
5%
6%
(BC)
1%
2%
Revenue
Total
VSBs (A)
SBs (B)
MBs (C)
Staffing/headcount
Total
VSBs (A)
SBs (B)
MBs (C)
Profitability
Total
VSBs (A)
SBs (B)
MBs (C)
Already have First half of this year End of this year 2022 2023 2024 or later
Revenue
Staffing/headcount
Staffing/headcount
17. BUSINESS OUTLOOK BY COUNTRY (1 OF 2)
17 n=857
66
61
63
42
39
60
57
54
40
37
57
54
55
38
31
61
57
57
46
41
Business confidence
Revenue
Profitability
Expansion
Hiring
Very optimistic
Very pessimistic 100
0 50
• U.S. SMBs are the most optimistic about overall confidence, revenue, profitability, cash flow and employee retention
• A/NZ SMBs are most optimistic about expansion, hiring, and capital expenditures
Please rate your business outlook from pessimistic to optimistic in
each of these areas:
18. 56
62
52
50
67
53
55
49
43
59
50
56
48
44
61
59
58
54
51
65
BUSINESS OUTLOOK BY COUNTRY (CONTINUED)
18 n=857
100
0 50
• SMBs are generally less optimistic about growth indicators such as expansion, hiring and capex
• The responses are relatively similar across countries
Please rate your business outlook from pessimistic to optimistic in
each of these areas:
Customer acquisition
Cash flow
Purchasing
Capital expenditures
Employee retention
Very optimistic
Very pessimistic
19. 62
58
58
39
35
72
69
68
59
61
77
75
75
72
70
BUSINESS OUTLOOK BY SIZE (1 OF 2)
19 n=857
Business confidence
Revenue
Profitability
Expansion
Hiring
Very optimistic
Very pessimistic 100
0 50
• SMBs are most optimistic about their overall outlook, and employee retention
• In every case, optimism increases with company size
Please rate your business outlook from pessimistic to optimistic in
each of these areas:
VSBs (1-20) SBs (20-99) MBs (100-500)
20. 54
58
50
46
64
68
67
64
61
72
75
74
73
73
78
BUSINESS OUTLOOK BY SIZE (CONTINUED)
20 n=857
Very optimistic
Very pessimistic 100
0 50
• The disparities by company size are much larger than by country
• The differences are largest in hiring, expansion, capex and purchasing - i.e., MBs are most optimistic about growth
Please rate your business outlook from pessimistic to optimistic in
each of these areas:
VSBs (1-20) SBs (20-99) MBs (100-500)
Customer acquisition
Cash flow
Purchasing
Capital expenditures
Employee retention
21. 40
31
46
50
38
48
41
33
45
53
42
44
41
29
45
41
37
45
43
38
53
48
42
51
BUSINESS CONCERNS BY COUNTRY
21
Cyberattacks / data security breaches
Natural disasters
Government regulations
Inflation
Interest rates
Tax changes
Please rate your level of concern about how each of these might
affect your business:
100
0 50 Extremely concerned/worried
Not at all concerned/worried
• SMBs are most worried about inflation, government regulations and tax changes – although only moderately worried
• They are least concerned about natural disasters
22. 39
31
45
47
38
47
55
43
57
59
51
56
68
60
67
67
67
69
BUSINESS CONCERNS BY SIZE
22
Cyberattacks / data security breaches
Natural disasters
Government regulations
Inflation
Interest rates
Tax changes
Please rate your level of concern about how each of these might
affect your business:
100
0 50 Extremely concerned/worried
Not at all concerned/worried
• In every case, differences by company size are much larger than by country
• Concern about each issue increases with company size
VSBs (1-20) SBs (20-99) MBs (100-500)
24. BUSINESS PRIORITIES
24
• Overall, staying in business is most important to SMBs
• Customer retention and acquisition is close behind, with roughly half rating them very important
55%
53%
50%
46%
44%
43%
38%
36%
34%
33%
31%
31%
30%
30%
26%
24%
20%
16%
28%
30%
33%
33%
39%
38%
36%
44%
29%
44%
45%
39%
31%
36%
32%
41%
32%
27%
17%
16%
17%
21%
17%
19%
26%
20%
37%
22%
24%
30%
39%
34%
42%
35%
48%
58%
Staying in business
Retaining customers
Finding new customers
Keeping our data secure
Managing costs
Maintaining cash flow
Complying with government and industry regulations
Keeping current on customer preferences
Retaining good employees
Coping with uncertaintyEconomic, political, public…
Keeping current on technology, and our technology up…
Dealing with competition
Cost or availability of raw material/supplies/inventory
Maximizing employee productivity
Finding good employees/attracting top talent
Developing new products and services/entering new…
Access to capital/loans/credit
Creating a diverse workforce
50%
How important are each of these business issues or tasks?
Very important Somewhat important
n=862
Not at all important
25. 55%
53%
50%
46%
44%
43%
38%
36%
34%
33%
31%
31%
30%
30%
26%
24%
20%
16%
Staying in business
Retaining customers
Finding new customers
Keeping our data secure
Managing costs
Maintaining cash flow
Complying with government and industry regulations
Keeping current on customer preferences
Retaining good employees
Coping with uncertaintyEconomic, political, public…
Keeping current on technology, and our technology up…
Dealing with competition
Cost or availability of raw material/supplies/inventory
Maximizing employee productivity
Finding good employees/attracting top talent
Developing new products and services/entering new…
Access to capital/loans/credit
Creating a diverse workforce
BUSINESS PRIORITIES BY COUNTRY
25
• Staying in business is the most important SMB task, regardless of country
• Canadian SMBs rate customer acquisition and retention equally important
How important are each of these business issues or tasks?
n=862
United States
(A) 500n
Canada
(B) 118n
United Kingdom
(C) 136n
A/NZ
(D) 108n
54% 53% 57% 61%
54% 53% 50% 56%
50% 53% 46% 53%
48% 43% 43% 45%
43% 47% 41% 50%
41% 47% 41% 53% (A)
36% 33% 40% 50% (AB)
36% 31% 35% 39%
33% 34% 35% 41%
33% 32% 32% 41%
32% 27% 26% 33%
30% 32% 27% 36%
33% 25% 26% 27%
29% 29% 31% 34%
26% 28% 21% 29%
26% (B) 17% 21% 28%
19% 20% 18% 25%
15% 17% 16% 16%
54%
53%
57% 61%
Very important
53%
54%
53%
26. 55%
53%
50%
46%
44%
43%
38%
36%
34%
33%
31%
31%
30%
30%
26%
24%
20%
16%
Staying in business
Retaining customers
Finding new customers
Keeping our data secure
Managing costs
Maintaining cash flow
Complying with government and industry regulations
Keeping current on customer preferences
Retaining good employees
Coping with uncertainty
Keeping current on technology, and our technology up…
Dealing with competition
Cost or availability of raw material/supplies/inventory
Maximizing employee productivity
Finding good employees/attracting top talent
Developing new products and services/entering new…
Access to capital/loans/credit
Creating a diverse workforce
BUSINESS PRIORITIES BY COMPANY SIZE
26
• Employee retention is most pressing for SBs; for MBs, it is data security
• Almost every business issue is significantly more important for SBs and MBs than for VSBs
How important are each of these business issues or tasks?
n=862
VSBs
(A) 548n
SBs
(B) 182n
MBs
(C) 132n
55% 62% 63%
54% 57% 55%
50% 58% 64% (A)
44% 60% (A) 65%
44% 57% (A) 60% (A)
44% 52% (A) 64% (AB)
36% 51% (A) 61% (A)
34% 52% (A) 61% (A)
32% 63% 62% (A)
33% 42% (A) 53% (AB)
30% 47% (A) 57% (A)
30% 47% (A) 54% (A)
27% 47% (A) 61% (AB)
28% 58% (A) 56% (A)
23% 58% (A) 58% (A)
22% 47% (A) 58% (A)
18% 36% (A) 55% (AB)
13% 39% (A) 55% (AB)
55%
63% (A)
65% (A)
Very important
27. BUSINESS CHALLENGES
27
• While finding new customers is third in importance, it is the most challenging SMB task
• Coping with uncertainty is in the middle of the pack for importance, but second most challenging overall
28%
21%
19%
19%
18%
17%
17%
17%
16%
16%
15%
14%
14%
13%
13%
12%
9%
8%
46%
46%
42%
43%
37%
42%
34%
42%
38%
45%
37%
30%
41%
29%
43%
27%
33%
22%
25%
33%
39%
39%
45%
41%
49%
42%
45%
39%
48%
55%
45%
58%
44%
61%
58%
71%
Finding new customers
Coping with uncertainty
Maintaining cash flow
Keeping current on technology, and our technology up…
Staying in business
Dealing with competition
Cost or availability of raw material/supplies/inventory
Managing costs
Complying with government and industry regulations
Retaining customers
Developing new products and services/entering new…
Finding good employees/attracting top talent
Keeping our data secure
Access to capital/loans/credit
Keeping current on customer preferences
Retaining good employees
Maximizing employee productivity
Creating a diverse workforce
50%
How challenging are each of these business issues or tasks?
Very challenging Somewhat challenging
n=862
Not at all challenging
28. BUSINESS CHALLENGES BY COUNTRY
28
• Finding new customers is the most challenging task, regardless of location
• It is much more difficult than any other task for U.K. SMBs
28%
21%
19%
19%
18%
17%
17%
17%
16%
16%
15%
14%
14%
13%
13%
12%
9%
8%
Finding new customers
Coping with uncertainty
Maintaining cash flow
Keeping current on technology, and our technology up…
Staying in business
Dealing with competition
Cost or availability of raw material/supplies/inventory
Managing costs
Complying with government and industry regulations
Retaining customers
Developing new products and services/entering new…
Finding good employees/attracting top talent
Keeping our data secure
Access to capital/loans/credit
Keeping current on customer preferences
Retaining good employees
Maximizing employee productivity
Creating a diverse workforce
How challenging are each of these business issues or tasks?
Very challenging
n=862
United States
(A) 500n
Canada
(B) 118n
United Kingdom
(C) 136n
A/NZ
(D) 108n
27% 31% 30% 30%
21% 27% 18% 20%
18% 18% 19% 23%
19% 16% 15% 25%
18% 18% 17% 19%
16% 21% (C) 12% 23% (C)
19% 13% 13% 17%
15% 16% 16% 26% (A)
16% 16% 20% 15%
15% 20% 16% 16%
14% 12% 16% 26% (AB)
13% 14% 15% 21% (A)
15% 14% 9% 11%
13% 14% 15% 13%
12% 14% 16% 15%
12% 16% 10% 11%
8% 13% 12% 6%
8% 13% (D) 7% 5%
27% 31% 30% 30%
29. BUSINESS CHALLENGES BY COMPANY SIZE
29
• For MBs, the most challenging task is innovation
• For many issues, the challenge increases significantly with company size
28%
21%
19%
19%
18%
17%
17%
17%
16%
16%
15%
14%
14%
13%
13%
12%
9%
8%
Finding new customers
Coping with uncertainty
Maintaining cash flow
Keeping current on technology, and our technology up…
Staying in business
Dealing with competition
Cost or availability of raw material/supplies/inventory
Managing costs
Complying with government and industry regulations
Retaining customers
Developing new products and services/entering new…
Finding good employees/attracting top talent
Keeping our data secure
Access to capital/loans/credit
Keeping current on customer preferences
Retaining good employees
Maximizing employee productivity
Creating a diverse workforce
How challenging are each of these business issues or tasks?
Very challenging
n=862
VSBs
(A) 548n
SBs
(B) 182n
MBs
(C) 132n
28% 37% 42% (A)
21% 27% 35% (A)
18% 24% 36% (AB)
18% 24% 42% (AB)
18% 23% 33% (AB)
17% 28% (A) 37% (A)
15% 28% (A) 41% (AB)
15% 29% (A) 39% (AB)
15% 25% (A) 39% (AB)
17% 27% (A) 36% (A)
15% 23% (A) 40% (AB)
12% 35% (A) 55%
11% 30% (A) 46% (AB)
13% 16% 37% (AB)
13% 23% (A) 32% (A)
11% 28% (A) 36% (A)
7% 26% (A) 45% (AB)
7% 19% (A) 39% (AB)
28% 37% (A)
55% (AB)
30. Access to capital/loans/credit Complying with government and
industry regulations
Coping with uncertainty
Cost or availability of raw material/supplies/inventory
Creating a diverse workforce
Dealing with competition
Developing new products and services/entering new markets
Finding good employees/attracting
top talent
Finding new customers
Keeping current on customer
preferences
Keeping current on technology, and
our technology up to date
Keeping our data secure
Maintaining cash flow
Managing costs
Maximizing employee productivity
Retaining customers
Retaining good employees
Staying in business
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%
BUSINESS TASKS: IMPORTANCE VS. CHALLENGE
30
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - % rating very important - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
-
-
-
-
-
%
rating
very
challenging
-
-
-
-
-
• All tasks are more important than they are challenging; task challenge increases with importance
• Finding customers is most challenging relative to its importance; data security is most important vs. its challenge
How important/challenging are each of these business issues or tasks?
n=862
More challenging than
important
More important than
challenging
36. 79%
73%
40%
34%
31%
24%
23%
21%
20%
18%
16%
14%
14%
13%
9%
Internet access
PCs/laptops/desktop computers
Accounting/financial management software
Document creation, storage/backup, sharing and…
Videoconferencing software
IT/data security solutions
Merchant processing
Telecoms/VoIP service
Loan or line of credit
Payroll/PEO/HCM/workforce scheduling applications or…
Marketing/e-commerce applications
Design/illustration software
Customer service software
Collaboration software
CRM/salesforce automation software
APPLICATION USAGE BY COUNTRY
36
• SMBs are most likely to use financial management, office productivity and videoconferencing applications
• U.K. and A/NZ SMBs are more likely to use security and CRM applications than U.S. and Canadian SMBs
Please select all of the applications/software, services or technologies
your business has.
n=862
United States
(A) 500n
Canada
(B) 118n
United Kingdom
(C) 136n
A/NZ
(D) 108n
79% 77% 77% 84%
71% 69% 81% 71%
34% 44% (A) 47% (A) 51% (A)
31% 36% 38% 42% (A)
30% 22% 35% (B) 36% (B)
21% 18% 31% (AB) 37% (AB)
24% 19% 18% 26%
18% 16% 30% (AB) 26%
20% 25% 16% 19%
17% 12% 25% (AB) 24% (B)
15% 14% 18% 22%
11% 17% 20% (A) 18% (A)
13% 12% 15% 17%
12% 10% 13% 21% (AB)
8% 5% 15% (AB) 15% (AB)
79% 77%
81% (AB)
84%
37. 79%
73%
40%
34%
31%
24%
23%
21%
20%
18%
16%
14%
14%
13%
9%
Internet access
PCs/laptops/desktop computers
Accounting/financial management software
Document creation, storage/backup, sharing and…
Videoconferencing software
IT/data security solutions
Merchant processing
Telecoms/VoIP service
Loan or line of credit
Payroll/PEO/HCM/workforce scheduling applications or…
Marketing/e-commerce applications
Design/illustration software
Customer service software
Collaboration software
CRM/salesforce automation software
APPLICATION USAGE BY COMPANY SIZE
37
• Usage of every application is higher for SBs and MBs than for VSBs
• The increase is not linear, except for security solutions
n=862
VSBs
(A) 548n
SBs
(B) 182n
MBs
(C) 132n
82% 66% 58%
74% (C) 70% 52%
40% 54% (A) 47%
34% 45% (A) 42%
29% 45% (A) 48% (A)
23% 49% (A) 64%
22% 32% (A) 33% (A)
20% 35% (A) 40% (A)
20% 26% 31% (A)
17% 47% (A) 43% (A)
16% 30% (A) 36% (A)
14% 26% (A) 22% (A)
11% 38% (A) 52% (AB)
11% 25% (A) 38% (AB)
7% 37% (A) 44% (A)
82% (BC)
70% (C)
64% (AB)
Please select all of the applications/software, services or technologies
your business has.
38. APPLICATION UPGRADE INTENT
38
• Overall, SMBs will upgrade CRM, marketing and security applications most actively
• They will upgrade their design/illustration applications most aggressively next year
31%
29%
28%
21%
20%
19%
19%
18%
17%
17%
16%
15%
15%
14%
10%
25%
26%
26%
21%
28%
18%
20%
26%
22%
17%
25%
14%
22%
24%
10%
9%
14%
10%
15%
12%
10%
11%
20%
10%
12%
15%
8%
10%
27%
17%
35%
31%
36%
44%
40%
53%
51%
35%
50%
53%
44%
62%
53%
36%
63%
CRM/salesforce automation software (82n)
Marketing/e-commerce applications (140n)
IT/data security solutions (207n)
Loan or line of credit (172n)
Design/illustration software (120n)
Document creation, storage/backup, sharing and signing
software (296n)
Merchant processing (195n)
Customer service software (117n)
Payroll/PEO/HCM/workforce scheduling applications or services
(158n)
Accounting/financial management software (343n)
Collaboration software (114n)
Internet access (681n)
Videoconferencing software (263n)
PCs/laptops/desktop computers (625n)
Telecoms/VoIP service (178n)
50%
IF USE When are you most likely to upgrade these applications/software,
services or technologies? Please pick the most likely option.
By the end of 2021 In 2022
n=varies
Don’t know/no plans/never
After 2022
N/A
39. 31%
29%
28%
21%
20%
19%
19%
18%
17%
17%
16%
15%
15%
14%
10%
CRM/salesforce automation software (82n)
Marketing/e-commerce applications (140n)
IT/data security solutions (207n)
Loan or line of credit (172n)
Design/illustration software (120n)
Document creation, storage/backup, sharing and signing
software (296n)
Merchant processing (195n)
Customer service software (117n)
Payroll/PEO/HCM/workforce scheduling applications or services
(158n)
Accounting/financial management software (343n)
Collaboration software (114n)
Internet access (681n)
Videoconferencing software (263n)
PCs/laptops/desktop computers (625n)
Telecoms/VoIP service (178n)
2021 APPLICATION UPGRADE INTENT BY COUNTRY
39
• This year, U.S. and Canadian SMBs are most likely to upgrade their CRM applications; A/NZ, marketing
• U.K. SMBs are most likely to upgrade their design/illustration applications
n=varies
United States
(A)
Canada
(B)
United Kingdom
(C)
A/NZ
(D)
38% 33% 20% 25%
30% (B) 6% 29% (B) 42%
25% 24% 29% 35%
19% 17% 32% 29%
24% (B) 5% 30% (B) 11%
20% (B) 7% 17% 29% (B)
21% 22% 12% 14%
18% 14% 25% 17%
21% 7% 15% 15%
20% 12% 14% 16%
11% 8% 18% 30% (A)
17% 10% 13% 18%
14% 12% 25% (D) 8%
11% 21% (A) 15% 16%
6% 11% 17% (A) 14%
38% 33%
32%
42% (B)
By the end of 2021
IF USE When are you most likely to upgrade these applications/software,
services or technologies? Please pick the most likely option.
40. 31%
29%
28%
21%
20%
19%
19%
18%
17%
17%
16%
15%
15%
14%
10%
CRM/salesforce automation software
Marketing/e-commerce applications
IT/data security solutions
Loan or line of credit
Design/illustration software
Document creation, storage/backup, sharing and signing
software
Merchant processing
Customer service software
Payroll/PEO/HCM/workforce scheduling applications or services
Accounting/financial management software
Collaboration software
Internet access
Videoconferencing software
PCs/laptops/desktop computers
Telecoms/VoIP service
2021 APPLICATION UPGRADE INTENT BY COMPANY SIZE
40
• Upgrade intent for almost every application is higher for SBs and MBs than for VSBs
• However, the increase is not linear
n=varies
By the end of 2021 VSBs
(A)
SBs
(B)
MBs
(C)
23% 35% 40%
26% 44% (A) 35%
24% 45% 44% (A)
21% 27% 32%
15% 38% (A) 48% (A)
16% 32% (A) 32% (A)
14% 29% (A) 39% (A)
13% 38% (A) 50%
10% 31% (A) 42% (A)
12% 34% (A) 48% (A)
10% 31% (A) 48% (A)
13% 37% (A) 34% (A)
13% 28% (A) 32% (A)
13% 38% (A) 34% (A)
8% 32% (A) 32% (A)
26%
45% (A)
50% (A)
IF USE When are you most likely to upgrade these applications/software,
services or technologies? Please pick the most likely option.
41. APPLICATION ADOPTION INTENT
41
• Most application non-users have no adoption plans
• Those that do plan to adopt financial management applications most aggressively
21%
17%
13%
10%
9%
7%
7%
7%
7%
7%
7%
7%
6%
6%
5%
19%
20%
13%
11%
12%
10%
10%
7%
10%
12%
8%
11%
7%
9%
9%
10%
17%
10%
9%
11%
9%
8%
8%
7%
7%
10%
8%
8%
10%
8%
50%
46%
64%
70%
68%
74%
76%
78%
77%
74%
75%
74%
79%
76%
78%
Internet access (181n)
PCs/laptops/desktop computers (237n)
Accounting/financial management software (519n)
IT/data security solutions (655n)
Document creation, storage/backup, sharing and signing
software (566n)
Telecoms/VoIP service (684n)
Merchant processing (667n)
Payroll/PEO/HCM/workforce scheduling applications or services
(704n)
Collaboration software (748n)
Marketing/e-commerce applications (722n)
Design/illustration software (742n)
Videoconferencing software (599n)
Loan or line of credit (690n)
Customer service software (745n)
CRM/salesforce automation software (780n)
50%
IF DON’T USE When are you most likely to adopt these applications, services or
technologies? Please pick the most likely option in each row; pick the soonest
option if you will do any given thing multiple times.
By the end of 2021 In 2022
n=varies
Don’t know/no plans/never
After 2022
N/A
42. 21%
17%
13%
10%
9%
7%
7%
7%
7%
7%
7%
7%
6%
6%
5%
Internet access (181n)
PCs/laptops/desktop computers (237n)
Accounting/financial management software (519n)
IT/data security solutions (655n)
Document creation, storage/backup, sharing and signing
software (566n)
Telecoms/VoIP service (684n)
Merchant processing (667n)
Payroll/PEO/HCM/workforce scheduling applications or services
(704n)
Collaboration software (748n)
Marketing/e-commerce applications (722n)
Design/illustration software (742n)
Videoconferencing software (599n)
Loan or line of credit (690n)
Customer service software (745n)
CRM/salesforce automation software (780n)
2021 APPLICATION ADOPTION INTENT BY COUNTRY
42
• A/Z SMBs will be the most aggressive adopters of merchant processing solutions
• Otherwise, there are relatively few differences by country
n=varies
United States
(A)
Canada
(B)
United Kingdom
(C)
A/NZ
(D)
22% 15% 26% 18%
22% (B) 3% 8% 23%
13% 9% 11% 21%
11% (B) 3% 7% 18% (BC)
10% 9% 4% 11%
7% 4% 6% 13% (B)
6% 2% 7% (B) 16% (ABC)
7% 6% 5% 10%
8% 6% 8% 4%
7% 5% 6% 8%
7% 5% 5% 9%
7% 5% 7% 7%
6% 6% 6% 7%
6% 6% 3% 11% (C)
5% 2% 4% 9% (B)
22% 15% 26%
23% (B)
By the end of 2021
IF DON’T USE When are you most likely to adopt these applications, services or
technologies? Please pick the most likely option.
22% (B)
43. 2021 APPLICATION ADOPTION INTENT BY COMPANY SIZE
43
• Adoption intent for almost every application is higher for SBs and MBs than for VSBs
• The increase is not linear, with a few exceptions
n=varies
By the end of 2021
21%
17%
13%
10%
9%
7%
7%
7%
7%
7%
7%
7%
6%
6%
5%
Internet access
PCs/laptops/desktop computers
Accounting/financial management software
IT/data security solutions
Document creation, storage/backup, sharing and signing
software
Telecoms/VoIP service
Merchant processing
Payroll/PEO/HCM/workforce scheduling applications or services
Collaboration software
Marketing/e-commerce applications
Design/illustration software
Videoconferencing software
Loan or line of credit
Customer service software
CRM/salesforce automation software
VSBs
(A)
SBs
(B)
MBs
(C)
21% 27% 43% (A)
14% 36% 23%
11% 31% (A) 59%
8% 31% (A) 34% (A)
8% 25% (A) 49% (AB)
6% 19% (A) 29% (A)
6% 27% (A) 34% (A)
6% 29% (A) 31% (A)
6% 18% (A) 30% (AB)
5% 28% (A) 33% (A)
5% 22% (A) 30% (A)
5% 27% (A) 28% (A)
5% 22% (A) 25% (A)
5% 21% (A) 30% (A)
3% 20% (A) 36% (AB)
21%
36% (A)
59% (AB)
IF DON’T USE When are you most likely to adopt these applications, services or
technologies? Please pick the most likely option.
44. SPECIFIC APPLICATION INTENT
44
Accounting/financial
management software
Design/illustration software
Customer service software
CRM/salesforce automation
software
Collaboration software
IF PLAN TO ACQUIRE OR UPGRADE
Which specific solution are you most likely to acquire?
45. SPECIFIC APPLICATION INTENT
45
IT/data security solutions
Merchant processing
Internet access
Document creation, storage/backup,
sharing and signing software
Marketing/e-commerce applications
IF PLAN TO ACQUIRE OR UPGRADE
Which specific solution are you most likely to acquire?
46. SPECIFIC APPLICATION INTENT
46
PCs/laptops/ desktop computers
Payroll/PEO/HCM/workforce
scheduling applications or services
Videoconferencing software
Telecoms/VoIP service
IF PLAN TO ACQUIRE OR UPGRADE
Which specific solution are you most likely to acquire?
48. CREDIT USAGE AND INTENT BY COUNTRY
48
Do you have a loan or line of credit?
• Four in five SMBs have a loan or LOC, with little variation by country
• Of those that plan to apply for new or refinanced credit, roughly four in five will use a traditional bank
80% 80% 75% 84% 81%
20% 20% 25% 16% 19%
Total United States Canada United
Kingdom
Australia/New
Zealand
No Yes
21%
19%
17%
32%
29%
21%
19%
17%
27%
29%
15%
14%
20%
9%
14%
44%
48%
47%
32%
29%
Total
United States (A)
Canada (B)
United Kingdom (C)
Australia/New Zealand (D)
By the end of 2021 In 2022 After 2022 Don’t know/ no plans/never
% Yes
When are you most likely to upgrade your LOC or loan?
6%
6%
6%
6%
7%
7%
5%
13% (A)
7%
13% (A)
8%
7%
6%
10%
9%
79%
82% (D)
76%
77%
71%
Total
United States (A)
Canada (B)
United Kingdom (C)
Australia/New Zealand (D)
By the end of 2021 In 2022 After 2022 Don’t know/ no plans/never
% No
When are you most likely to apply for a LOC or loan?
IF APPLYING FOR A NEW LOAN OR UPGRADING IN 2021
Where are you most likely to apply for a loan or line of credit?
71%
19%
10%
100%
0%
0%
79%
21%
0%
75%
25%
0%
A traditional bank
An alternative or online lender like Kabbage, etc.
A credit union
United States Canada United Kingdom Australia/New Zealand
49. CREDIT USAGE AND INTENT BY COMPANY SIZE
49
Do you have a loan or line of credit?
• Loan/LOC usage and intent increases with company size
…as does interest in alternative lenders
80%
80%
(C) 74% 69%
20% 20% 26% 31%
(A)
Total VSBs (A) SBs (B) MBs (C)
No Yes
21%
21%
27%
32%
21%
18%
29%
49% (A)
15%
14%
10%
15%
44%
48% (C)
33% (C)
5%
Total
VSBs (A)
SBs (B)
MBs (C)
By the end of 2021 In 2022 After 2022 Don’t know/ no plans/never
% Yes
When are you most likely to upgrade your LOC or loan?
6%
5%
22% (A)
25% (A)
7%
6%
28% (A)
51% (AB)
8%
6%
11% (A)
13% (A)
79%
83% (BC)
39% (C)
11%
Total
VSBs (A)
SBs (B)
MBs (C)
By the end of 2021 In 2022 After 2022 Don’t know/ no plans/never
% No
When are you most likely to apply for a LOC or loan?
IF APPLYING FOR A NEW LOAN OR UPGRADING IN 2021
Where are you most likely to apply for a loan or line of credit?
81% (C)
14%
5%
72% (C)
21%
7%
47%
39% (A)
14%
A traditional bank
An alternative or online lender like Kabbage, etc.
A credit union
VSBs (1-20)
(A)
SBs (20-99)
(B)
MBs (100-500)
(C)
51. 8%
2%
6%
5%
6%
6%
4%
62%
Currently using, and plan to continue using as needed
Currently using, but have no plans to continue using after this use
Have used in the past, and plan to use again sometime after this year
Have used in the past, and plan to use again this year
Have used in the past, but no plans to use again
Have never used, but plan to use sometime after this year
Have never used, but plan to use this year
Have never used, and have no plans to use
JOB SITE USAGE BY COUNTRY
51
• Almost two in three U.S. and U.K. SMBs have not used, and have no plans to use, a job site
• Usage by Canadian and A/NZ SMBs is significantly higher, but still at roughly 50%
Which best describes your use of hiring sites/job boards such as CareerBuilder,
Dice, Indeed, LinkedIn, ZipRecruiter, etc.?
n=862
United States
(A) 500n
Canada
(B) 118n
United Kingdom
(C) 136n
A/NZ
(D) 108n
7% 12% 7% 10%
1% 3% 0% 3%
4% 8% 4% 14% (AC)
5% 8% 4% 7%
8% 5% 5% 4%
6% 6% 7% 9%
4% 5% 7% 3%
66% (BD) 53% 65% (BD) 50%
65% (BD)
Have used in the past
Have never used
Currently using
66% (BD) 53% 50%
52. 8%
2%
6%
5%
6%
6%
4%
62%
Currently using, and plan to continue using as needed
Currently using, but have no plans to continue using after this use
Have used in the past, and plan to use again sometime after this year
Have used in the past, and plan to use again this year
Have used in the past, but no plans to use again
Have never used, but plan to use sometime after this year
Have never used, but plan to use this year
Have never used, and have no plans to use
JOB SITE USAGE BY COMPANY SIZE
52
• Current usage is significantly higher by SBs and MBs than VSBs, but the increase is not linear
• Almost two in three VSBs are non-users
Which best describes your use of hiring sites/job boards such as CareerBuilder,
Dice, Indeed, LinkedIn, ZipRecruiter, etc.?
n=862
Have used in the past
Have never used
Currently using
VSBs
(A) 584n
SBs
(B) 182n
MBs
(C) 132n
7% 22% (A) 27% (A)
1% 7% (A) 18% (AB)
6% 11% (A) 13% (A)
5% 15% (A) 11% (A)
5% 12% (A) 11% (A)
5% 7% 10%
4% 10% (A) 5%
66% 15% (C) 5%
66% (BC)
22% (A) 27% (A)
53. SPECIFIC JOB SITE USAGE INTENT
53
• LinkedIn and Indeed have the highest usage intent
• ZipRecruiter also has usage intent among VSBs and SBs
IF PLAN TO USE Which hiring sites/job boards are you
most likely to use this year?
MBs
(100-500)
SBs
(20-99)
VSBs
(1-19)
56. BRAND TRUST: MICROSOFT
56
75%
80%
85%
90%
95%
VSB
SB
MB
Company Size
77%
78%
79%
80%
81%
82%
83%
US
Canada
UK
A/NZ
Country
70%
75%
80%
85%
90%
Professional
Services
Retai/Wholesale
Manufacturing
Personal Services
Industry Group
76%
78%
80%
82%
84%
Gen Z
Millennial
Gen X
Boomers
Greatest Generation
Generation
65%
70%
75%
80%
85%
90%
<2 years
2 to 9 years
10-19 years
20 years or more
Age of Business
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Tech forward
Tech neutral
Tech averse
Tech Persona
57. BRAND TRUST: MICROSOFT (U.S. ONLY)
57
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
High school or lower
grade
Trade/vocational
training
Bachelor's degree
Master's or
professional degree
Doctorate
Education
70%
75%
80%
85%
90%
Democrat
Independent
Republican
Political Affiliation
58. 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
58
HOW BREDIN CAN HELP
Stu Richards, CEO
stu@bredin.com
Work with the experts in SMB insight and engagement