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Capturing the SMB Business Communications Opportunity

Publication Date: November 2009

Introduction

SMBs account for the majority of U.S. firms. They include hairdressers, drycleaners, landscapers, veterinarians, dentists, lawyers, and local mom-and-pop retail stores. According to the U.S. Census, there are roughly 6 million firms in the U.S. with less than 500 employees and 5.3 million of these have fewer than 20 employees.

Despite their size, SMBs have a wide range of communications needs from corporate identity (e.g., business cards), marketing collateral, direct marketing (e.g., direct mail, e-mail, Web), point-of-sales material, transactional documents (e.g., invoices) to publication. The fragmented nature of this market, however, makes SMBs one of the most challenging markets to reach. Nevertheless, as with all other markets, the Internet changes everything. Access to the Internet and affordable digital technology has drastically changed how SMBs fulfill their business communications needs. Requirements for are getting broader and more complex as marketing spends are moving online. Furthermore, the need for more efficient business processes and regulatory compliances in many SMB verticals demand for more robust document management.

Clearly, these changes represent a tremendous opportunity for service providers. SMBs need help in figuring out how to successfully market products and/or services in a single channel, be it direct mail, retail, or the Internet. These SMBs also want the ability to extend their communication efforts across two or more channels, but do not have the time or money to do so effectively by themselves. We have seen a number of service providers capitalizing on these opportunities. Savvy service providers are leveraging the Web to build vertically-focused solutions to aggregate volume in various SMB market segments.

Objectives

The study will cover the following aspects of the SMB market:

• Top business priorities for the next 12 months
• Key applications by SMB verticals
• Spend and outlook across document types
• Internal output infrastructure and resources (e.g., hardware, software, personnel)
• External business communications service providers’ relationships, considerations, and prevailing go-to-market strategies
• Usage of e-mail, Web, and mobile channels for customer acquisitions/retentions
• Current pain points and future requirements on business communications

Analysis and Project Deliverables

We will conduct an extensive analysis of the desk research, personal interviews, and surveys to develop a comprehensive
understanding of SMB market. Subscribers of the study will receive a combination of reports, presentation materials, and
data (outlined below):

• An executive summary that addresses key issues, findings, and overall recommendations
• A detailed written report with text, charts, and graphs addressing the objectives of the study
• A PowerPoint presentation for internal communication of the research results
• A data book of the Web survey research for additional analysis of key questions and market segments with extensive cross-tabulations

Getting Started

For more information on the study or to sign up as a participant, contact Jennifer Skerrett at +1 ext. 111 or via e-mail at . Early subscriber discounts are available until August 3, 2009.