The small business market represents a large – and largely untapped – opportunity for brands, but marketers continue to struggle when it comes to winning the hearts and minds of small business customers and unlocking the commercial potential that they possess.
It cannot be overstated how great a role the web has played in empowering buyers and changing the path to purchase. This means that a whole new way of looking at these buyers is needed – to getting under their skin to understand what matters to them and how they buy.
Fundamentally, marketers need to adapt and optimise their online footprint, to meet the increasing preference to purchase online and ensure that they’re in the right places at the right times to support buyers when they’re conducting their online research.
Earnest Labs, in partnership with Imperial College in London, conducted a research study to gain a better understanding of how small businesses buy and what they really want from the brands that serve them. We talked to businesses with no more than fifteen employees about their paths to purchase to gain a greater understanding of their attitudes, motivations and tendencies throughout the entire purchase funnel.
You can download this report now, which contains our core findings along with complementary secondary research that helps to paint a picture of what small businesses want from your brand. We have also defined a set of principles to guide your future marketing.
Our hope is that this research will help B2B marketers tap into this burgeoning customer group and distinguish themselves in an increasingly competitive market.