Despite social media hype, SMBs still prefer resource centers and email newsletters as sources of business management advice

A recent study conducted by Bredin Business Information (BBI) concluded that small businesses  are still responsive to their vendors’ business advice. So that got me thinking. How many email newsletters do I receive that contain good business advice? Versus a lot of marketing and promotional material. And what is a good balance of advice that should be in your company’s newsletter.

We are talking about How-To-Articles here that convey market knowledge to your newsletter audience and customers. It really made me think about how many How To Articles are sent in our company emails. And I came up a bit blank because newsletters usually include company announcements and case studies but nothing that are actionable in terms of a “How To” type article. Definitely something to consider for 2010 newsletter content submissions. I better get started writing now.

The other key takeaway was the mention of industry news and how Small Businesses prefer to receive this information from their vendors. After all that is the industry and business we are in. So something to think about for future newsworthy topics. In fact 86% of the responses indicated industry related content was of utmost important when hearing from your suppliers. After all your customers expect you to have the pulse on your industry and the new trends.

Read more about the key results in the press release.

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Recently Hurwitz & Associates released a new survey of north American small businesses defined as 1-20 employees.

There were a few key takeaways, including growing businesses were increasing spending on marketing. And marketing online was a growing trend for new areas of investment. Although this is not probably surprising because for small businesses marketing online and marketing locally really helps the bottom line.

When asked about their marketing practices a high percentage said they were using online tools including social media and email marketing. In fact more than 70% use social media (blogs, social networking, online communities/forums) and just less than 50% use email marketing.

“Email marketing is one of the best ways for small businesses to attract and retain customers while also growing revenue, which were two of the top business challenges identified by small businesses in the survey,” said Steve Adams, vice president of marketing for Protus, the provider of Campaigner.  “The survey also showed the growing importance of email marketing and other Web-based tools in driving business growth.”

Download the full report: “Small Business Marketing Health Check”

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