What are the elements of an effective SMB thought leadership program? What content topics and formats do SMBs prefer for thought leadership content, where in the sales cycle do they consume it, where do they look for it, who do they want it from, what attributes make it most effective, what gets them to share it with their peers, what is its impact, and who is doing it well? To answer these questions, we recently surveyed over 300 U.S. SMB principals. The results are instructive; there are some great learnings on how thought leadership content can drive revenue. To register for the webcast, visit http://bit.ly/25D0JeL

1. Content Marketing for SMB
Thought Leadership
June 9, 2016
Bredin, Inc.
www.bredin.com
617-868-6369

2. Strategy  Development  Research
Increasing SMB Acquisition, Engagement and Retention
2

3. 3
Research Objective
Give SMB marketers a current perspective on
SMB thought leadership content preferences
• SMB business outlook
• The TL content topics and formats SMBs prefer
• Role of TL content across the sales cycle
• The industries from which SMBs want TL content
• The attributes SMBs value in TL content
• The impact of TL content marketing on SMBs
• Which major brands are best at developing TL content

4. Methodology
How
• 15-minute online survey
Who
• 303 principals of U.S. companies with <500 employees (5.5%+/- CI)
• 102 with <20 employees (97.7% weighting)
• 101 with 20-99 employees (1.9% weighting)
• 100 with 100-500 employees (0.3% weighting)
• Any industry
• See slides 22-26 for participant demographics
When
• March 22– 29, 2016
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5. Definition of Thought Leadership
5
These questions are on the topic of thought
leadership, which is when a company uses internal
experts, or respected outside authorities, to provide
information, analysis and advice in the form of white
papers, webcasts, blog posts or other kinds of
content. Companies use thought leadership to
position themselves as leaders in their industry.

6. Detailed Results

7. 31%
21%
33%
11%
5%
Up by 10% or more
Up, by less than 10%
Same as 2015
Down, by less than 10%
Down by 10% or more
2016 Business Outlook
7
What is your revenue outlook for 2016, compared to 2015?
More than half of SMBs expect to grow in 2016
n=303

8. Preferred Topics
8 n=302
Top-two box
On a scale of 1 (never) to 5 (very often), how often do you go online to find thought
leadership content on the following topics to help you manage and grow your business?
SMBs are most interested in content on technology, and their industry
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%
Import / export
Human resources
Operations
Leadership and management
Financial planning and management
Marketing
Law and taxes
Industry news and trends
Technology

9. Thought Leader Assessment
9 n=300
Top-two box
On a scale of 1 (strongly dislike) to 5 (like very much), please rate how you feel about each
of these kinds of thought leaders.
SMBs value internal and external SMEs equally
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%
An independent third party expert
Someone who works for the company providing the information (i.e. an
internal expert)

10. Sources
10 n=302
Top-two box
On a scale of 1 (very unlikely)
to 5 (very likely), please rate
how likely you are to find
thought leadership content
on each of these sources /
outlets.
SMBs are most likely to find
content via search, their
peers, events or a
salesperson.
0% 20% 40% 60%
Instagram
Banner ad on a website
Radio
Postcard, letter or catalog in the mail
Twitter
Pinterest
YouTube
Facebook
Blog
Press release
Resource section of a vendor’s website
Email from a third party
LinkedIn
Product section of a vendor’s website
Third-party site
Newspaper / magazine (print or online)
Forum or chat site
Print newsletter
Email from vendor
Google+ / Google My Business
Meeting with a sales representative
Event or trade show
Forwarded from / recommended by a peer or colleague
Find online via search
Click here for
the rest of the
report