Small and Medium Business (SMB) Search Marketing - What’s the Deal?

Posted by Frank Reed in Monday, July 21st 2008 under: General Business, Search Marketing, Selling Search Marketing

I admit that search marketing is a bit scary. If you have never looked at it before for real it can be very confusing when you start to peel back the layers. There are more opinions in search than there are answers which can be frustrating in and of itself.

To that end I have been wondering what is it that is really needed in the marketplace to demystify this practice. There is SO much data out there about search on both the positive and negative side of the ledger that it must seem ridiculous to someone who is just trying to get a grasp on things.

As always, I need to hear from others who are encountering this issue on some level to see if there is a viable way to offer a solution. It has been brought to my attention this week that I may be spending too much time in the trade talk side of search and losing site of its application in the real world. That accusation stung initially because I kind of pride myself on looking for the application of anything rather than just spouting off facts and figures etc but I think this may be a valid point. It is actually a relief of sorts because listening to other search marketers bark at each other can be grueling and usually ends with some hand wringing “Why do I bother?” type questions still lingering.

So, here’s some things I think I know and other things I want to know about search marketing and the small to medium business (SMB) marketplace.

1. The adoption rate of search marketing as a real marketing tool is still quite low for small to medium businesses (SMB’s).

This continues to surprise me and I guess I just need to get over it. In fact, rather than thinking “What’s wrong with these people?” I need to find out the reasons why this is happening? Is it the expense? Is it fear? What other factors are there that I must be missing?

2. Small to medium businesses are wasting significant dollars on bad ad spends.

Two words - Yellow Pages. C’mon folks. This is the 21st century after all.

3. What do small to medium business folks need to hear from providers to make them move?

This question is not “How do I sell this stuff to them whether they want it or not.” This is simply a plea to hear from other SMB’s out there to learn what your true barriers to doing search are. I would respectfully ask that money not be the catch all reason.

4. What makes you comfortable with a provider of any service that you have a curiosity with but have yet to pull the trigger on?

Why would you choose one provider over another? What factors really make you become a buyer of things rather than a shopper? I honestly have thought that I had this one figured out but I am reassessing my level of “expertise” here. I need to hear from the folks on the other side of the desk or just those who are smarter than me.

5. Do you think this stuff actually works?

I wonder if SMB’s simply think that this isn’t for them. It’s for the big guys only. Tell me otherwise.

There is so much more to look at and I plan to over time. At this point I am just looking for your opinions, especially if you are NOT a service provider. I’ll ask that another time.

COMMENT FODDER: Attention small to medium business (SMB’s) owners and marketers! Tell me what search means to you. Tell me your needs, wants and desires regarding search marketing.

SMB Takeaway: Search marketing is something everyone knows about but many do not do. Small to medium businesses have special needs in this area and it appears as if they are not telling everyone what they are!

Thanks and have a great day!

10 Comments

Elliot Ross

July 22nd, 2008 @2:27 pm

I have heard of some small businesses that do it well - however I find that many of the small business organizations that I have been associated with in some way or another simply do not “know about” or “understand” the entire concept.

Many small businesses don’t even both to add (or use) analytics on their websites.

I think the question is more; how do we communicate the value, how do we evangelize the concept etc.

Elliot Rosss last blog post..Real SMB IT - Asset Management Through Problem Management

mojoman

July 24th, 2008 @11:18 am

I teach a class in online marketing for small businesses in Southeastern Wisconsin and their consistent question is “How do I get on the first page of Google.” I tell them that no third-party provider can guarantee you page 1 placement, and, even if your placement is high, all Google has to do is change one part of their search algorithm and the whole SEO process may come tumbling down to the ground.

Utilizing Google’s AdWords might improve their chances of being seen. However, even with Adwords, fighting for exposure has become as bad as organic results. Google’s Adwords console to track and specify keywords is mind boggling for folks with mere functional knowledge of a computer. The tools are — in their own right– challenging for even the most seasoned web professional. Small businesses just don’t have the time to track keywords and spend time going over their referral traffic to tweak keywords. They have businesses to run. Large retailers either have a full-time position in-house for managing SEO or pay thousands to SEO firms to optimize. SB/MB don’t have those luxuries.

So, they go to media they can understand: Yellow Pages, Radio and, if they’re saavy enough TV. The 21st Century is not lost on these folks, but SEO needs to be easily accessible to them with a minimum learning curve.

Mojoman

Frank Reed

July 24th, 2008 @5:18 pm

Mojoman,

I hear you on the small business guy not having the bandwidth to get this done. Does that mean that we just let them roll over, play dead and waste money on things that don’t work just because it’s convenient? Any small biz guy doing that is going to be closing his doors prematurely at some point.

Dane Hammond

July 25th, 2008 @11:32 am

Frank,

I like your thoughts on search marketing and small business, but you might be surprised when you move down one level. As a website designer it astounds me daily how much resistance small business owners have to even going online. They use computers in their business, they have spread sheets and do their books on a computer, they have email accounts and purchase from suppliers online yet they fail to see how a site is valuable to their business.

I have always said that a website is the yellow pages of the new millennium and none of these businesses would ever start their business without a yellow pages listing. But when faced with the fact that more people use the web to gather information about a business and to make buying decisions they shy away…they use the web every day, but hesitate to even get into the game. I’ve become very adept at explaining technology in simple terms, but when it comes to committing to the first step in online marketing they balk. Some of that might be reflective of their budgets or the state of the American economy, but most small design companies like ours are charging in the hundreds of dollars for complete sites, not the tens of thousands. Personally I think it is fear based and not a matter of dollars and cents…most small business owners give you the deer in the headlights scene when it comes to signing on the bottom line to go online…to them Frank, search marketing is more akin to walking on the moon…their journey has yet to begin.

Frank Reed

July 25th, 2008 @12:08 pm

Dane,

I couldn’t agree more. We see that here as well. It’s actually kind of stunning. I think it is the real small business folks that have that fear you talk about. I am actually thinking about how I define the idea of a small business moving forward. My gut is saying that maybe the real small guys are so far behind the curve that it’s not worth the time to talk them them down from the ledge, so to speak. Maybe it’s looking at small and medium enterprise companies?

Your description of search being akin to walking on the moon is both funny and poignant. I still think there is great hope for the little guy but it may not be as widespread as it should be until something happens to shift the paradigm dramatically. Wow, that was a lot of $10 words, huh?

Thanks for stopping by!