Definitive Guide to the Best Sources of B2SMB Content

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

Where to get content SMBs will actually read

Small and midsize business owners (SMBs) are inundated with content, and most of it gets ignored. Why? Because SMBs are busy, and most of the content directed toward them either tells them nothing new, begs more questions than it answers, or is just plain wrong.

If you want SMBs to engage with your content, it needs to go beyond the obvious to offer them something they don’t already know. Educate them, provide them with new information, change their perspective or point of view, or inspire or entertain them. In short, your content needs to give them a reason to stop everything else they’re doing and pay attention.

What sources can you use to create content that will engage SMBs? Based on our 15 years of experience creating content that SMBs crave, here are some of the best:

• Peers – Peer-to-peer content is content that features other SMBs, including existing customers of your brand. It is very effective because SMBs want to know what others like themselves are doing. Peer-to-peer content can include case studies (we prefer the term and the approach of “customer stories”), customer profiles, roundups, and more. 
• SMEs — Another way to create content that engages SMBs is to use small business subject matter experts (SMEs)—people who work with SMBs day in and day out. These SMEs can come from either inside or outside of your organization. Either way, the key is to leverage those individuals whose job it is to produce results or influence the activities of small businesses.
• Influencers — Using influencers to reach SMBs can be tricky. The value of an influencer is not about the size of their following. It is about their credibility and small business expertise (see SMEs, above). Often, the best are so-called micro influencers. These are people who may not have thousands of followers but nonetheless make their living helping SMBs move their businesses forward, not just writing about it.

Doing research right

Like other businesspeople, SMBs find data compelling. Yet many companies can do more to feature research in their content. To make it interesting for SMBs, it is critical to connect the dots between the research and what the SMB should be doing. And as with all content for SMBs, connecting the dots has to go beyond the obvious.

For example, the US Chamber of Commerce Small Business Index includes great statistics on the small business economy—overall confidence, investment levels, regional trends, and other metrics. While this information can provide useful insights for SMBs, your content needs to go further. For instance, you could publish tips from business owners (your customers—see Peers above) on how to capitalize on an optimistic climate while mitigating risks.

In the end, the goal of any content marketing program is to drive revenue. Leveraging these sources will help you to create powerful content for SMBs—content that will engage them wherever they are in their buying journey and position your brand as a resource for the ideas and information they need to run their businesses. Ultimately, this will help build trust, generate demand, and lead them to your products or services.

Looking for time-tested B2SMB expertise to drive strong results? Let’s chat.