At SaaStr — an outdoor event with a Coachella-meets-the-Consumer-Electronics-Show (CES) feel held in San Mateo, CA, last week — Zomentum CEO Shruti Ghatge and Chief Marketer Shannon Murphy shared “7 Secrets of Influencing and Winning Over SMB Technology Decision Makers.”

Zomentum commissioned Bredin to survey SMBs about what they want in a SaaS vendor. The full results are showcased in Inside the SMB SaaS Technology Buying Process.

One of the most interesting data points from the research is that price does not matter to SMB buyers as much as you might expect. In terms of importance in purchase consideration, “low cost” ranks behind product attributes, including ease of determining time or money savings.

Some of the other insights from Zomentum’s presentation:

1. SMBs value security most when looking for new applications. Seventy percent of survey respondents identified security as a top priority. Security outranked attributes such as “proven technology,” “tailored to/designed for our industry” and “high availability/uptime.”
2. Ease of use is key. Sixty-one percent of SMBs in the survey chose easy to learn/use as a top characteristic they look for in an application, ahead of easy to set up/implement, online service/support maintenance and availability of training.
3. Customer service is a SaaS top pick. SMBs are most likely to acquire customer service software in 2022, followed closely by payroll/PEO/HCM/workforce scheduling application and services.
4. YouTube is the top destination for app research. Close to half of all SMBs use YouTube to assess apps they are considering. LinkedIn followed at 43% and Facebook with 36%.
5. Email newsletters are a favored content format. SMBs rely on email newsletters to first learn about new tech applications.
6. Tech consultants and MSPs are significant purchase influencers. Final purchase decisions for SaaS products are most influenced by tech consultants and MSPs. One in three SMBs are swayed by peers and one in five by reports, blogs and other media.

Read all of the detail from Zomentum’s report here. Want to learn about your target SMB or create a high-impact newsletter to engage prospects and customers? Bredin can help with quick-turn, actionable market research and content.

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