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HotTopics: Small and Medium Business Information Markets: A Wilderness Adventure

Image of Anthea Stratigos

Authors: Anthea Stratigos, Co-founder & CEO; Marc Strohlein, Chief Agility Officer

The seductive lure of large numbers, the ability for new technology and search engines to reach those numbers, and the need to grow revenue are heating up interest in small and medium businesses (SMBs) among publishers and information providers. Reaching those organizations, or reaching the users in them, requires new skills and sharp execution. This HotTopics examines the SMB market and its opportunities and risks for publishers and information providers. It draws on 2,800 Web-based interviews with knowledge workers in the corporate market in 2004 and 2005, secondary research, and our analysts' ongoing coverage of the industry. It provides data on the size of the SMB market, market readiness, user expectations, information habits and preferences, delivery platforms, information sharing and copyright attitudes, and spending levels. It also provides advice for dealing with the different IT environments that exist in SMB organizations. For publishers and information providers, the HotTopics includes a list of essential actions to remember when targeting the SMB market.


Pub Date: September 29, 2005
Type: HotTopic
Segments: B2B ITTRRS MRRS NEWS STM SAS CF E & T HR LTR T & C
Keywords: Enterprise Technology, Users, Advertising, Aggregation, Business Models, Market Analysis, Publishing Technology, Search, Strategy
Pages: 26
Format: PDF Application_pdf

We provide a link to download a PDF at the end of the purchase process.

Table of Contents

  • Why This Topic?
  • Methodology
  • SMB Market Dynamics
    1. Market Readiness vs. Reality
  • Information Use Habits and Preferences
    1. Interest in IT Information
  • Considerations for Publishers and Providers Targeting SMB for Ad-Spending
  • Content Delivery Platforms and Workflow Apps
    1. Workflow and Software Platforms
    2. Information Sharing and Copyright
  • Information Spending
  • Using Content Software to Tame the SMB Wilderness
    1. Portals and E-commerce: Wilderness Outposts at Your Service
    2. Application Partners as Wilderness Guides: Worth Their Weight in Fur Pelts
    3. Getting Content Supply Chains in Order: A Matter of Survival
  • Outsell's List of Essential Actions
  • Who's Inside:
  • - Aberdeen Group
  • - AllBusiness.com
  • - Answers.com
  • - ATG
  • - BEA Systems
  • - Burton Group
  • - CMP Media
  • - Context Media
  • - ECNext
  • - eMeta
  • - HighBeam Research
  • - IBM
  • - IDG
  • - Info-Tech Research Group
  • - Ingenta
  • - Javien
  • - KnowledgeStorm
  • - KnowNow
  • - Mark Logic
  • - Microsoft
  • - NewsGator
  • - Salesforce.com
  • - SAP
  • - Siebel Systems
  • - TechTarget