We hear a lot about the SMB market especially in light of the current economic conditions. Many think that the small and medium business segment of the US economic engine will be the real source of the recovery that we all want. You would think that a market segment with that kind of ‘importance' would deserve some coverage by the media, right?
Well, not so much. In fact, if it wasn't for the web site Portfolio coming back this month (after its print version was laid to rest) there wouldn't be much to say at all about the SMB. In the past two months, BusinessWeek SmallBiz and Fortune Small Business have been shuttered .
"It remains to be seen whether another media property covering small- and midsized businesses can thrive when Inc. and Entrepreneur have lost ad pages so far this year. Inc.'s ad pages tumbled 29.5% in the first three quarters, compared with the same period in 2008, according to Publishers Information Bureau figures. Entrepreneur's ad pages fell 20% in the same time frame."
Most of the readers of this blog fall into the SMB category. In fact, most of our readers are considered leaders in the category because of their dedication to business success using Inbound Marketing techniques which level the playing field. So why isn't there more traditional coverage for this dynamic and large business sections?
Portfolio thinks the segment is well worth the effort. According to the B2B Magazine article, they are using a network of about 700 journalists and 40 local business publications to power their online only version of the ‘publication'. The new editor, J. Jennings Moss, also added that these journalists "produce some really terrific journalism in their markets, and we're taking a number of different approaches in using that content."
Portfolio may have a long term advantage over its print competition like Entreprenuer magazine because it is a lean and mean operation much like the SMB market that it covers. In addition two Conde Nast cousins, Wired and Vanity Fair , will be getting even more business-oriented content. Add bizWatch to this package which will track over 200,000 companies and 500,000 executives and the SMB may be getting the treatment it deserves.
So here's where we need to hear from you, the SMB. Do you feel that there is enough media attention paid to you and your specific needs? What other sources do you turn to for information focused on the SMB market? Is there something we could provide here at the HubSpot Inbound Marketing blog that you can't seem to find elsewhere? Let us know. It may make all of us better.
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