How one smart local search tool can boost your SMB sales

SMBs make up 99.9% of businesses in the United States, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration . That’s a lot of companies for B2Bs to sell their products and services to. But without a solid local search strategy, you could be leaving a lot of potential SMB sales on the table. Understanding what makes SMB sales different to enterprise sales is essential to increasing conversions and annual revenues. And once you know how to better target SMB customers, you can start employing powerful local SEO tools to get the results you deserve.

What are SMB sales?

SMB sales are about targeting small to medium-sized businesses, usually those with fewer than 1,000 workers and under $1 billion in annual revenue. Many companies that rely on SMBs to close deals find it hard to thrive in today's competitive digital landscape. For example, based on the above SERP screenshot, SMBs in Baltimore looking for a local app developer are likely going to favor the top results with twenty nine 5 star reviews. By investing in local SEO, the second and third place developers would stand a much better chance of claiming their piece of the SMB sales pie. Fortunately, competing for the attention of SMBs in local search is easier than ever with powerful tools that can do a lot of the heavy lifting for you. 

Lead magnet: Semrush Local was developed to help businesses earn more incoming prospects with a local search presence that builds trust and leads to conversions.

SMB vs enterprise sales: How do they differ?

While one might assume that targeting enterprise-level companies (1,000+ employees, over $1 billion in annual revenue) would be a more lucrative strategy, SMB sales could actually be the more profitable way to go. Of course, the decision to target enterprise vs SMB depends largely on what products and services you offer. But it’s also worth bearing in mind how the different types of organizations operate. For example, the sales cycle for an SMB is typically a lot shorter than for enterprise businesses. Plus, you’ll likely be able to connect directly with the decision-maker when doing business with an SMB vs enterprises, which often require several people to be involved in the process. SMBs don’t usually have to jump through as many hoops to approve a deal. If an SMB is impressed with your local search presence, and you make it easy for them to connect, you might close the deal in the first interaction. Another big difference between enterprise vs commercial sales is that the bigger the company, the more red tape and gatekeepers there are to prevent a sale going through. That being said, not everything is rosy in the world of SMB sales. There are plenty of difficulties B2B salespeople will encounter in the pursuit of better-quality SMB leads. 

Your local marketing guide: Semrush Local is there to help support SMB sales teams to bring in more inbound leads and make the right impression before you close the deal.

The challenges of SMB sales (and how to overcome them)

It’s not always easy to convince SMBs to part with their money. Small businesses tend to operate with tight budgets, so selling high-ticket items is rarely a simple sale to make. Fewer people on the team often means that everyone is super busy and getting the right person on the phone might mean calling back several times. And if you do manage to get through and successfully make your pitch, SMBs may have a more urgent need that you have to prioritize above the rest of your workload in order to satisfy the client. With competing B2B sales teams targeting SMBs, it takes creative strategies to keep up, especially in a constantly evolving digital landscape. An SMB decision-maker may seek out B2B products or services themselves directly. Because of this, marketers should assist SMB salespeople by making sure your business is on their radar and looks as good as possible. 

Instant prominence: Semrush Local maximizes the lead generation potential of your local search presence by distributing your listings to 70+ top directories with minimal effort on your part.

How to leverage local search for better SMB sales

SMBs do their research on companies they buy from just like any business, so it pays to make sure your company looks great when it appears in local search results. By investing in local search, your company can expect: - An increase in visibility across search, map apps and directories. - A strong review profile, better reputation and new SMB customers that trust you. - More traffic to both your website and physical location. Optimizing your Google Business Profile and other directories is the best place to start. Your NAP (name, address, phone number) should be consistent across all of your online listings, as well as on your website and social media profiles. Use a local citation building service to quickly increase your visibility in online directories and ensure everything is accurate. To increase the chances of qualified SMB sales leads coming in via local search, take the time to craft an accurate description of your business in your listings that properly explains what you do. Effective SMB sales is about building relationships based on trust. Generating reviews can put you in a fantastic position to start negotiating with SMBs that discover you and your 4.5+ ratings online Build stronger relationships with satisfied customers that leave you a review by replying with a “thank you” and addressing any complaints they might have had. Your website's content should also solve SMB pain points to help move them along their buyer journey, as well as include keywords that SMBs are likely to search for. Great content and a good reputation can attract backlinks for other relevant websites, which improves your website's authority and boosts rankings. 

Be seen: Semrush Local helps your business rank higher in local search results, ensuring that potential SMB customers find you when they're looking for products or services like yours.