What does a product marketing team do differently when targeting SMB buyers vs enterprise buyers?

Obviously, the target personas are different which informs the messaging, positioning, pricing, and packaging strategy. 

• But at a high level, in SMB, the user and the decision-maker are usually the same person. This means the ROI of a solution or feature is extremely important and needs to be highlighted more in the messaging. 
• SMBs are also really big on word of mouth, so use that tactic to your advantage -- a referral program is a great example. 
• Leverage your customers as much as you can in your marketing mix for SMBs. 
• Website is a great lead channel for SMBs, so make sure your website is up-to-date and has relevant SMB messaging. 

Hope this helps!

Great question. I think there's a number of different things in these motions - but fundamentally SMB is more of a "one to many" motion, whereas enterprise is a more ABM-centric motion.

Given the team structure question here, this means that Solutions Marketing in SMB/Mid-Market thinks about and works with our Demadn Gen team in marketing around campaigns and positioning, content, and offerings, that can appeal broadly to a specific trend, iniative, or vertical. Whereas with Enterprise it applies to a specific company and going deeply into strategy and solutions.

Product Marketing overall should have "brand level" programs that are global and for the entire market, and then tailored initiatives -- in concert with our counterparts in Sales and Marketing of course -- that specifically go deeper.

Targeting SMB vs. Enterprise buyers should take into consideration their buying journey - some things to consider as you build product marketing plans for these segments include:

Self-serve vs. sales-led motion: Equip your prospects with the right content across your funnel and adapt information for self-serve vs. sales-led motions.

While some SMB buyers prefer to speak with a sales rep before making a software or tech purchase, self-serve is typically the primary sales motion with SMB buyers. Enterprise buyers traditionally choose a sales-led motion as they have more questions and want to assess any solution's specific aspects.

Sales cycle: Given fast cycles and volume in the SMB segment, test and iterate approaches to maximize your funnel effectiveness. Equip your sales teams and marketing channels with information to help enterprise buyers pick your solution.

SMB buyers tend to make decisions faster than Enterprise buyers as they are looking to solve a specific problem. Given the risk and change management required when adopting a new solution for a large organization, the traditional enterprise buyer can take months to a year to make a purchase decision.

Decision-maker(s): Build messaging and content to attract and convert the key decision-maker(s).

The enterprise buying process is complex and typically involves multiple stakeholders across the company, while SMB is more straightforward as fewer people are involved in the purchase decision. Understanding the pain points and buying criteria of every decision maker or influencer in the purchasing decision will help you tailor messaging and content.

Lifetime value: Invest according to a buyer's lifetime value.

Given the purchasing power of SMB buyers, the lifetime value of these customers is low compared to Enterprise buyers. You should manage CAC (customer acquisition cost) accordingly and ensure investments align with LTV projections of your SMB vs. Enterprise customers.