Line of Business
Canadian SMBs still fumbling for effective marketing strategies says HP-Ipsos Reid survey
A large number of Canadian business owners think branding is important, but they are unsure about how to create a better marketing game-plan, according to a recent poll.3/5/2008 6:00:00 AM By: Brian Jackson
Small and medium-sized business (SMB) owners are strapped for time and unsure about how to better market their brand, according to a new poll.
A survey conducted by Vancouver-based polling firm Ipsos Reid shows SMB owners are fairly happy with their marketing efforts, but lack the time, money, and expertise to be completely satisfied.
Ipsos Reid polled 1,225 randomly selected SMB owners from Jan. 29 to Feb. 14. The results are accurate within + or - 2.9 per cent 19 times out of 20.
The study was commissioned by Mississauga-based Hewlett-Packard Canada L.P. which is looking to do some brand boosting of its own.
Yesterday, HP also launched a new line of printers to help SMB owners create their own marketing materials, the HP Officejet Printing System.
The survey results show there is demand for new products among SMB owners who want to build their brand but are unsure how to do it, according to Sean Simpson, research manager with Ipsos Reid.
“SMB owners are saying what they've got now is OK, but they're still looking for more,” he says. “They recognize there is room for improvement.”
While six out of 10 SMB owners polled identified branding as a priority, less than half are very satisfied with their company's current brand. Only about one-third strongly agree they are confident in making the right branding decisions.
These factors add up to more than one-quarter of businesses having never updated their marketing materials, according to the poll. That's where HP wants to change some habits.
“Small businesses often start doing some branding – they do a logo, they do some marketing materials, but they don't keep the campaign alive,” says Jean-Paul Desmarais, business customer marketing manager for HP Canada. “They can see the destination, but they need some help on the journey.”
Calling his company's SMB campaign “Print 2.0”, Desmarais says, HP will enable users to “print on any device, anywhere.”
HP's new Officejet line of printers, paper, ink and other accessories also come in distinctive green lined packages to make it easier for SMB owners to identify the products which were designed to work together.
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