Soapbox: Are we falling in love with technology or building what SMBs need?

Today’s world of small business-focused technology has become far too fragmented and focused on implementing technology for the sake of technology. This dynamic often yields features that don’t solve real SMB business problems or siloed solutions that fail to deliver benefits for the whole business.

With this environment in mind, we’re seeing savvy, locally-focused businesses shifting their investments toward holistic SMB SaaS solutions that are designed to help grow their entire business. What is driving this shift?

First, cloud solutions are allowing local businesses to easily procure SaaS solutions versus installing heavy on-premise software of yesteryear. In fact, according to our Modern Commerce Monitor report, 55 percent of SMBs utilize at least one cloud-based service on a monthly basis to manage a critical business process. However, the stakes are higher for SMBs to purchase new technology with limited time and resources, so offerings must reduce time spent on non-revenue generating activities while increasing profitability.

Also, by alleviating the burden of sifting through dozens of point solutions, SMB SaaS providers can deliver a one-stop-shop with a main SaaS product and add-on options. For example, a sales engine may be the core offering with email and social marketing and a website builder as add-ons, as well as complementary finance or HR solutions offered via partners. This collective approach delivers scalability, collaboration efficiency, cost reduction and overall operational efficiencies – enabling SMBs to gain a competitive edge and run lean yet more profitable operations.

The overall takeaway for addressing the chaos of today’s small business technology landscape is that SMB SaaS can offer a calculated approach to running growth-minded, lean businesses. The key is to ensure SMBs are receiving proper guidance and support for implementing a sound SaaS technology strategy that ties in all critical business elements.

Soapbox is a special feature for marketers in our community to share their observations and opinions about our industry. You can submit your own here.

Opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily Marketing Land. Staff authors are listed here.

About The Author

Bill Dinan

Bill Dinan is president of the Local Search Association, a not-for-profit association of 300+ media companies, agencies and technology companies that enable enterprises and small businesses to achieve more within local markets. Bringing deep expertise on how local commerce industries are evolving with new technology and business approaches, Dinan has successfully led and grown companies over the last few decades, including WEB.com, Acquisio, Telmetrics and others. He can be reached at bill@thelsa.org.