ZoomInfo Offers SMB Marketing, Sales Data

Business-focused vertical search engine ZoomInfo, which also offers platforms for lead generation and marketing, announced enhancements to the company's midmarket-targeted services. The new features gives SMB and midmarket company data that provides additional breadth of coverage and depth of insight-including descriptions, revenues, number of employees, locations, and other information on public, private and noncommercial entities.

By using ZoomInfo's company data, marketers, salespeople and recruiters are provided with profiles for more than 2.4 million SMBs with a Web presence. New and existing customers of ZoomInfo PowerSell (the company's lead generation and marketing product), ZoomInfo Lists and ZoomInfo PowerSearch will have immediate access to data on Fortune 1000 companies and SMBs alike.

The company says due to the economic downturn, SMBs are more important to the economy than ever. ZoomInfo cites a survey done by the Small Business Administration (SBA) that found small firms provide 50.4 percent of all private sector jobs, and they generate more than half of U.S. private non-farm gross domestic product. The study also found since the mid-1990s, small businesses have created 60 to 80 percent of the net new jobs.

Chip Terry, vice president and general manager of ZoomInfo's enterprise products, said up until now, companies who sell and market their products to SMBs have struggled to find companies and the people who work there. "The unique benefit of ZoomInfo's technology and approach to gathering information is that in addition to Fortune 1000 companies, ZoomInfo can provide extensive detail on an unprecedented number of both small and medium-sized companies as well," he said.

Terry further pointed out that in the past, because of the limitations of technology, finding information about these companies, their employees and practices had been difficult. Companies that sell and market to small and medium-size businesses have had to rely on word of mouth marketing, blind cold calls and partnership relationships to target this class of business. The company said it believes its technology-based approach to gathering information is uniquely suited to finding information on any company with a Web presence.

Tim Clark, a sales representative with the Tom James Company, a custom-made clothing company, said because large enterprises have been tightening belts, their sales and marketing operations have shifted their focus to driving smaller but more numerous business opportunities with executives in small and medium-sized businesses.

"Using the information provided by ZoomInfo PowerSell, we have been able to expand our pipeline and service a greater market base by effectively being able to refocus on this often untapped area of the market," he said.