Earlier this week Alignable released the latest SMB Trust Index. The study reflects over 50,000 ratings and reviews from SMBs, offering net promoter scores (NPS) for 115 brands across 25 categories. In case unfamiliar, for this study NPS is a measure of how likely an SMB is to recommend a specific brand to fellow business owners.
For the sixth consecutive quarter, Amazon was the most trusted brand by SMBs, followed by Google, Authorize.Net, Apple and WordPress. Below are the top 20 brands from the study:
When looking specifically at the marketing-related segments (email, websites, lead generation, loyalty, automation/CRM and digital marketing) seven made the top 20. However, overall, the marketing segments were rated on the lower end compared to other categories like Computers & Apps, Accounting, Office Supplies & Services and Payment & Management.
The category leaders in each marketing-related group are as follows:
- Email Marketing: MailChimp
- Ecommerce and Websites: WooCommerce
- Lead Generation & Management: OpenTable
- Loyalty & Rewards: Groupon
- Marketing Automation & CRM: HubSpot
- Social & Digital Marketing: YouTube/Google
Similar to the Q3 2017 results from last October, the majority of companies in the lead generation and management category seemed to possess the least amount of trust among SMBs. OpenTable is the exception, holding the top spot in the category and also ranking in the top 20 overall.
In the ecommerce and website category, WooCommerce held the top spot, edging out popular competitors WordPress and GoDaddy. YouTube was rated highest in the Social & Digital Marketing category, outshining Google and Facebook. MailChimp remained in the top spot for email marketing, followed closely by Constant Contact.
A new feature of this year’s study included quotes from SMB owners detailing their feelings about each company, and reasoning for why it’s considered to be a trusted brand. For example:
“Amazon is a great resource for small businesses for any purchase they need to make. The offerings by Amazon have grown substantially over the years, and their pricing and service are unsurpassed. Many of my clients refer their clients to Amazon to purchase products at a much more competitive price than they could get elsewhere.” Patty Hughes, Owner, Strategic Marketing Services
While many brands do some version of the Alignable study internally, the results aren’t usually shared publicly which is what makes this study interesting. Alignable allows any of its members to rate the identified brands without requiring them to be customers of the specific provider.
