Calling all businesses: I need your help with some new research
Suffolk’s business community holds incredible knowledge and expertise. But how much of that expertise is actually visible outside of your business?
For many small businesses, what you know is one of your biggest assets. Sharing that expertise can help potential customers understand what you do, demonstrate your credibility and give people a reason to trust your business.
But how you share that expertise is changing too.
At the same time, AI-powered search and answer tools are changing the way people find information, research suppliers, and discover businesses.
So, where does that leave small businesses and the expertise they already have? And how are businesses responding?
I’ve launched my Expertise to Authority Gap Survey so I can find out.
Taking my own marketing and PR advice
I regularly talk about the value of thought leadership and using your expertise to create useful, authoritative content.
I’ve also written about how small businesses can create thought leadership without a content team.
So, rather than simply advising other businesses to do it, I’m doing it myself.
I’m conducting original research, gathering insights from small businesses like yours, and turning those findings into my own thought leadership report. I’m collecting responses now and plan to publish the report in the New Year.
But this research isn’t about proving that businesses need to publish more content to reach new customers.
You need to understand your problems before you can solve them
What I really want to know is what’s happening inside Suffolk small businesses when it comes to content marketing, PR and thought leadership.
Plenty of research exists, but much of it focuses on larger organisations with bigger budgets and dedicated marketing teams.
As a small business owner myself, I often find those reports far removed from the day-to-day realities of running a small business.
That’s why I want to know what matters most to you.
I want to know specifically:
- What’s already working well?
- What gets in the way?
- Where does your content creation process get stuck?
- How are you using AI to create content?
- Is visibility in AI-powered search and answer tools becoming a business priority over the next 12 months?
Before you can articulate what content marketing and PR support your business might need, you need to understand the problem you’re trying to solve.
For some small businesses in Ipswich and Suffolk, content marketing challenges come down to a lack of time. For others, it could be knowing what makes a story newsworthy. Perhaps you’re not sure how to get your content in front of the right people, or whether any of the work you’re doing is actually delivering something meaningful for the business.
Or maybe content isn’t really a problem at all, and you’re perfectly comfortable with what you’re achieving. I want to hear that too.
Good marketing starts with understanding your customers
Before you start any new marketing project, I think it’s always important to understand your customers.
Good marketing shouldn’t start with what you want to sell.
It should start with the problems, questions and information needs of the people you want to reach.
I think the same principle applies to my own business.
If I can better understand what small businesses are actually experiencing, rather than assume what they need, I can make the advice, resources and support I provide more useful too. I can also follow my own recommendations on how to turn this report into a 12-month calendar of content, PR and SEO.
Have your say
If you run or work for a small business in Ipswich, Suffolk or the wider East of England, I’d love to hear from you. Businesses elsewhere in the UK are very welcome to take part too.
The survey takes around five minutes and mainly consists of multiple-choice questions. You only need to leave your name and email address if you’d like to receive a copy of the report when it’s published. The survey will be open until Friday 06 November 2026.