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Small and midsize businesses are increasing their use of Web 2.0 tools as information sources, providing greater opportunities to marketers that are trying to reach this audience, according to a new study from market research company Bredin Business Information. It examined which online tools SMBs use, how they use them to receive business information and the implications for marketers using Web 2.0 tools to reach SMBs.

When asked to identify which online resources small business executives frequently or occasionally to manage or grow their business, the top response was e-mail newsletters (51%), followed by interactive tools such as online surveys and calculators (43%), community forums (28%), webcasts or webinars (23%), wikis (21%), social networking sites (20%), blogs (16%), RSS feeds (14%) and podcasts (12%).

If respondents said they never or rarely use online tools, they were asked why for each. For blogs, the top reason cited for nonuse by small business executives was "don't see its value" (57%), followed by "don't understand how to use" and "none of the sites I visit offer this format (both at 22%).

For social networking sites, the most common reason given for nonuse was "don't see its value" (54%), followed by "none of the sites I visit offer this format (25%) and "don't understand how to use" (22%).

"If you look at some of the formats used in Web 2.0, they are not aligned with the formats SMBs use," Richards said. "Usually, SMBs have a pressing business need, such as how to better manage their cash flow or drive traffic to their Web site. They'll go online, ask a question on a search engine, find the answer and get out."

The survey also asked small-and-midsize-business executives how they use online tools.

When asked where they listen to podcasts, 79% said on their desktop or laptop, while only 21% said on a portable device such as an MP3 player.

When asked how many RSS feeds they subscribe to, 51% said one to three, 19% said four to six, 9% said more than six and 21% said they didn't know.

When asked, "Do you prefer the sites that you visit for resources to grow or manage your business to be dedicated specifically to small and medium businesses, as opposed to broad informational Web sites?" 25% answered "yes, strongly"; 37%, "yes, but not strongly"; and 38%, "no, it makes no difference."