What if we have a mid-market segment? Which playbook should I use?

The mid-market segment is often a hybrid. These customers require some of the strategic elements of the enterprise playbook, but delivered through the more scalable channels of the SMB playbook. For example, they might not get a bespoke, on-site workshop, but they would be ideal candidates for an invitation-only virtual roundtable on a specific topic. They want to feel valued and recognised, but the engagement model must remain efficient for your team.

How should our metrics differ between enterprise and SMB customer marketing?

Your metrics should directly reflect the goals of each playbook. For enterprise, focus on account-level metrics for a named list of accounts: Net Revenue Retention (NRR), expansion revenue influenced, account health scores, and the number of strategic reference customers cultivated. For SMBs, focus on aggregate metrics that show the health of the entire segment: overall net churn, product adoption rates for key features, support ticket deflection from the community, and overall customer satisfaction (CSAT) or Net Promoter Score (NPS).

Can SMB customers be part of a customer council?

It is generally less common for SMB customers to be part of a strategic customer council, as these are typically reserved for high-ARR, strategic accounts whose feedback can shape the future of the entire platform. However, that does not mean their feedback is not valuable. A fantastic alternative is to run a separate 'SMB Product Council' or 'SMB Sounding Board'. This creates a dedicated forum to gather feedback specific to the unique needs, workflows, and challenges of your smaller customers, ensuring their voice is heard without diluting the strategic focus of the enterprise council.

Customer Marketing for Enterprise vs. SMB Customers

One size does not fit all. Learn how to tailor your B2B customer marketing strategy for the unique needs of high-touch enterprise and low-touch SMB customers.

Published: 1 June 2026
Topics: customer marketing, enterprise, smb, customer segmentation, customer engagement

By Francisco Opazo · Reviewed by the Led by Community editorial team

The key difference in customer marketing for enterprise versus SMBs lies in the approach: enterprise demands a high-touch, strategic, relationship-driven playbook, while SMB requires a low-touch, scalable, self-service model. Understanding this distinction is not academic; it is fundamental to driving retention, expansion, and advocacy across your entire customer base. One size fits no one well.

You just invited the Chief Information Officer of a FTSE 100 company to your 'Getting Started 101' webinar. At the same time, you sent a personal invitation for a £5,000-a-head executive summit to a one-person startup. Both messages are deleted instantly. This is what happens when customer marketing ignores segmentation. It becomes irrelevant noise.

What is Segmented Customer Marketing?

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