Training clients in digital marketing: the key to a good relationship

Digital marketing has become a necessity for many Australian small businesses, exacerbated by the unpredictability of the pandemic. Previous studies have focused on the B2B service relationship in the Australian advertising industry, yet none have explored the relationship between small business owners and digital marketing service providers.  Our study investigates the findings from the first stage of a mixed-methods research project involving a series of semi-structured interviews (15) with Australian small business owners and digital marketing service providers. Preliminary results suggest challenges arise in the B2B relationship when parties are “not a good fit”, do not understand the needs of the small business, and the services provided, or when expectations surrounding ROI are not managed transparently. This research provides new knowledge to this scholarship area in Australia with the aim of better informing small business owners and digital marketing service providers to enhance their B2B service relationship and its outcomes.