August 8, 2012
By Judith Aquino,

SDL Targets SMBs with Enterprise-Class Media Platform

Translation software and Web content management firm SDL yesterday unveiled a new version of its enterprise-level SM2 social media business intelligence platform, designed specifically for small and midsize businesses. SM2 now offers a full set of features, including advanced analytics and access to historical data that is suitable for local businesses to global corporations, according to the company.

The SM2 platform tracks social networks, message boards, and forums. It includes five years of historical data, unlimited keyword searches, and tools for sentiment analysis, themes and word clouds, share of voice, and daily volume tracking. It also lets users build customized reports and dashboards, filter data, create custom alerts, and track industry- or region-specific terms.

"SMB solutions are usually watered-down versions of enterprise-level tools," claims Warren Sukernek, vice president of SDL's Social Intelligence division. "We want to give SMBs the opportunity to listen to social conversations in real time and get detailed reports, just like their larger counterparts, but at a price they're comfortable with."

The price plan for SM2 starts at $255 per month, and customers can choose a monthly, quarterly, or yearly plan. The SMB version of the platform stores 10,000 to 100,000 results, e.g., social mentions of a brand's name. The enterprise version starts at 100,000 results and is "virtually limitless," according to an SDL spokesperson. Customers who need to increase their capacity for data can upgrade to one of SM2's enterprise plans while retaining their custom dashboards and filters.

Along with other companies, SDL has been building out its social media offerings. Earlier this year, the UK-based company acquired Alterian, a marketing analytics, social media monitoring, and campaign management provider, for $107 million in cash.

While the company will continue to focus on products for global enterprises, the SMB market is becoming increasingly attractive as well, according to Sukernek. "We feel that the social intelligence and social listening space for the SBM market is important to us as an industry," he says. "Expect to see more offerings that are focused on SMBs from the social intelligence division."