Rural England Natural Gardening Company Worms Its Way to Global Dell Small Business Excellence Award

Innovation and leadership in social media earned Wiggly Wigglers, a rural England-based natural gardening mail-order company, the 2008 Global Dell Small Business Excellence Award. The announcement and $50,000 technology award were made today at a press conference in New York.

• Innovative Use of Social Media Earns Wiggly Wigglers Global Acclaim from Dell, ICSB and Endeavor
• Podcasts, Wiki, Facebook Helps Grow Global Customer Base to 90,000, Reduce Advertising Budget by 80 Percent
• Online Customer Communications Among Top Issues Driving SMB IT Investments

The News:

Innovation and leadership in social media earned Wiggly Wigglers, a rural England-based natural gardening mail-order company, the 2008 Global Dell Small Business Excellence Award. The announcement and $50,000 technology award were made today at a press conference in New York.

Epitomized by Wiggly Wigglers, Dell and the International Council for Small Business (ICSB) also released today global research showing the No. 1 reason small businesses worldwide invest in technology is to better serve their customers. Additionally, two of the top 10 issues driving their IT investments are enabling online communications and building tools for community and conversations with customers.

By using social media to connect with current customers and reach new ones, Wiggly Wigglers:

• Serves 90,000 customers worldwide and delivers its products across Europe;
• Cut its advertising budget by 80 percent when the company turned to social media over traditional advertising;
• Facebook fans currently stand at 898, with over 170 discussion topics;
• Hosted a total of 50 weekly podcasts from the “Wiggly sofa” reaching thousands of listeners per week, and San Francisco Chronicle readers rated it their “favorite gardening podcast;” andBuilt its catalogue based on Wiki ideas generated on its Facebook page by experts and customers.

While use of social media is increasing, research shows that businesses have a long way to go to fully leverage it to better serve customers and grow.

• According to AMI research, 5 to 6 percent of SMBs are using social media.
• A study from University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Center for Marketing Research says 39 percent of the Inc. 500 are blogging, compared to just 11.6 percent of Fortune 500 companies.
• IDC reports 10 percent of SMBs are on Facebook.

Running for five years in the United States, in partnership with the National Federation of Independent Business, and in its first year as an international program, the Dell award solicits and recognizes small businesses for their innovative use of technology to improve their customers’ experience. Chosen from 12 national winners from Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Spain, United Kingdom and the United States, Wiggly Wigglers will receive $50,000 in Dell technology and services, a lifetime membership to the ICSB, and engagement with Endeavor’s network of business leaders and high-impact entrepreneurs in emerging countries worldwide.

Among the global award contenders, the U.S. 2008 Dell/NFIB Small Business Excellence Award winner is Steve Mattie, founder and president of Transport Designs, Inc., a manufacturer of highly customized enclosed trailers and truck conversion motor homes in Montoursville, Pa.

Quotes:

“Small businesses need to realize there are online conversations happening about their brand every day, and they are more likely to be positive and have impact if you’re part of them,” said Wiggly Wigglers founder Heather Gorringe. “Social media can be time consuming but it is really valuable, has better longevity than traditional media, and it is a lot of fun. We are thrilled to receive this award and can’t wait to start blogging and podcasting with our customers all over the world to let them know.”

“The fact that Wiggly Wigglers is growing while cutting their operating expenses so dramatically because of their use of technology is very impressive and a key reason they earned this recognition,” said Dave Marmonti, President of Dell Europe, Middle East and Africa. “With the economy top of mind for so many customers, I hope small businesses everywhere can learn from what they are doing and implement similar strategies in their companies.”

“The world has always depended on the innovations and inspiration of entrepreneurs to cure diseases, address challenges and most importantly jumpstart economies,” said Elmira Bayrasli, director of corporate partnerships for Endeavor. “Economies depend on high-growth, high-impact entrepreneurs. Endeavor is proud to support Dell's Small Business Excellence Award which encourages and inspires entrepreneurs to think and dream big."