Small business marketers are looking for help in addressing a number of pain points, including choosing the right sales and marketing tools, building automated sales and marketing processes and developing appropriate content. These are some of the findings of a research study from Infusionsoft, titled: The American Dream: What Really Motivates Small Business Owners.

“The results of the survey paint a clear picture of the sales and marketing technology challenges facing small businesses today,” said Greg Head, CMO of Infusionsoft. “The data shows small businesses need better education on how to select and use technology, and they still feel somewhat lost on finding the right solution for their specific needs. By sharing the results, the market will gain a better understanding of what small businesses want from technology.”

HubSpot recently introduced updates to its marketing automation platform, including a Content Optimization System (COS), a social media tool called Social Inbox and a new analytic reporting engine. The company also unveiled Signals, an app for sales reps.

The COS serves as part content management system, part personalization engine, and is fully integrated with every marketing channel, according to HubSpot Co-Founders Brian Halligan and Dharmesh Shah.

Room 214, a digital and social media marketing agency, recently joined LaunchPoint, Marketo’s partner ecosystem.

In addition to social media and digital marketing services, Room 214 provides consulting services to companies that are implementing the Marketo platform. More than 35% of Room 214 employees are Marketo certified.

Traditionally, the inside salesperson has been a junior staffer who does some of the legwork and generates leads for the more seasoned field sales professionals, who close the deals. That role is rapidly changing, and many inside salespeople are more technically savvy than some of their more experienced counterparts. Even the title “inside sales rep” is evolving, with many organizations now referring to this role as business development representative.

There is a move toward inside sales professionals who make calls from their offices but also travel outside to visit prospects and sometimes even have a hand in closing deals. Industry observers say that this new breed of salesperson is adept at using the variety of technology available — from live video conferencing to social media and text messaging — to connect with prospects.

Brainshark has launched VideoSync, a Brainshark On-Demand feature that incorporates video into standard slide presentations.

VideoSync can be used to display video clips of subject matter expert commentary, pre-recorded product demos and executive speeches alongside slide content, according to company officials.

ActiveCampaign, an email marketing software provider, announced its users could now manage up to 2,500 contacts for free. According to a company press release, this is a “tenfold increase” over the previous number.

The company has also added full access to other marketing automation features that were once only available to paid subscribers. Users of the servicecan now send as many as 10,000 emails per month with phone, live chat and email support without having to sign up for a payment plan.

CallidusCloud reported total revenue of $25.9 million for the second quarter, an increase of 9% over the same period in the prior year.

“In the quarter we added 183 net new subscription logos, up 25% year over year, and generated $5.2 million of cash from operations,” said Leslie Stretch, President and CEO. “We expect this momentum in the business to continue through 2013 and beyond.” 

BrightEdge, a content marketing platform vendor, released its Mobile Share study that revealed that smartphone users have much lower conversion rates than those viewing content on other devices.

Desipite a 125% increase in mobile traffic, users accessing content on smartphones convert at a rate 0.3 times that of tablet and desktop users. This presents a challenge for marketers as they seek ways to monetize mobile and connect with buyers, according to company officials.