Laura Donovan
- 47% of Small Businesses don’t actively use Social Media
- 25% of Small Businesses have no future plans to use Social Media
- 53% of Small Businesses that do use Social Media plan to devote more time and money to their Social Marketing
Research firm Clutch polled small businesses of varying sizes to determine Social Media use and importance in Small Business.
If you are one of the small businesses who have no interest in Social Media your business is missing a great opportunity. Your customers are using Social Media, your potential customers are using Social Media and your competitors are using Social Media.
This means that your competitors are likely grabbing customers that potentially could have been yours. Not using Social Media when your competitors are basically translates to giving them business, while you lose it.
“If small businesses want to compete, they have to be participating in social media,” Mike Rosa, director of marketing at online marketing agency 180Fusion, said in the release. “More and more, people are becoming a little bit wary of traditional advertising. They’re much more likely to take referrals and reviews from people that they know and trust, which can be found on social media.”
Social Media has many benefits and is a crucial tool for the growth and success of today’s businesses. Social media provides a platform to communicate company news and information, increases organic search rank (SEO), creates a community of satisfied customers, which creates referral sources, and can increase revenue.
“If you’re a small to medium sized business and have limited resources, having an agency involved is very important. Ideally the best outcomes…are in situations where small businesses have an agency in place to provide, strategy and generate content, and then having a business owner engaged on their end” Ssid Rosa.
Additionally, Social Media is now one of the only places around that you can advertise your products and services for a reasonable budget. Advertising is key to getting your information out even further.
However, 21% of Small Businesses have decreased their ad spend and 13% don’t advertise at all.
“I don’t think small businesses have to spend a lot on ads. I think it’s a great way to increase following…and engage with followers…They [ads] can be really effective with just a little bit of money. I think companies do benefit from ads once they build up their presence,” said Anthony Gaenzle from EnVeritas Group.
Social Media has become an important tool for marketing and advertising. If you are one of the 47% not using it for your business it is time to get started if you want your business to grow.
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