A Must-Have for Small Business Owners

SOCIAL MEDIA: A MUST-HAVE FOR SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS A GROWING NUMBER of small businesses continue to adopt social media marketing. 81% now report using social medla channels to market their businesses, up from the 73% reported six months earlier. 81% 73%, THE 3 MOST I MPORTANT reasons small businesses leverage social media are. VISIBILITY CONNECT WITH CUSTOMERS SELF-PROMOTION 60% OF SMALL BUSINESSES that use social media respond to comments on soclal media platforms, whether those posts are positive or negative. Those that do not respond report that they do not have time, they do not think it's necessary, or they do not know what to say. all TOP SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS Facebook (96%) Twitter (76%) Linkedin (62%) Video-Sharing Sites (53%) Googlet (30%) MySpace (19%) In addition, roughly 1/2 (51%) of the small businesses that use social media publish a blog. SMALL BUSINESSES VALUE face-to-face interaction even though online tools are clear time and resource savers. 81% use face-to-face interactions to connect with current and prospective customers. 62% plan to host an event in the next 12 months to connect with customers and prospects. AMONG SMALL BUSINESSES that use social media, 61% say their efforts overall are effective. EFFECTIVENESS APPEARS TO be improving across various social platforms. 60% of those using Twitter find it effective for marketing their business, up from 47% six months earlier. 55% of those using LinkedIn find that channel effective, up from 47%. 86% of those using Facebook find it effective, up from 82%, 50% OF SMALL BUSINESS owners reported gaining new customers through social medla, most notably Facebook and LinkedIn. SMALL BUSINESSES ARE getting savvier witih soclal media. Among those using social media, the perceived barriers to social media adoption have fallen: 83% of small businesses now say social media is a low-cost marketing channel, up from 72% six months earlier. 67% say social media is easy to use, up from 54%. 51% say their customers use social media channels, up from 38%. 45% say social media doesn't take a lot of time to use, up from 31%. CAN YOU AFFORD NOT TO GIVE SOCIAL MEDIA A TRY? NEARLY 60% OF SMALL business decision makers spend less than $100 on social media and 74% of businesses do not employ anyone to manage their soclal media marketing. 60% 74% ödm group http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/26-promising- social-media-stats-for-small-businesses/ odmgrp.com http://www.marketingprofs.com/charts/2011/6510/more- small-businesses-embracing-social-media ------- ------