Small Businesses Benefit Most From Social Media
Many small businesses are hesitant to enter the social media marketplace and compete against large corporations that have millions of Facebook fans, Twitter followers, and dollars to throw into marketing.
However, with Facebook breaching 900,000 million users and over 80% of all Americans now using a social network, there is an obvious shift toward social media in online behavior that businesses - big or small - cannot ignore.
Though entering this new and changing landscape may seem daunting, it's absolutely necessary; and even though large corporations have more resources at their disposal, recent research suggests that small business owners are seeing the greatest results from social media marketing.
One benefit of using a social medium is that it helps businesses stand out in an increasingly noisy marketplace.
This is especially true for small business.
A 2011 study conducted by Michael Stelzner found that small business owners were more likely than all other groups (89.
2% of those surveyed reporting benefits) to see increased exposure.
The study also found that SMBs were twice as likely to find qualified leads through the use of social media than other types of businesses; and Forty-eight percent of small business owners saw improved sales as a direct result of their social networking efforts.
Local business experts agree that Facebook is one of the best ways for small businesses to attract customers, as social networks presents an unprecedented opportunity for SMBs to connect directly with customers, and get their brand and message in front of key audiences.
Furthermore, more people online tend to follow small businesses than large corporations because they feel more connected to them.
Having a presence online also gives businesses the ability to build and foster relationships, just as they would in face-to-face interactions at their workplace.
While it's obvious that this shift towards social marketing is going to continue to grow before it subsides, many small businesses have yet to unlock the marketing and branding potential of this massive trend.
Statistics from online business marketplace OfficeArrow expose the noteworthy disconnect between SMBs' acknowledgment of social media's value to their brand and their action (or lack thereof) upon that value.
For example, while 88 percent of SMBs say they believe social media does or will impact their business, only 63 percent have a social media footprint.
Even with this indisputable value, the majority of small businesses who have yet to test the waters of online marketing blame it on a lack of time and lack of knowledge.
However, small business owners will have to overcome this learning curve if they want to compete in the digital age.
Customers are online, and therefore businesses need to be as well (the online conversations surrounding a brand or product are going to continue, regardless of whether that company is online).
Virtually the only cost of social media is time.
While a SMB owner's time is valuable and limited, time must be made for online marketing - the benefits will far outweigh the cost.
However, with Facebook breaching 900,000 million users and over 80% of all Americans now using a social network, there is an obvious shift toward social media in online behavior that businesses - big or small - cannot ignore.
Though entering this new and changing landscape may seem daunting, it's absolutely necessary; and even though large corporations have more resources at their disposal, recent research suggests that small business owners are seeing the greatest results from social media marketing.
One benefit of using a social medium is that it helps businesses stand out in an increasingly noisy marketplace.
This is especially true for small business.
A 2011 study conducted by Michael Stelzner found that small business owners were more likely than all other groups (89.
2% of those surveyed reporting benefits) to see increased exposure.
The study also found that SMBs were twice as likely to find qualified leads through the use of social media than other types of businesses; and Forty-eight percent of small business owners saw improved sales as a direct result of their social networking efforts.
Local business experts agree that Facebook is one of the best ways for small businesses to attract customers, as social networks presents an unprecedented opportunity for SMBs to connect directly with customers, and get their brand and message in front of key audiences.
Furthermore, more people online tend to follow small businesses than large corporations because they feel more connected to them.
Having a presence online also gives businesses the ability to build and foster relationships, just as they would in face-to-face interactions at their workplace.
While it's obvious that this shift towards social marketing is going to continue to grow before it subsides, many small businesses have yet to unlock the marketing and branding potential of this massive trend.
Statistics from online business marketplace OfficeArrow expose the noteworthy disconnect between SMBs' acknowledgment of social media's value to their brand and their action (or lack thereof) upon that value.
For example, while 88 percent of SMBs say they believe social media does or will impact their business, only 63 percent have a social media footprint.
Even with this indisputable value, the majority of small businesses who have yet to test the waters of online marketing blame it on a lack of time and lack of knowledge.
However, small business owners will have to overcome this learning curve if they want to compete in the digital age.
Customers are online, and therefore businesses need to be as well (the online conversations surrounding a brand or product are going to continue, regardless of whether that company is online).
Virtually the only cost of social media is time.
While a SMB owner's time is valuable and limited, time must be made for online marketing - the benefits will far outweigh the cost.
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