According to a recent survey by Internet2Go and MerchantCircle, there is a growing segment of online small-business owners who are aggressively promoting their businesses with social media.
The survey found that 45% of the leading-edge group (most frequent content publishers) have a presence or profiles on Facebook and Twitter and use social media to promote their businesses online.
Additional survey findings:
- 79 percent of respondents report to have planned for less than $5K per year on advertising and marketing
- Aother 44 percent have planned for less than $1K annually.
- The two major obstacles for SMBs to spend on online marketing, was that it is too costly (26%) and lack of time (15.9%)
According to a report from Borrell Associates, SMBs are planning triple their website spending in the next several years. Investment in local online advertising is also expected to be increasing heavily.