Constant Contact: Small businesses using more Internet marketing tools

Over half (52%) of the U.S. small businesses surveyed by Constant Contact said they were optimistic that holiday sales this year would outperform last. That's a significant increase on last year when less than a third of respondents were optimistic.

"Small business owners have again proven their resilience by surviving one of the toughest years in decades. They have clearly told us that marketing plays an important role in keeping strong connections with their existing customers and attracting new ones," said Gail Goodman, CEO of Constant Contact.

As other recent surveys from the likes of Vertical Response and Campaigner have also found, email marketing continues to be the most popular online channel among small businesses, ahead of online advertising and social media marketing. Overall, 89% of respondents aim to use online marketing, in some form or another, over the holiday period - 30% up on last year.

"Consistent with their generally optimistic outlook, these business leaders now look toward a more promising future, because they have learned how to promote themselves through new platforms and developed habits and practices that will serve them well in any kind of economy," observed Goodman.

Survey results can be found online (.pdf).

Tags: email marketing, online advertising, online marketing, small businesses, SMBs, social media