VerticalResponse: SMBs focusing on Facebook, Twitter

As for what social sites they know, Facebook and Twitter are leading the pack. The VerticalResponse survey found nearly all (90%) of respondents are 'on' Facebook while 70% are 'on' Twitter. These SMBs are posting status updates and tweeting, but perhaps not as often as they should.

The data shows:

• 34% post to Facebook 'several' times each week
• Fewer than 20% post either daily or multiple times per day
• Nearly one-third post weekly to bi-monthly
• 31% haven't posted to Twitter
• Nearly half post to Twitter at least daily

"Our survey confirms that small businesses are understanding the value of social media," said Janine Popick, VerticalResponse CEO/founder. "They're spending more time doing it, and investing more money into it at a faster rate. But the extra work will likely lead to time management issues, especially for the small business owner who's handling social media on top of all the other responsibilities of running a company. This implies that small businesses are in need of tactics and tools now to help them save time."

As for what they're sharing in the social space, 55% say they have a company blog.

The main issue for social media, according to the report, is time. Of those SMBs who blog, most take at least 3 hours per post - that is time they can't spend on advertising, customer service or other business functions. Because of the time crunch, many are paying for social media analytics to find out just how well the social tools are being used. Researchers found 36% pay for publishing/analytical tools; about half of those spend more than $20 per month on these services.

Tags: small business tools, SMB trends, social media, social media trends, VerticalResponse