Report: SMBs focused on social media
Instead of hiring new employees, small businesses are focused on the social sector. According to Manta’s survey about one-quarter are upping the social media ante by investing more dollars into social marketing.
“As a highly pragmatic and time-constrained group, small business owners are strategically adopting platforms that show real results for their business,” said Pamela Springer, CEO of Manta. “However, social media is not a stationary phenomenon. As SMBs shift from the experimental stage to a results-focused phase, their social media usage will evolve to maximize the value.”
Already small businesses have increased their social media outlay. The Manta survey found:
• Nearly half of SMB respondents have increase their social media presence year over year
• 31% push between one and three hours to social media work during their week
• 10% spend at least 10 hours on social media each week
How are small businesses learning about social media integration? Most are turning to online outlets.
“I dedicate the most time on Manta because only a small business-focused platform will help me find and target the right prospects for my business,” said Allan Cooper, president of Bin There Dump That, a dumpster delivery servicebased in based in Florissant, CO. “Eighty-five percent of incoming phone leads are due to my online presence. Manta’s features are giving my business a leg up and more importantly, they don’t drain my budget like services from other platforms.”
Just over one-third said they turn to online resources like Manta to learn how to improve their social media presence. As for how their investment is paying off, about one-third of SMBs say they’ve seen returns of up to $2,000.
Looking ahead, small businesses are focused on Facebook – not because they’re seeing benefits from Facebook but because they see Facebook as the most difficult social media site to maintain (18%).
