COMMENTS
Very interesting post. Good stuff. Is there information about who was polled? While I am a firm believer in social media, the trend suggested here doesn't seem to map to the experience I have with local small businesses.
What are others experiencing?
I don't see this with local small businesses either. However, I think it is because they just don't know the power of social media yet. Some don't even know the value of having a website yet!
I personally think that not utilizing the power of the internet is going to be the downfall of some small businesses.
In today's economy, businesses need to take advantage of every avenue that will give them leverage.
This is powerful information!
I agree with Mark & Christi...this is an area small businesses should pay attention to.
@businessethos
we actually were targeting local busines as they dont have a clue on this, but another factor is they cannot afford to go without and canot afford to be included. sad but true,
if your a good company and want to help your community its time to drop off your business card and give them a discount.
thanks.
I agree with Troy. Many of my clients are just starting to feel their way around the edges of social marketing. Most of them think they can create a facebook account and post to it once a month to get the benefit. I'm finding they're not quite ready to commit the time, focus and authenticity needed to succeed with social media.
The time commitment is definitely the issue with small businesses. While the upfront costs are small I've often seen people scared off by the thought that they might not be able to handle the space properly..
In South Africa specifically I'm hoping more small businesses will get over this and start engaging as the 2010 World Cup comes closer. The benefits can outweigh the time commitment.
Actually, the report say that while B2B buyers USE social media, that they do NOT base buying decisions on information from social media. They rely principally on word of mouth. To make social media viable for B2B marketers, they have to convert the buyers - perhaps by showing them that social media is the new way to get their "word of mouth."
Michael Kelberer
Michael, your right on.
one thing to do is lead by example by showing your leads what thier looking for. Its so hard to translate our internet jargon into proof, so we actually bring our proof to them, as time is of the essance it will make or break you if you dont take advantage of it.
We've just done a small study with local small business owners regarding training in, among other things, use of the web. They overwhelmingly want old-style marketing communications training (how to make an ad, how to create a referral program) over anything else, and more than that, they think a day's training is worth between %50 and $100 - the value equation just isn't there for them. So we are being very careful about assuming social marketing's impact in this sector.
Congratulations, another great post. I get so much help and support from you guys, its great.Thanks again.
jo