According to a recent poll by Intuit Inc., 71{a1e4dbad5b5db674abcd08880e44cddfd507140ecbeb8646296ad08a1acb49a4} of small-business owners believe that social media is an effective way to keep customers engaged. But, more than 90{a1e4dbad5b5db674abcd08880e44cddfd507140ecbeb8646296ad08a1acb49a4} of the respondents do not have a blog, and over 60{a1e4dbad5b5db674abcd08880e44cddfd507140ecbeb8646296ad08a1acb49a4} do not use Twitter, Facebook or other networking sites to promote their businesses. However, the fact that about 40{a1e4dbad5b5db674abcd08880e44cddfd507140ecbeb8646296ad08a1acb49a4} DO use some form of social media shows a significant increase from the year before, when a survey by American Express OPEN found that only 10{a1e4dbad5b5db674abcd08880e44cddfd507140ecbeb8646296ad08a1acb49a4} were in the game. Still another survey by SaleSpider.com shows that 75{a1e4dbad5b5db674abcd08880e44cddfd507140ecbeb8646296ad08a1acb49a4} of small businesses plan to make social networking a greater priority this year.
So, the use of social media by small-business owners is on the rise. Which means that if you are a small business owner, your competitors are likely already using social media. Or, they are planning on using it to promote their businesses… sometime this year.
As the economy strengthens a bit, now is the time to use all of the available means to promote your business. Make social media a part of your overall marketing plan today.