Small Businesses Missing Out on Online Media

Why are our small business clients so reluctant to go online?

According to research from Webvisible and Nielsen, reported by Marketing Charts, though 63% of consumers and small business owners turn to the internet first for information about local companies and 82% use search engines to do so, only 44% of small businesses have a website and half spend less than 10% of their marketing budget online.

Small businesses are missing out on big returns.

“Of those surveyed, 50% said search engines were the first place they looked when seeking a local business, while 24% chose the Yellow Pages directories.” An online presence means that you are putting your small business in view of your local community. Online media is not just for large companies. This is a clear niche that you can build a very successful SEO strategy.

The web is changing the way we look for information.

This by no means excludes small businesses. The study goes on to state that “92% of searchers say they are happy with the results they get when using search engines, though 39% report frequently not being able to locate a particular known business.” Where are the small businesses? If you are not there, your customers will “contact a similar business with a stronger online presence.”

“Despite the growing use of online media for local searches, only 41% of small businesses report turning to online search engines first, and 31% turn to Yellow pages directories first. In addition, only 44% of small businesses have a website.” In an economy where budgets are extremely tight, small businesses are continuing to miss out on online media. This is an area where a small business could see a large amount of ROI with relatively little overhead.

Establishing an online presence is extremely important.

A basic website that is easy to use and professionally designed could be the vehicle that drives local traffic straight to your front door.There is no reason that small businesses cannot compete online. It is a market that is in many ways stronger than a large corporation. The key is being there!

Source
http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=99952