According the fall 2010 American Express OPEN Small Business Monitor, 39% of small business owners reported using social media to increase their exposure. Business owners are beginning to see the incentive of using social media as part of their Internet marketing strategies. When small businesses connect and interact with customers they build brand loyalty, which leads to quality web traffic. In fact, 15 % of the survey respondents cited social media as having helped increase traffic to their sites. With the slow recovery of the economy, it’s not surprising to see small businesses turning to social media as an inexpensive means of Internet marketing. However, American Express also found that more than three in five small business do not use social media, claiming that social media does not apply to their industry. Not all small businesses see social media as a useful marketing tool, but perhaps this will change in time.
Written by Ana A.
