Survey Says

Things are looking up for small biz. Some results from the Constant Contact 2011 Small Business Survey.

On the economy:
• More than half of those surveyed saw an increase in revenues in 2010
• A whopping 4 of 5 of respondents expect to see an increase in revenues in 2011

Online marketing:
• Email remains the lynchpin of online programs, with nearly all respondents using email and almost ¾ checking it multiple times per day
• Facebook is definitely “Liked” – 95% of those using social media use the tool, with 82% finding it effective

Expect 2011 growth:
• In 2010, 77% of small businesses remained flat or saw an increase in revenues
• 82 % of small businesses expect to see an increase in revenues in the next 12 months

Remaining challenges: attracting new customers, generating referrals, and making marketing dollars go further top the list of concerns

Traditional marketing rules:
o 79% find email marketing to be effective for marketing their organization
o 76% find website to be effective for marketing their organization
o 64% find event marketing to be effective for marketing their organization

Social media catching up:
• 80% of small businesses increased their use of social media in the last 12 months
• The clear leader for small businesses is Facebook: 95% of those using social media are using Facebook