I was pretty surprised to be informed by the 201 episode of the Canadian podcast Inside PR (28th of April, 2010) that the small business in the USA is not actively using online tools to benefit its growth and expansion. The hosts of the Inside PR (Martin, Jini and Joe) cited a new survey conducted by Citibank among 552 small companies in the States on usage of internet, online tools and social media.
Even though the enormous buzz around the social media and the online tools and their power, according to the results of the survey it occurred that:
- 37% of these companies have not used a website for marketing or expanding their business;
- 84% have not used online tools to help them to sell their products and services;
- 62% are not using basic e-mail for marketing;
- 74% of those of companies which have website say that it has helped them to popularize their business and to attract new clients;
- 65% are not placing online ads;
- 30% answer that they plan to use social media in the next 12 months;
"Many small businesses today have yet to really harness the marketing and communication power that online tools can provide them," said Raj Seshadri, the head of Small Business Banking at Citibank. "Our survey reveals a huge opportunity for many businesses to begin using some of the basic online tools, such as email marketing, to drive their sales." (www.darkreading.com)
Aren't you surprised? Because I am really surprised. Although the obvious positive business and marketing effects of the internet popularity, the online instruments which are business friendly and helpful are still underestimated and not actively used.
QUESTION:
What's your opinion?
How can you comment these results from the Citibank's survey?
More about the survey: Small Businesses Not Leveraging Online Tools for Growth
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