Small British businesses turn to social media for modern marketing

Friday, May 24, 2013 - 15:41 by Graham Miller

A new report from Groupon shows that small and medium sized businesses in the UK are increasingly choosing to use social media to advertise their services and engage consumers, rather than traditional promotional tools.

Fifty eight percent of SMBs questioned as part of the study said that they will be using sites like Facebook and Twitter to a greater degree over the coming year, to stimulate sales.

Twenty eight per cent of respondents said that they will also be working hard to make their portals for safe shopping online easier to use in 2013, while 17 per cent said that they would be rolling out customer service to cover social networks.

The majority of businesses involved in the study revealed that in order to focus on e-commerce and online marketing, they will be cutting the amount that is spent in other areas, such as using local directories or posting billboards.

This indicated that even smaller firms are coming round to the idea that safe shopping online and social media are more valuable avenues to pursue today.

Eight percent of respondents said that they would be cutting the amount of cash invested in m-commerce and email campaigns in 2013, which shows that almost all of the nation's SMBs are wise to the benefits of digital marketing techniques.

It is obviously important for businesses to strike the right balance between marketing in the real world and promoting themselves through social media and the web.

Twenty four percent of those questioned said that they felt it was important to keep in touch with customers on an increasingly regular basis, to ensure their satisfaction and secure repeat business.

With enhanced levels of engagement this should result in a better online experience for consumers, whether shopping with big name retailers or local firms.