PHOENIX and IRVINE,
Calif., May 6, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --
G/O Digital, the leader in local, integrated marketing, in
partnership with Entrepreneur magazine released its latest
research report: Crossing the Digital Divide. The
report, which surveyed almost 600 U.S. small- and
medium-sized business owners, identifies what factors are critical
in guiding small business marketing investments and planning. The
full report can be downloaded from godigitalmarketing.com.
According to the study, only 4 percent of respondents have
dedicated marketing employees and lack in-house skills and industry
knowledge when it comes to digital marketing. Almost 80 percent of
small businesses spend 5 percent or less of their annual revenue on
digital marketing, despite recognizing they need to leverage
strategies like PPC and SEO.
When it comes to digital marketing decisions, small businesses
currently find the most value in data-driven research to inform
their day-to-day operations. In fact, 33 percent of respondents
said they are most likely to share research studies with their
colleagues and another 26 percent would be inclined to share
product demonstration videos. This is in stark contrast to
actionable tools, like ROI/marketing spend calculators, which came
in much lower at only 17 percent.
"Small businesses want to maximize their online visibility and
it's evident that without dedicated marketing teams and budgets
allocated outside of marketing, every digital marketing action
counts," says Raghav Mathur, VP of
Strategy and Business Development at G/O Digital.
Before small businesses make the decision to spend money, a
great reputation is one of the most important factors in the
process. The study reveals that outside of pricing
information, testimonials, references and peer recommendations are
what small businesses find most useful when researching digital
marketing solutions.
Additional findings from the study include:
- Small businesses are doing more with less. 76 percent of
SMBs have fewer than 10 full-time employees, and 61 percent had an
annual revenue of more than $500,000
— 12 years ago, only 45 percent could say that.
- Small Businesses are increasingly using mobile. When
asked which device small business owners use when accessing
business-related content, mobile/smartphones were on par with the
use of laptop computers.
- Free resources and tools will make you a more attractive
vendor. Almost 350 respondents said that access to free
resources and tools was at least fairly important to their
purchasing decision with a vendor.
- Price reigns supreme, but so does comprehension of the
organization. Over one-quarter of respondents said that an
understanding of their organizational needs and goals was the most
important factor when selecting a vendor.
Research for Crossing the Digital Divide was conducted
between November 12, 2014 and
February 16, 2015 and included
responses from 591 small businesses.
G/O Digital and Entrepreneur partner to bring small
businesses a webinar on digital marketing in Building a
Living and Breathing Marketing Strategy on Thursday, May 7 at 11am
PT/2pm ET.
About G/O Digital
The G/O Digital vision: To Transform Local Marketing and
#WinLocal.
For Local Businesses, G/O Digital, a Gannett company, is
one-stop shop for local businesses looking to connect with
consumers through digital marketing, from search to social and
everything in between. For National Brands and Agencies, G/O
Digital delivers local digital activation at national scale with
push-button simplicity powered by G/O Digital brands: Shoplocal,
BLiNQ Media & Key Ring.
G/O Digital partners with more than 5,000 of the nation's top
brands and retailers, including P&G, Target, Walmart and
Walgreens and leads digital marketing programs with thousands of
local businesses across more than 110 local markets. For more
information, visit www.godigitalmarketing.com and
@godigitalmarketing.
About Entrepreneur Media Inc.
Entrepreneur Media Inc. is the premier content provider for and
about entrepreneurs. Our products engage and inspire every day with
the advice, solutions and resources that fuel the bold and
independent way entrepreneurs think. Entrepreneur.com is the most
widely used website by entrepreneurs and emerging businesses
worldwide.
To learn more, visit entrepreneur.com.
Follow us on Twitter at @Entrepreneur, and like us on Facebook
at facebook.com/entmagazine.
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SOURCE G/O Digital