â–¶ Small Businesses More Digital/Social: Small business owners see social media as a key to customer engagement, says a survey by Constant Contact. In the study, small businesses reported an increased use of social media tools, viewing these tools as additive and complementary to other marketing activities. Specific findings include:
• 63% cite Facebook and 30.7% mention Twitter as important tools for marketing, up from 50.5% and 25.6%, respectively, from a March 2010 survey.
• Other online tools rate as very important as tools for finding new customers: 68.8% rate a company’s Web site and 58.6% rate e-mail marketing as very important for finding new customers.
• When looking for new customers, 91% cite the value and importance of word of mouth.
• Nearly 75% of respondents say they expect their businesses to grow in the next year.
Source: Constant Contact