SMBs Boost Spending on Digital Marketing; Facebook & Fans Worth About $174 a Clip to Consumer Brands

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▶ SMBs get religion on digital marketing

Two thirds of small businesses (66%) plan to invest as much, if not more, on digital marketing in 2013, according to AT&T’s “Small Business Technology Poll.”

The survey, which took the pulse of 1,000 small businesses nationwide, found that digital and wireless technologies have become essential tools among SMBs.

Yet, despite the higher spending on digital communications, more than 80% of the respondents said world-of-mouth marketing is an essential business strategy.

It seems that small businesses are wedding old and new strategies to build “new connections without borders,” said Cathy Martime, AT&T’s executive VP of small business solutions, in a statement.

Here are some of the other findings from the survey:

  • 36% of small businesses report they use LinkedIn as a marketing tool, up 16% compared with 2012.
  • 93% of startups intend on maximizing word-of-mouth marketing tactics.
  • Facebook participation among small businesses fell from 44% in 2012, to 41% in 2013.
  • 71% of respondents are “somewhat” or “very likely” to increase mobile marketing budgets.
  • 66% of respondents claim it would be difficult or impossible to survive without wireless technologies.

Nearly one-third (31%) of small businesses surveyed use mobile apps, with the top three reasons being to save time, increase productivity and reduce costs; among small businesses using mobile apps, GPS navigation and mapping are by far the most popular, with 74% of business owners using them.

Source: eWeek

▶ What’s a “fan” worth?

A new study from Sycapse and Hotspex reports the value of a Facebook fan has increased 28% since 2010.
 
The study compared Facebook fans and non-fans from 20 global brands and looked at their product spending, brand loyalty, aptness to share or recommend a product, media value, cost of acquisition and brand affinity.
 
Data was collected from 2,000 U.S. panelists, with the assumption that 20% of a brand’s consumer base represents 80% of revenues and 20% of that segment accounts for a high index of a given fan base. The final results indicate that the average value of each fan has risen to $174, from $136.
 
Here are a couple of other salient stats from the report:
  • Coca-Cola is reported to have the least valuable fan base, at $70.16 per fan. Of course, the soda giant is competing against several companies that sell much more expensive products.
  • Fans spend an average of 11 hours per week on Facebook, compared with six hours among nonfans.
  • Approximately three quarters of fans are likely to share a quality brand experience, discounts or promotions with friends via Facebook. PRN

Sources: Sycapse, Hotspex

Moms Dote on Social Networking

Social Media

% of Moms (18-34)

General Population

% Add’l Reach

Facebook

84%

73%

14%

YouTube

77

61

26

Instagram

27

15

79

Twitter

25

19

31

Pinterest

24

15

58

Google+

20

17

16

BabyCenter and comScore recently released some interesting data on moms’ social networking behavior. According to the report, moms aged 18-34 are 10% more likely to engage in social networking than the general population. What is more, visual mediums like YouTube, Instagram and Pinterest test especially well with moms, outpacing the general population by 12%.

Sources: BabyCenter, comScore

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