According to the “Small Business Marketing Forecast 2010” from Ad-ology, the majority of small businesses have not yet fully embraced social media to benefit their businesses.
The study reported that while Facebook seems to be the most popular social network of choice, the majority (53%) of mom-and-pop stores still have not taken advantage of it. And while YouTube has reached 100 million U.S. viewers, 73% of small retailers did not use it.
The survey respondents reasoned that, while they were all aware of social media buzz, they were not on the social media bandwagon because they didn’t have time and staff and claimed that their customers were not on social networks. The study attributed the social media absence in this business segment to the lack of knowledge and understanding and suggested that educational efforts are in order.
This is a good example of where one’s awareness of an issue is not enough to spur an adoption. We social media enthusiasts may be preaching to the choir and believe everybody should sing along. But it may take longer time and more evidence on how social media affects the bottom line before small businesses see any values of and invest in social networks.
