If you’re looking at social media for marketing purposes, this survey of 600 small businesses makes it clear what to stay away from.
The online business community Manta surveyed around 600 small-business owners, and found Pinterest received a 1 percent response and Groupon a less than 1 percent response to marketing efforts.
Even Facebook took a hit in the survey with 58% of small-business owners saying they have a hard time finding value in using Facebook to promote their business or that they don’t have a page.
Internet is still important
All things considered, most of these small businesses still see value in the internet at large.
About a quarter of those surveyed said their websites drive the most business, while 90% said they dedicate time to networking online and 74% said they found online networking at least as valuable, if not more so, as in-person networking.
Manta’s CEO, Pamela Springer, said the study has made clear that small businesses understand they need to go where the audience is and target prospective buyers.
Why not Pinterest or Groupon?
If you’re going to target buyers on the internet and social media, the best bet is to tell marketing to not waste time with Pinterest, unless your product or service would be especially appealing in photographs. Restaurants, bakeries, clothing lines, caterers, jewelry stores, etc., may be able to target prospects because there’s something physical they can show off. But if you’re a B2B offering a very specific service, Pinterest may not be for you just yet.
As for Groupon, the service’s attractiveness has only been waning and a number of businesses don’t see increased foot traffic or activity once their particular promotion runs out.
Instead, focus on building relationships with customers via Facebook or Twitter. When you can attract a good chunk of fans and followers, then explore branching out onto other networks like Pinterest or Foursquare.
Disagree? Have you had success with Pinterest or Groupon? Let us know in the comments below.
