Do Small Businesses Understand "Word of Mouth" and "Social Media?"

Uptake of social media marketing among small and medium-sized businesses has become widespread, according to eMarketer. Small business owners and managers tend to see it as a cost-effective, easy-to-use marketing channel that can boost customer acquisition as well as fulfill other marketing goals.

But it might also be fair to say that most small businesses still don’t see social media as a necessity. On the other hand, at least half of small business executives surveyed on behalf of insurance provider Hiscox said they used social media for business purposes, but a plurality also declared that it wasn’t necessary to their business. Just 12 percent considered it a “must” activity

At the same time, 50 percent of respondents said the marketing tool they could not do without was word-of-mouth. Just four percent said the same about social media, even though the goal of most social media marketing efforts is to create word-of-mouth.

As with most other important new innovations, it takes a while for people to adjust to new tools and understand their value. Social media is all about word of mouth. It appears people just don't widely appreciate that fact.

Are Small Businesses Apathetic About Social Media?