Small business owners are high on social media — 88% now use it as part of their digital marketing strategy.
Yet they also continue to invest in the old standby channels: 56%
plan to boost their website marketing, 54% plan to increase their email and 32% plan to amp up their video use in 2020, according to 7 Digital Marketing Tips For Small Businesses in 2020, a study by
the B2B site The Manifest.
And an astonishing 63% of business owners polled still use traditional marketing vehicles such as print.
Email is popular among small business owners in all
age groups. Among the millennial business owners polled, 80% plan to spend more on email marketing, as do 73% of Generation X business owners and 65% of baby boomers who own businesses.
In
contrast, 50% of millennial business owners will boost their spend on social media, along with 31% of Gen Xer owners and 26% of boomers who own businesses.
At the same time, 50% of millennials
will increase their website investment, as will 59% of Gen Xers and 52% of boomers.
Of those polled, 76% say their digital marketing efforts are effective in achieving their goals.
But
they’re trying to control costs — 63% rely on in-house employees who double up on digital marketing and other responsibilities. Only 16% have staffers totally focused on digital.
The respondents listed six goals for their digital marketing:
- Convert leads to customers
- Increase website traffic
- Support revenue generation
- Increase
brand engagement
- Build brand awareness
The Manifest surveyed 500 small business owners and managers across the United States.