Small Businesses Plan To Increase Social Media Usage [REPORT]

Small business owners are increasingly using their websites and social media channels to promote growth, according to a recent Citibank survey.

Of the 749 businesses that were questioned, 60% “plan to increase activity on their website for marketing purposes” and “40% intend to use social networking sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter for marketing or expanding their businesses – up 10 points from 2010,” Citibank reports.

While 70% of small business owners use their websites as a marketing channel, 41% have used sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Small businesses, which typically have limited budgets, need to utilize social media sites for financial and efficiency purposes. In this tough economy, social media marketing is a smart way to save money. As customers integrate the Internet further into their lives, it’s wise to connect with them on the sites they use the most.

Small business owners need to take a cue from the larger companies and jump on the bandwagon. Social media isn’t fading away anytime soon.

Image courtesy of Flickr, webtreats