Are SMEs struggling with social media marketing?

It seems that many small business owners believe in the power of Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter et al when it comes to marketing their business, but don’t have the time, resources, and often the inclination, to make effective use of them.

According to a new poll of 500 decision makers, nearly a third of them said Facebook would be effective in generating sales for their business, but only 5 per cent of respondents said that they are using the site for marketing their business and exploiting it fully.

Similarly, 18 per cent thought LinkedIn would generate sales leads but only 3 per cent are using it to the full. The figures for Twitter are 17 per cent and 4 per cent respectively.

Using social media as a business development tool will not always be the right route for every single SME, but what the research importantly shows is that there seems to be a gulf between those who say that a particularly social media site would be effective for generating leads, and the number who seem to be taking advantage of it.

Commenting on the results, Mark Speed, joint managing director of the survey conductor IFF Research, said: “Powerful marketing of a service or product can bring great dividends but it does require an investment of time and resource. There are some relatively quick wins, such as keeping company websites up to date with information designed to appeal to customers.”

However, the research shows that many decision makers are not taking advantage of these potential “quick wins” either, as 16 per cent of those with a website only update it once or year, or not at all. 

The research found that many companies simply lack the time or resource to market themselves, online or otherwise. Almost one in three (29 per cent) respondents said they are doing less marketing than they think is needed, while in terms of finding more time for marketing, 50 per cent agreed that running their business takes up all their time – meaning marketing is an afterthought.

Speed said: “A substantial proportion of SMEs admit they are not doing enough to market themselves, but there seems to be no easy solution when time is at a premium. And if time’s not a problem, inclination can be. We found that 44 per cent believe marketing is not something they enjoy but feel they have to do.”

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New Kind of Marketing Company From Former Apple Exec

Allison Johnson, who had been a top marketing exec for Apple, is finally close to launching on a new kind of marketing firm, sources said, with backing from Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey and Malaria No More co-founder Ray Chambers.

Sources said that Johnson — who had been Apple’s vice president of worldwide marketing communications since 2005, before she quit in March — has since been ruminating on how to create a different kind of marketing company. Its aim is to help big companies and brands connect more effectively with smaller tech companies and burgeoning social networks.

“It’s a different new model, although it’s certainly a full-service solution for companies from a marketing point of view,” said one source. “But it does not conform to a typical agency.”

It’s not clear how much funding Dorsey or Chambers have put up or when the firm will launch. It’s been in formation for many months, said sources.

But Johnson has been working closely on its creation with longtime Silicon Valley PR exec Sarah Ross and others. Previously, she had been talking about such a partnership with Facebook PR exec Brandee Barker, who is no longer involved in the project.

Johnson has also talked to former Facebook marketing director Randi Zuckerberg, who left the social networking site last week to start her own marketing firm, about working together.

Johnson declined to comment on the venture.

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