Are Small Businesses Missing The Boat on Search Advertising?
Many small businesses are coming around to the value of doing business online, and a web presence is becoming more and more popular as technology advances and the internet grows. However, according to a recent study out by the Microsoft adCenter, many small businesses have yet to embrace the potential value of search advertising. In fact, 73% of 400 small business owners surveyed would rather do their own taxes than start a paid search marketing campaign. Participants cited expense, time, and complexity as their greatest concerns, but Brian Boland, director of the Microsoft adCenter, says these concerns “run counter to widely held industry views on paid search marketing, which recognize the practice as one of the most cost-effective, easy-to-use, measurable and accountable forms of marketing.”
So are small businesses missing the boat? Eighty-six percent of small business owners surveyed felt they might be missing opportunities to grow, and three quarters believed people might be searching online for their type of service. And although only a small percentage surveyed already use paid search marketing, seventy-two percent of those who do reported an increase in sales inquiries, and sixty-eight percent consider their paid search advertising efforts a success.
These days small businesses face extreme competition, a financial crisis, and serious recession, but rather than cutting back on marketing, experts recommend increased marketing as a way to survive these tough times, and many business owners agree. In a recent study by Ad-ology Research of 863 small business owners, 52% agreed with the statement, “You can gain market share while marketing when your competitors are cutting back,” according to an Eweek article by Nathan Eddy.
As small businesses move increasingly online, they will have much to learn about marketing strategies, “paid” or “unpaid”. There are digital marketing companies that specialize in digital marketing solutions, and they might be a good place to start.
