SMB’s Not Investing Online, Lack Web Presence Effectiveness: Harvard SMB Digital Trends Study

Harvard Technology and Entrepreneurship Center 2017 Small Business Digital Trends Report indicates that few SMB’s invest enough online and suffer inadequate Web Presence effectiveness.

Article here:

https://smallbiztrends.com/2017/02/2017-small-business-digital-trends-report.html

Web.com (NASDAQ:WEB) CEO David Brown said in a prepared release on the study:

“In 2017, it is no longer enough for small business owners to be online with just a website. They need business-specific social media channels that engage customers, they need a search-engine-optimization (SEO) strategy that will get them on the top of search lists, and they need online marketing advice from real people who understand how to stay one step ahead of their competition and customer expectations…”

Steve Robinson with ImoraMarketingAcademy.com commented this morning:

“It comes as no surprise that 85% of small businesses hit a roadblock in marketing their businesses online.

I believe that there are 2 reasons for this;

(1) business owners might be ‘transacting’ online, but they don’t get much from their online ‘marketing’, they don’t know why and they don’t really know what to do about it. A regular feature of clients I start to work with is that they all have a web presence but when I ask how many leads they get from it, they either get little or none, or they just don’t know.

(2) and this is the killer, they are increasingly ‘Time-Poor’ and because they currently get little if anything from their online marketing, they don’t want to spend time or money on it. So they need simple, clear and easy-to-implement strategies that have an immediate and direct effect on the impact of their business marketing.

I couldn’t agree more with the quote from David Brown in the report; “(the objective is..) to get their business in front of the right customers” and I might just add “with their own unique, engaging and compelling message!”

The boldfacing (ours) in Steves quote of David Brown resonates 100% with InterWestIT.com’s perspective. We might also assert “And do IT affordably”

Th Digital Trends Study is definitely worth finding time to digest …