how smbs in the uk are embracing social media [2015 research]
TRANSCRIPT
Who did we survey? 456 Decision-Makers in Small and Medium Businesses (SMBs) in the UK How are SMBs defined? Businesses with:
• Less than 500 employees • Less than £4M GBP
annual revenue
This report explores how Small and Medium Businesses (SMBs) in the UK make use of social media.
70%
68%
have an increased number of customers
have increased overall revenue
have increased overall profitability 63%
4
SMBs in the UK are experiencing widespread year-on-year growth
HYPER-GROWTH Significant increase in overall
revenue compared to last year
5
15% of SMBs report that they are currently in a hyper-growth phase
15%
53%
32%
GROWTH Increase in overall revenue
compared to last year
NON-GROWTH No change or decrease in overall revenue compared to last year
6
Almost all SMBs surveyed use Social Media for their business…
93% of SMBs are Current
Users of Social Media
4% are Future Users
7
92%
80%
68%
43% 39%
17% 11%
LinkedIn Twitter Facebook YouTube Google+ Pinterest Instagram
and LinkedIn is the #1 Social Media site used by the companies of the individual SMB professionals surveyed
9
Lead generation and social media are cited as the main contributors to SMB growth
39%
29%
41% 41%
17% 13%
7% 8%
Contributed to growth incustomer numbers
Contributed to growth inoverall revenue
Social media and social ads Lead Generation
Other online ads Offline ads
10
Growing SMBs were significantly more likely to plan to increase their Social Media spend in the next 12 months
63% 69%
53%
39% 41% 39%
Increased Social Mediaspend this year
Increased Lead generationspend this year
Hyper-growth SMBs Growth SMBs Non-growth SMBs
11
Top challenges currently faced by SMBs relate to generating business, boosting profit margins and hiring
27%
30%
31%
32%
67%
Managing cash flow
Finding and hiring good employees
Marketing and advertising effectively
Increasing profit margins
Attracting new / retaining current customers
12
Social media is helping SMBs overcome some of their key challenges
“Social media is important for retaining/getting new
customers”
“Social media is important for marketing my company”
79%
68%
“Social media helps my
company source and hire new employees”
45%
14
have used LinkedIn for financial purposes
37% 43% are already using Social Media for at least one financial purpose
15
SMBs can be reached on LinkedIn at each stage of their decision making journey
2%
2%
8%
9%
10%
13%
19%
10%
20%
Purchased an insurance product
Opened a new financial account
Discussed a financial product / policy or account typewith a family member, friend, or colleague
Asked a financial professional for additional info about afinancial product / policy / account type
Contacted a financial representative
Conducted additional research on a financial product
Shared info about financial trends/products/companies
Learned of a financial product was not aware of
Learned about a financial company was not aware ofAwareness
Consideration
Purchase
SMBs will be most engaged by do-it-yourself content, as well as innovation news, and peer or expert reviews
16
Top 6 Impactful Types of Financial services Content
1
Best practices, How-To-guides and
checklists
2
New innovation and technology developments
3
Peer ratings, reviews or testimonials
6
Thought leadership articles and stories
4
Expert ratings, reviews or testimonials
5
Customer stories and case studies
17
Top Trending Topics among Manager+ in SMBs in the UK
3 month time-frame. LinkedIn: Feb 24th – May 24th
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Get the Free B2B Content Marketing Report
Six Secrets to Success at Work – Jack Welch
18
Customer service and reputation feature highly as factors to consider when choosing a financial services company
Top 3 Consideration Factors
3. Brand and Reputation 52%
2. Customer Service 55%
1. Charges and Rates 60%
Transparency and clarity as well as direct experience with a provider, are key to increasing the confidence of SMBs
8%
66%
26% Confidence in the Financial Service
industry in the past 12 months
Increased confidenceStayed the sameDecreased confidence
13%
16%
20%
38%
50%
57%
63%
Visibility of employees
Press coverage
Conversations with friends / family / colleagues
Responding quickly to enquiries
Clear explanations of products and services
Personal experience dealing with a provider
Transparency of price and terms / conditions
Factors that would increase confidence in the Financial Service industry
Key findings Implications for marketers
Almost all SMBs in the UK use social media
An active presence on LinkedIn is crucial for successful marketing and customer acquisition
SMBs can be reached on LinkedIn at each stage of their financial decision making journey
Tap into vast pools of potential customers by providing them an avenue to share information about your brand and products
Clear content related to financial products and services and better customer service are things SMBs look for in financial service brands
Use LinkedIn to disseminate information about financial products and services, customer service and to build confidence
1
2
3
Key findings Implications for marketers
Almost all SMBs in France use social media
An active presence on LinkedIn is crucial for successful marketing and customer acquisition
Tap into vast pools of potential customers by providing them an avenue to share information about your brand and products
Use LinkedIn to disseminate information about financial products and services, customer service, and to build confidence
Contact us at https://lnkd.in/contact_us.