Tapping into social media has become a key promotional component for TV programmers, and it is also becoming increasingly important for small businesses, Time Warner Cable Business Class found in recent survey of 800 consumers.
Managing a social media presence has become a critical part of the game plan, with one in five saying they won’t frequent a small business that doesn’t respond to comments on review sites such as Yelp, TWCBC found it the study -- Small Business Technology Impact Study – released in tandem with National Small Business Week.
Additionally, the study found that 30% might not buy from a company that doesn’t have a social media presence. Notably, 46% of women surveyed said that posting on Facebook regularly is an effective way of attracting or keeping them as a customer, versus 32% of men who were surveyed.
“Building that strong relationship with your customers starts before they enter your place of business and continues after they leave, and you’re losing customers every day that you don’t build an online presence for your business,” Maureen Link, TWCBC’s group vice president, small business, said, in a statement.
But if you’re a small business that’s deciding how to hang a digital shingle -- whether that’s erecting a Facebook page or creating a website, select the latter. Up to half of consumers surveyed (depending on the vertical) said they might not buy a company without a website, TWCBC found in the survey, which was offered through Harte Hanks.
And developing mobile options, including billing, offers a way to connect with millennials. About 27% in the 18-34 year old group preferred that a small business can take and process payments via a mobile device, compared to 19% of 35-54 year-olds, and 14% of consumers who are 55 or older.
