WALTHAM, Mass.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–
While many small business owners are “do-it-yourselfers,” handling
marketing tasks from email to SEO in-house, many do outsource select
activities, particularly those related to advertising and website
management, according to new
survey data from Constant
Contact®, Inc. (CTCT). Then there are the marketing
activities that small businesses handle largely in-house but would
prefer to outsource: 96 percent of those surveyed handle social media
in-house but 19 percent said they would prefer to outsource this
responsibility.
Reluctant Marketers
The majority of small businesses surveyed conduct email –related
marketing activities, including newsletters and surveys, in-house. When
it comes to outsourcing, small businesses are focusing on those
marketing initiatives that have larger associated costs and require more
time away from running their core business.
“We hear from small businesses that it’s challenging to keep pace with
evolving online marketing technologies, from Facebook ads, to
mobile-optimized websites, to Google Analytics, so it’s understandable
that many outsource these kinds of activities,” said Christopher M.
Litster, senior vice president of sales and marketing, Constant Contact.
Among the activities that small businesses handle in-house but would
prefer to outsource, social media marketing tops the list. There is a
clear gap between small businesses that do
outsource and those that want to outsource:
Outsource
Prefer to Outsource
Gap
-
Social Media
3 percent
19 percent
16 percent
-
SEO
35 percent
50 percent
15 percent
-
Local Print Ads
20 percent
32 percent
12 percent
-
Online Banner Ads
23 percent
34 percent
11 percent
-
TV/Radio Ads
40 percent
51 percent
11 percent
“Managing social media is a hot button with small businesses,” said
Litster. “In an earlier Constant Contact survey, 80 percent said they
conduct social media marketing, yet more than half also told us it’s the
marketing activity they need the most help with, so it’s not surprising
to see here that social media has the biggest gap between those who do
outsource it and those who’d like to.”
Why are they not outsourcing these marketing responsibilities? Cost was
an issue. The percentages ranged from 46 percent saying they cannot
afford to outsource SEO, to 29 percent saying they cannot afford to
outsource online banner ads.
Time is Money
Survey respondents estimated that they, their employees, and their
volunteers spend a combined total of approximately 33 hours per week on
marketing activities. When asked to provide a dollar amount to the value
of an extra hour in their day, the mean came out to $273, with responses
ranging all the way up to $5,000.
“When you consider that small businesses are taking on a lot of their
marketing themselves, it’s understandable that 67 percent say that they
don’t have enough time in their day to get everything done,” said
Litster. “But if they take a look at the monetary value of their time,
and compare that to the time spent on activities they’d prefer to
outsource, like social media, there may be occasions when outsourcing
proves more cost-effective. Constant Contact’s 9,000-plus Solution
Providers are small business marketing consultants who support many of
our customers with marketing resources, and they often see small
business owners have the outsourcing ‘ah-ha’ moment, when they realize
that the time-savings more than makes up for any service fees.”
For more information on Constant Contact’s Solution Provider Program,
visit http://conta.cc/bsAooD.
About the Survey
This Constant Contact-sponsored survey was administered in June 2013 to
1,305 participants in the Constant Contact Small Biz Council – a
research panel of US small businesses and nonprofits recruited from the
Constant Contact customer base. This is the second installment of an
ongoing study about the state of small businesses and the ways they
connect with, and grow, their audiences. Results include responses from
respondents across a range of business-to-business and
business-to-consumer industries.
About Constant Contact®, Inc.
Constant
Contact wrote the book on Engagement Marketing™ – the new marketing
success formula that helps small organizations create and grow customer
relationships in today’s socially connected world. More than half a
million small businesses, nonprofits and associations worldwide use the
company’s online marketing tools to generate new customers, repeat
business, and referrals through email marketing, social media marketing,
event marketing, local deals, digital storefronts, and online surveys.
Only Constant Contact offers the proven combination of affordable tools
and free KnowHow®, including local seminars, personal coaching and
award-winning product support. The company further supports small
organizations through its extensive network of consultants/resellers,
technology providers, franchises and national associations.
Constant Contact and the Constant Contact Logo are registered
trademarks of Constant Contact, Inc. All Constant Contact product names
and other brand names mentioned herein are trademarks or registered
trademarks of Constant Contact, Inc. All other company and product names
may be trademarks or service marks of their respective owners.
(CTCT-F)
