New ACMA report into how SMEs are embracing the digital economy reports that more and more organisations are using social media channels to market themselves
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) Australian businesses are increasingly becoming active in the digital economy, using online marketing tools and social networks to promote their wares.
According to the Australian Communications and Media Authority’s (ACMA) new Australian SMEs in the digital economy report, 26 per cent of SMEs are now using social media channels to market themselves, with Facebook the channel of choice for 88 per cent of those surveyed.
This was followed by Twitter (24 per cent), LinkedIn (21 per cent) and YouTube (10 per cent). Across the board, the report found 54 per cent of small businesses (less than 20 staff) are marketing and advertising their businesses through digital activities, compared with 74 per cent of medium-sized organisations (21-199 staff). In total, 64 per cent of respondents had a website including 90 per cent of medium-sized companies.
While the figure remains small, the number of online SMEs with a mobile-optimised website has doubled in the past year to 18 per cent. Not surprisingly, medium-sized businesses are more likely to have made the investment into mobile-optimised websites (27 per cent versus 18 per cent).
Just 4 per cent have developed mobile applications to deliver services online to mobile Internet users.
The report also found 39 per cent of SMEs with employees allowed their staff to telework for at least one day a week, and that 47 per cent are using some form of cloud computing service.
When it comes to what’s stopping SMEs from better embracing the digital environment, 60 per cent blamed it on a lack of knowledge, yet only 51 per cent of these respondents have actively tried to improve their skills through online search and training tools.
Top areas of improvement are developing a better Web presence, utilising cloud-based solutions, and accepting payments through websites.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Australian businesses earned $237 billion in income from selling goods and services online during 2011-2012, a rise of 25 per cent on 2010-2011.
The ACMA research was conducted by Woolcott Research in May-June 2013 across 1500 small and medium-sized businesses.
Related articles:
Follow CMO on Twitter: @CMOAustralia, take part in the CMO Australia conversation on LinkedIn: CMO Australia, or join us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CMOAustralia
In this latest episode of our Conversations over a Cuppa with CMO series, we catch up with Jane Power, who stepped into the director of marketing and transformation role at GenesisCare in April 2020.
Understanding the core principles of Behavioural Economics will give players in the travel industry a major competitive advantage when restrictions lift and travellers begin to book again. And there are a few insights in here for the rest of the marketing community, too.
Unicorns, the Sunken City of Atlantis, Zeus: They are very famous. So famous in fact, that we often think twice about whether they are real or not. Sometimes if we talk about something widely enough, and for long enough, even the strangest fiction can seem like fact. But ultimately it is still fiction - stories we make up and tell ourselves over and over until we believe.
At a time of uncertainty and economic hardship, customer retention takes on much greater importance. CX Lavender’s Linda O’Grady examines the big grey area between ‘all’ and ‘best’ customers when deciding who is worth fighting for and how.
looking for the best quality of SMM Panel ( Social Media Marketing Panel ) is a website where People Buy Social Media Services Such as Fa...
Kavin kyzal
How to manage social media during Covid-19
Thank you for sharing your knowledge. Definitely bookmarked for future reading! Check this website https://a2designlab.com/ with lots of ...
Pierce Fabreverg
Study: Gen Z are huge opportunity for brands
Thanks for sharing. You might want to check this website https://lagimcardgame.com/. An up and coming strategic card game wherein the cha...
Pierce Fabreverg
Board games distributor partners with Deliveroo in business strategy pivot
Such an important campaign, dyslexia certainly need more awareness. Amazing to see the work Code Read is doing. On the same note we are a...
Hugo
New campaign aims to build understanding around scope and impact of dyslexia
Great Job on this article! It demonstrates how much creativity, strategy and effort actually goes to produce such unique logo and brandin...
Pierce Fabreverg
Does your brand need a personality review? - Brand vision - CMO Australia