Social purpose: Oxygen for your brand health vitals
If trust is the new currency, then we’re in deep trouble. Here's why.
Aussie SMEs take to Facebook to market their wares
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:
- Is bad social worse than no social?
- Why CMOs can’t ignore social media governance
- Facebook performance report signals rising brand engagement on social
- New report busts myths about millennials on digital and social
- Building the brand through social engagement: Yahava Coffeeworks
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
https://bit.ly/2qLgzmR Transform your life a proven digital blueprint
Okitoi Steven
How this banking group tackled a digital marketing transformation
Its great to hear that companies including JCDecaux, oOh!media, Omnicom and Posterscope Australia have all partnered with Seedooh inorder...
Blue Mushroom Infozone Pvt Ltd
Out of home advertising companies strive for greater metrics and transparency
Much ado about nothingAnother fluff piece around what it could possibly do rather than what it is doing
gve
How AMP is using AI to create effortless ‘experiences’
is it true that Consumer expectations are also changing as a result. If we trust someone with our data there is also an expectation that ...
Sunita Madan
Society will decide where digital marketing takes us next: Oracle
This Blog is Very interesting to read and thank you for sharing the valuable information about Machine Learning. The information you prov...
johny blaze
What machine learning has done for the Virgin Velocity program