Download Here - Ripl

Small Business Social Media Marketing Research
Study Results - Q1 2017
Conducted and Published by Ripl, Inc.
March 2, 2017
***************
CONTEXT: THE SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING OPPORTUNITY FOR MICRO-BUSINESSES
According to recent U.S. Census research, there are more than 30 million small businesses
operating in the United States. Over 23 million are owned and operated by a single employee;
more than 27.5 million are comprised of less than ten employees. Globally the number of these
businesses balloons to well over 100 million -- and the number is growing every day. Here at
Ripl, Inc., we refer to these as “micro-businesses.”
Micro-business entrepreneurship is one of the most powerful forces driving economic innovation
and financial empowerment worldwide. Until recently, however, the shift from traditional local
and advertising media to online marketing channels has not been leveraged by small
businesses relative to their larger counterparts. The growth in adoption of Internet-connected
mobile devices, and the attendant social media revolution, has changed that in dramatic ways.
Several years ago, small businesses ready to begin digital marketing needed a website on a
branded domain to serve as the ‘hub’ or ‘anchor-point’ central to their online marketing. Today,
small businesses may instead choose to anchor their online brand on a Facebook Page, Etsy or
Amazon store page, or even Pinterest. These types of Pages can be managed by a smartphone
from anywhere, at any time, and can be managed and posted to by small business owners
without needing technical skills.
Social media networks also provide an efficient new opportunity for small business
owner-operators and their marketing colleagues to build stronger relationships with their existing
customers. In addition, social media enable any business with a unique creative point of view to
reach and acquire new customers through the publishing of unique and engaging content posts
-- as long as their content is good enough to attract a growing follower base and generate Likes
and more downstream sharing.
Small business owners and marketers around the world have started to leverage videos in their
social media and digital marketing efforts with greater frequency. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter,
and other prominent social networks are updating their feed content distribution algorithms to
reward accounts which publish compelling videos with greater views and reach. [Yes, it’s true Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and others use special logic to determine how many of your
account’s followers actually end up seeing your posts. Incorporating video is thus increasingly
important, to ensure a social media account owner reaches as many of their followers as
possible.]
Given these larger digital marketing and small business trends, Ripl is committed to directly
engage and learn from our global base of hundreds of thousands of small business and
non-profit organization customers. As part of this commitment, we conduct a quarterly
broad-based study of current small business marketing habits and social media usage in order
to inform our product and business strategy decisions. In the interest of advancing the
marketplace’s knowledge about small businesses’ marketing priorities, we publish this quarterly
research survey white paper to summarize insights and provide key takeaways for others.
SUMMARY
Ripl received more than 1,500 Q1 Research Survey responses from small business owners and
marketers around the world. Social media marketing proved to be the most important channel
for online marketing for respondents, ranked 1st by more than a 4:1 ratio over email. More than
⅔ of respondents create their own online marketing content from scratch for their branded
digital channels, including social media. Growing engagement and reach with online audiences
were the most important online marketing goals cited; growth in website visits and online sales
ranked as most important for approximately a quarter of respondents.
KEY FINDINGS
Content Creation
● 69% of the small business owners and marketers create some of the content for their
business or organization online accounts themselves.
Top Small Business Types Using Video and Animated Content in Online Marketing
● The following small business types emerged as the top categories using video and
animated content in their social media marketing efforts today:
1.
Retail Business or Store
2.
Real Estate
3.
Fitness and/or Health
4.
Food, Beverage, Restaurant or Cafe
5.
Salon, Beauty, or Spa
6.
Art, Musician, or Author
Social Media and Email: Usage and Frequency
● 84% of respondents indicated that social media is more important to their business or
organization as a marketing channel than email
● 34% of respondents are not currently sending marketing or promotional emails to their
customers
● 26% of respondents only use Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail and similar online consumer email
services for their primary business email address and marketing emails
● 66% of small businesses are sending marketing or promotional emails. The average
frequency of marketing and promotion emails, among those who send them, is:
○ 40% once a month
○ 28% weekly
○ 12% quarterly
○ 7% daily
Social Media Marketing Goals and Objectives
● 33% of respondents said that “driving more engagement and reach with their social
media” was their main objective.
● 21% of respondents want to “drive more website visits”
● 14% want to “add more followers to social media channels”
● 7% want to “drive more online sales or customers.”
Small Business Marketing Resources and Information
Where do these small business marketers go to learn about marketing for themselves and their
organizations?
● Facebook was identified as the most important site for small businesses seeking
marketing tips and best practices, cited by 78% of respondents
● 61% consult blogs, newsletters and podcasts
● 60% rely on word of mouth for information
● 56% seek out this information on Instagram
● 43% regularly attend conferences or webinars
● 27% use LinkedIn
● 24% observe competitors for tips and best practices
METHODOLOGY
Ripl, Inc. received more than 1,500 responses from small business owners and small
organization marketers in its most recent Q1 2017 Social Media Marketing Survey. The Survey
was distributed in January 2017 to more than 75,000 free and paid users of the Ripl mobile
application via email. The Survey was distributed in English language only and approximately
70% of respondents were located in the United States. Personally identifiable responses and
information are never released or revealed in this process. The Survey was distributed in
English language only and approximately 70% of respondents were located in the United
States. The Ripl Small Business Social Media Marketing Survey is conducted quarterly.
ABOUT RIPL, INC.
Ripl provides mobile application software which boosts social media marketing effectiveness by
making it simple for small businesses to create and share eye-catching animated posts online.
The Ripl app is currently available for download on i​ OS​ and A
​ ndroid​ devices and has been
installed on more than 1,000,000 mobile devices to date. F
​ or more information about Ripl or this
survey research, please visit ​www.Ripl.com​ or contact the Ripl Customer Success team via
email at ​[email protected]​.