New surveys show that while two thirds of b2b companies will continue with more traditional search marketing using email in 2011, incredibly, an overwhelming number have failed to even optimise their websites sufficiently or utilised paid search. Not surprisingly, one in three SMEs are concerned over their lack of online visibility and social engagement with potential customers.
In the age of the interactive and real time social media web, where the art of online marketing has diversified into a multiplicity of channels and platforms to engage with specific market segments by Twitter and Facebook, newly released figures suggest that UK business spends less than 10 per cent of their marketing budgets to implement SEO or PPC paid search.
With 41 per cent stating they have never attempted to optimise their websites to raise search engine ranking, undoubtedly, companies are seriously being compromised by a seeming lack of understanding and vision. By failing to properly invest in even the most basic of link building activities to drive website traffic and raise their online profile to increase sales conversion, they are failing to use their web presence correctly, and as a result, underestimate the key importance of online search with the consumer.
It is estimated that around 38 per cent of internet users now regularly look for social networking content, e.g. tweets, blogs, Facebook updates, etc from businesses online and expect to read direct responses from eCommerce or service based companies to comments or reviews posted, yet only 14 per cent of firms currently provide any feedback.
A report on just under 500 small businesses across the UK also found that a majority have just simply failed to act to make any improvement to their Google rankings. Around a quarter of companies surveyed claimed to have never used online methods to engage directly with customers or participate in any social networking activity.
Clearly, a significant number of UK businesses appear to have real problems with online communication and adapting to the new realities of the social web. Even long established and expected basic website features, such as an email contact form, are still absent from 41 per cent of SME websites and just 6 per cent use realtime conversation to engage with customers visiting their website.
Despite the explosion of social media and global take up, only 23 per cent of UK businesses are publishing social networking material, 15 per cent using Twitter and 7 per cent producing multi-media or video channels, such as YouTube. This is despite the consumer expectation of a variety of methods of online participation with a brand via the growing platforms and channels of 'social, mobile and tablet'. A third of consumers look for social media, and a half say they expect at least a video clip!
Inevitably, cost and time are key factors for many small businesses and a fifth have been put off by past failed attempts to optimise their online visibility. The dismal truth for forward looking consumers in 2011, is that three quarters of small companies fail to understand their website traffic behaviours, wilfully ignore today's socially determined marketing strategies and are equally resistant to listening to web marketing advice.