Are you surprised by this title? If you are a communications pro, I think you should be. Because this is the main conclusion after a research of eMarketer on the perceptions of small business towards social media usage. In other words, I was shocked to see that businessmen still do not trust in digital.

I’ve always believed that social channels are supportive tools that help small and medium business to get recognition and to build a community of engaged fans, clients and friends.

And here’s my argument: people are spending more and more time online. Hence, your business should be there too in order to reach your potential customers, to communicate with them, to see what they think, want and need, etc. Communicating with clients is one of the most effective ways to keep your business on track.

So social media platforms are here to help you do this. Social media usage is not free as you need important resources to do the right things and maintain corporate presence and accounts. But these platforms can really help small business to develop, differentiate, stay tuned with its clients, and build personal connections. What’s more, if SMEs define the right strategy, channels and approaches, the positive effect will come soon. I’ve seen quite a lot of successful examples of appropriate social media usage on local level that stimulates the development of small business. And I am sure you have also witnessed effective local business activities on social media in the context of the place where you live.

And here’s a good example on how social media may help SMEs.

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