In this day and age, small businesses are bombarded with information about how social media websites like Twitter and Facebook can drive more viewers to their websites. However, recent figures revealed that there may not be as many companies using these internet sites as people think.
The U.S. Census disclosed that out of the 29 million small businesses in the United States, just 13 million were on Facebook – that's approximately 45 percent.
What is the reason for this?
"The simple truth is there often just aren’t enough people out there excited about your industry that want to spend their free time talking about it and sharing photos," stated online resource the Internet Marketing Blog.
It's important to note, however, that small businesses don't rely on social media to be successful. In fact, in a 2012 article, Forbes Magazine published a list of the top 25 companies that generated less than $1 billion in revenue. Some of the enterprises that made the list, including the ones below, don't use social media but rather other forms of local online marketing:
1) Metropolitan Health Networks
This Florida-based business offers health care services to people with Medicare Advantage and Medicaid in the Sunshine State. The older customer base explains why Metropolitan doesn't utilize Facebook.
"Given our customer demographic, (76+ years of age) social media in general has not been a primary focus for us," said a company representative in a statement. "With that said, we are currently reviewing our corporate communications planning, and I suspect it will include one, or several, social media components."
2) IPG Photonics
This company, which manufactures fiber lasers, says they are doing just fine without the help of social media: They have no need for sites like Twitter and Facebook. "Our customers know where to find us," stated a company employee.
3) FutureFuel
Chemical and biofuel business doesn't see social media as being particularly helpful to their customer base. "We don't see it as advantageous for our marketing," declared CFO Chris Schmitt.
If you are the owner of a small business and don't want to use social media websites, but instead targeted online advertising, you may want to consider using internet advertising agencies. These companies can help with various services ranging from mobile app development to ad production.