A recent article in Social Media Today highlights the findings of a major global survey of Small and Medium-size Businesses (SMBs) and how they have turned to and utilised social media channels during the Covid-19 pandemic.
As the author explains: "Facebook has partnered with Deloitte to publish a new report which looks into the challenges faced by SMBs over the past year, and how they've increasingly turned to digital platforms to maintain connection with their audience, through various means.
The 44-page report, which incorporates responses from over 30k SMBs from around the world, specifically looks at how personalized ads and social platforms have assisted various brands, with examples and case studies to illustrate the key points."
The SMT article was published on 26th May – the same day as the report it cites - and its message was complemented and reinforced by a post published the same the day on Facebook for Business.
Explaining that the survey was conducted among small-medium size business founders, owners and senior managers in 18 countries, the post affirms that: "The coronavirus pandemic has had a tremendous impact on small businesses around the world, forcing business owners to change the way they sell their products and market their business. For many small businesses, social media and digital tools have become a lifeline."
The surge of traffic online
The range of transactions and interactions via online channels has vastly increased during the pandemic crisis. Web based technology has changed from being a useful tool for business to being an essential means of survival.
Targeted advertising on social media, as featured in the Facebook/Deloitte Report, is one excellent way that businesses can reach the audiences that are potentially interested in their products and services.
For example a zero-waste restaurant can target a consumer group that values sustainable living in one advertising campaign and target customers in their locality with another.
The report from Deloitte concluded that: “SMBs are naturally well placed to offer a personalized customer experience. However, the digital technologies that help them improve personalization and connect with their audience will become increasingly important in starting up businesses and achieving sustainable growth.”
During the pandemic UK SMBs have been using targeted ads effectively and the report shows how important they have been for businesses.
Of the UK firms surveyed for the report:
- 67% of them said using personalised ads was important for the success of their business
- 70% of them said using personalised ads was important for effectively reaching new customers
- 63% of them said using personalised ads was important for achieving a higher return on marketing spend
The importance of using personalised ads cannot be underestimated and from the whole report companies using this strategy were “16% more likely to report positive sales growth in the past year in comparison,” [to those who did not use them].
Personalised advertising for your business
Personalised advertising on social media can be a great way to enhance brand image and illustrate to your target audience that you understand their needs. This is a core element in the range of services offered by BBI Brandboost and we have run successful B2B and B2C campaigns for clients in many industry sectors. Please get in touch if you would like to enhance your reputation through the use of targeted ads.