INTERNET USAGE SURVEY Continued from p 43
44
why not use it! It can help with different aspects of your business. Of those surveyed, 76% claim that social networking helps them build stronger relationships with existing customers. Seventy- five percent say that social networking will increase brand awareness for their business. Other great advantages? Fifty-six percent will generate qualified leads; 54% will improve customer service experiences; and 46% of contractors will announce new products and services. The impact of social media on your business is immeasurable. Sixty-three percent of contractors said that social media has helped generate business leads. Forty-seven percent claim that social networking has increased traffic to the website; 37% said that it has enhanced customer service and support; 31% claimed that it has improved rankings in search engines; and 26% said that social media has reduced overall marketing expenses. Smartphone technology
T
can also be a contractor’s best friend. Two ways in which apps can help your business include attracting new customers and improving customer service. Contractors can use apps to create awareness of their services by providing users with easy mobile access to a company web site, Twitter and Facebook page, email and phone number. Customer service can be improved by giving current customers access to your services with greater ease. Manufacturers are also
using smartphone apps in new and unique ways to drive profits and attract new customers. ;
o reiterate, social media is here, it’s relatively free to use so
How much time do you spend Of those
on social media marketing? 1-2 hours/week .................71% 2-5 hours/week ................21% 5-10 hours/week................4% 10-15 hours/week...............0% More than 15 hours/week ....1%
Many more contractors are using social media for marketing, with most growth in the 2- to 5-hour range. Usage drops off drastically after 5 hours.
using social media, 71% claim that they use it one to two hours per week; 21% use it two to five hours per week; and 4% use it five to 10 hours per week.
media impact your business? Increased traffic to the website ...............................47% Improved rankings in search engines .....................31% Enhanced customer service & support ..................37% Helped generate business leads...............................63% Reduced overall marketing expenses........................26%
How does/did social
As in last year’s survey, links to their websites are a big attraction of social media for users, who see it as a means to move closer to the top of search engines.
Of the 27%
using social media, 47% have used it for a few months now and 41% are just getting started. Twenty- nine percent said that they have used social media for a few years. From the pool of all contractors surveyed, 44% plan to use it in the near future. We’ll have to check next year’s answers on the validity of that statement.
Scan this code with your smart phone and discover why you see the codes popping up in so many places.
Do you use QR or 2D bar codes to get product information?
Yes: 9% No: 91% With a QR (quick
response) code reader app, customers can scan specially created images with their phone, which then might open a web page, display a
message, or dial a number. And there are no long URLs to type or SMS messages to send. (See page 82 — In Our Opinion — that highlights the use of QR codes.) Of the contractors surveyed, 9% use QR codes, while 91% have yet to use it.
For how long have you been using social media tools?
Just getting started....41% For a few months .........47% For a few years............29% Planning to start...........44%
Social media tools gained in popularity significantly among contractors, with considerably more making plans to begin using them soon.
phc july 2011
www.phcnews.com
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