SMEs rely on these social media channels

SOCIAL MEDIA Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are also increasingly recognizing the value of digital advertising measures. 38% of all companies surveyed state that they use social media as a digital advertising measure.Small and medium-sized enterprises have discovered social media as an effective marketing tool. 38 % of all companies surveyed already use one or more social media channels. The clear frontrunner is Facebook. 99 % of all companies using social media rely on the world's largest social network. It is followed by Google+ (39 %), Xing (34 %), YouTube (25 %) and Twitter (24 %). Companies are reluctant to use image portals such as Flickr (3 %), Pinterest (4 %) and Instagram (8 %).

Overall, the use of social media has tripled in the past five years: in 2010, only 13% of SMEs used social media; in 2013, this figure had already risen to 25 %. Despite the strong development, social media currently ranks third among digital advertising measures, behind the company's own website (81 %) and online advertising measures such as banner ads (45 %). The use of mobile marketing is still in its infancy with 16 %. This was the result of a representative survey of 200 small and medium-sized companies in Germany commissioned by local marketing experts Greven Medien.Social media not a miracle cure, but an effective toolThe results of the increase in social media use are impressive: Three quarters of companies are satisfied with their activities - despite the fact that more than half of companies say they spend just 100 euros a month on social media (51 %).Despite good results, the study also shows that expectations of the tool are sometimes excessive. More than 80 percent of respondents hope to increase their brand awareness, gain a positive image, generate contacts, gain new customers, be closer to customers, keep up with the times and provide customers with up-to-date information. Almost 60 percent of all companies are hoping for a direct increase in sales through social media. "Marketing measures in social media can have a positive effect on business success in many ways. Nevertheless, social media is not a panacea. Only with the right local marketing mix can the effect unfold optimally," says Patrick Hünemohr, Managing Director of Greven Medien. According to the study, companies achieve the greatest actual success in terms of awareness (72 %), the ability to keep customers up to date (68 %) and the acquisition of new customers (67 %).Cleverly embedding social media in local marketing strategiesEven if social media cannot solve every business challenge, social media is becoming the ideal channel for small and medium-sized companies. "If used skilfully, there is a lot to be gained here," emphasizes Patrick Hünemohr. Facebook, for example, has now introduced search parameters for local targeting of advertisements, opening up completely new opportunities for companies in local marketing. An advertising message for a product or service can now be optimally placed so that it reaches exactly the relevant target group in the local area. "Social media marketing is a great opportunity for companies to expand their established advertising measures with digital targeting models and significantly increase their online reach once again. It can also be summarized as follows for 2016: social media is becoming a locally relevant contact machine for SMEs on the hunt for relevant contacts," summarizes Hünemohr.