Running a business is by no means an easy task…

it takes commitment and an understanding of entrepreneurship and the Internet.

To help you navigate the online marketing landscape, here are seventeen small business statistics.

  1. 66% of small businesses are maintaining or increasing spend on digital marketing. (AT&T Small Business Technology Poll 2013)
  2. 72% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations from real people. (Search Engine Land, 2012)
  3. 82% of small business owners have said their main source of new business is referrals. (Constant Contact, 2013)
  4. 61% of global Internet users research products online. (Interconnected World: Shopping and Personal Finance, 2012)
  5. 44% of online shoppers begin by using a search engine. (Interconnected World: Shopping and Personal Finance, 2012)
  6. 69% of consumers are more likely to use a local business if it has information available on a social media site. (comScore Networks and TMP Directional Marketing, 2011)
  7. 60% of local business Websites don’t have their phone number on their site. (BIA Kelsey, 2012)
  8. 49% of sites fail to comply with basic usability principles, and 50% of online sales are lost because visitors can’t find content. (Forrester 2012)
  9. 93.3 percent of SMB Websites are not mobile compatible and will not render successfully on mobile devices or smartphones. (BIA Kelsey, 2012)
  10. 15% of SMBs will build mobile optimized Websites in 2013. (Borrell 2013)
  11. 50% of local searches do not occur on search engines, but on directories and apps. (AT&T Small Business Technology Poll 2013)
  12. 67% of businesses are using their Website to market to customers. (AT&T Small Business Technology Poll 2013)
  13. 88% of consumers who search for a type of local business on a mobile device call or go to that business within 24 hours. (Google Mobile Movement Study, 2011)
  14. People who receive $10 coupons have 38 percent higher Oxytocin levels, 32 percent calmer breathing rates, 5 percent slower heart rates, and 20x less sweaty palms. (“Your Brain on Coupons: Neurophysiology of Couponing” by Dr. Paul Zak)
  15. 47% of people say they open an email because of the subject line. (Chadwick Martin Bailey, 2012)
  16. 84% of respondents use desktops or laptops to access email; however, two-thirds of those under 30 use their smartphones or cell phones to access their email. (Chadwick Martin Bailey, 2012)
  17. 41% of small businesses are using email to market to customers, a nearly 25% jump from last year. (AT&T Small Business Technology Poll 2013)