Member Article

Web 2.0 overlooked by small firms

Only 40% of small businesses are aware of Web 2.0, despite 90% of firms having some kind of web presence, new research has revealed. The study, carried out by content management company Mediasurface, suggested that despite the high number of small companies that have a website, 61% feel it does not accurately reflect their company brand. Mediasurface said it was worrying that 11% of small businesses still do not have an online presence as a website is ‘often the first port of call for many potential customers’.

Mediasurface warned that companies without websites can be overlooked and “may not even be taken seriously” however the results of the survey reveal that 1 in 10 smaller businesses are still not using the web as a maketing tool. The company also emphasised the need for ‘dynamic, current content’ in making a good impression on customers and was concerned that many businesses had not heard of Web 2.0, the so-called ‘second generation’ of web based services.

Andy Peart, Chief Marketing Officer at Mediasurface said: “With Web 2.0 increasingly being covered in the media, it was interesting to see that 41% of SMEs surveyed had not heard of it, implying that the message may be getting through to larger businesses but not as efficiently to the smaller business community. Emphasising this point, of those SMEs that had heard of Web 2.0, only 37% felt that it would have a positive impact on their business. There is still a great opportunity to show SMEs the true value of effectively managed web content and to illustrate that Web 2.0 is all about using the power of the web for business advantage.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .