According to recent research from Taradel, small businesses are currently facing challenges such as limited budgets and lead generation difficulties. The report conducted a survey among 226 small businesses and found out what top challenges they are facing, what are their goals and what do they think about AI usage. 27% of the small businesses surveyed said that budgeting is their main challenge right now while 30% said that driving lead generation is the top marketing challenge they are facing in their business.
On the other hand, talking about their business goals, 55.6% of the small businesses said that prioritizing increasing sales is their top goal right now, with 19.2% said their main goal is to generate leads. 12% said that they are aiming to build their brand awareness right now. Reducing costs, retaining existing customers and launching or growing ecommerce business are also some of the main goals defined by small businesses which were surveyed. Talking about generating leads, 24% prefer phone calls while 22% small businesses prefer in-business consultations.
63% of the small businesses said that social media platforms are a great way to maintain their online presence. Facebook and Instagram are top social media platforms for small businesses while email remains the number one offline platform for small business marketing. Small businesses were also asked about their thoughts on AI and 43% said that they do not use AI tools at all. 34% said they use AI tools a little while 18% said they use AI tools extensively. Most small businesses surveyed said that they are using AI for content creation, email marketing and social media management. Only 9% of the small businesses said that their marketing tactics are highly effective while 21% said their marketing tactics are not effective at all.
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On the other hand, talking about their business goals, 55.6% of the small businesses said that prioritizing increasing sales is their top goal right now, with 19.2% said their main goal is to generate leads. 12% said that they are aiming to build their brand awareness right now. Reducing costs, retaining existing customers and launching or growing ecommerce business are also some of the main goals defined by small businesses which were surveyed. Talking about generating leads, 24% prefer phone calls while 22% small businesses prefer in-business consultations.
63% of the small businesses said that social media platforms are a great way to maintain their online presence. Facebook and Instagram are top social media platforms for small businesses while email remains the number one offline platform for small business marketing. Small businesses were also asked about their thoughts on AI and 43% said that they do not use AI tools at all. 34% said they use AI tools a little while 18% said they use AI tools extensively. Most small businesses surveyed said that they are using AI for content creation, email marketing and social media management. Only 9% of the small businesses said that their marketing tactics are highly effective while 21% said their marketing tactics are not effective at all.
Read next: Global AI Safety Report Warns of Cyber Threats, Manipulation, and Weaponization Risks