Most micro-businesses aren’t using social media: survey

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VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – It seems social media hasn’t caught on with Canada’s smallest businesses.

A new survey finds only 16 per cent of businesses with five employees or fewer use tools like Facebook and Twitter.

“What this survey is telling us is that small businesses clearly understand the benefits of wireless technology and know that it can help grow their business but most are still very hesitant to use the latest advancements,” says Tracy Markwood with Rogers Communications.

Mike Jenke owns Endeavour Snowboards; he agrees that wireless technology is vital to his micro-business. “Definitely, my phone; I do a lot of business on my phone, primarily through emails. I’ve been finding there are a lot of resources, just being on the web.”

And Jenke isn’t the only one.

“Forty per cent of people in small businesses spend anywhere from three to nine hours a day online. So, being able to work from anywhere, you are can definitely relieve a lot of stress,” says Markwood.

The survey also found 80 per cent of micro-business owners use mobile devices and apps but only 20 per cent use cloud-based tools, such as Office 365 or Dropbox. Even fewer use social media for business.

There are an estimated 60,000 micro-businesses in Metro Vancouver. Across Canada, the number has risen by 40 per cent over the past decade.

Rogers is the parent company of News1130.

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