Pitney Bowes Survey: 76 Percent of Small Businesses Believe Ideal Marketing Mix Includes both Physical & Digital Communications
May 20 2011 - 8:00AM
Business Wire
The majority of small businesses, 76 percent, agree their ideal
marketing mix includes a combination of physical and digital
communications, according to a new survey released by Pitney Bowes
Inc. (NYSE: PBI) Nearly three quarters surveyed, 72 percent, say
they would do more of it if they had the right customer
communications management tools.
More than half say they are choosing new channels, such as
email, 68 percent, and social media, 54 percent, because they are
found to be cost effective in communicating information to their
current and potential customers as compared to all other options.
Not surprisingly, more than half say they cannot get further
engaged in multi-channel communications due to limited resources
and time, 51 percent.
Overall, the most popular marketing tool used currently by
respondents is email, 68 percent. In the last year, the most
popular new channel being added by small business owners is social
media, with 20 percent of those surveyed just beginning to use it;
12 percent added mobile marketing. The newest tool to enter the
marketing mix is Quick Response (QR) codes which have become
increasingly visible in recent months. While some respondents
acknowledge a lack of understanding and perceived complexity toward
them, among those using them, almost half are using them on their
business cards, 45 percent, and integrating them in direct mail, 44
percent.
“Small business owners are increasingly challenged to
effectively communicate with their customers and prospects in ways
they want to be reached. As a result, businesses are recognizing
the requirement, and opportunity, of adding new customer
communications channels. However, they need tools that are easy to
implement and more information on how to use them to help build
their business. They need guidance in managing those tools, and
confidence that they will see a return on their investment,” said
Debra Thompson-Van, Vice President, Marketing, Pitney Bowes. “Our
focus is on providing them the tools and guidance needed to get
them passed those hurdles and effectively manage their customer
communications.”
“We know that customers do find value in connecting to their
customers how they want to be communicated with,” Thompson-Van
added, “Companies are discovering that a combination of marketing
channels is most effective in reaching prospects and
customers.”
Survey results also find that while email and advertising are
what respondents use most often (68 percent most often use email
and 60 percent most often use advertising), social media, with 50
percent, and direct mail, with 44 percent, and are neck and neck
for third place.
The results are an indication that traditional and new digital
marketing methods are co-existing to create effective campaigns.
The findings say 58 percent of small businesses surveyed use
multi-channel marketing. Business owners are integrating various
channels in order to properly serve the needs of their wide range
of customers though there continue to be barriers to integration
for many.
Pitney Bowes’s pbSmart family of products is about making these
solutions easy and accessible for small businesses. The pbSmart
suite includes pbSmart™ Connections, an easy to use, customizable
email solution that can deliver marketing messages
through social media and mobile channels, and pbSmartPostage™,
a cloud-based parcel shipping and mailing solution for by remote
workers and small businesses that allows a customer to print stamps
and labels for packages anytime, anywhere.
About Pitney Bowes:
Delivering more than 90 years of innovation, Pitney Bowes
provides software, hardware and services that integrate physical
and digital communications channels. Long known for making its
customers more productive, Pitney Bowes is increasingly helping
other companies grow their business through advanced customer
communications management. Pitney Bowes is a $5.4 billion company
and employs 30,000 worldwide. Pitney Bowes: Every connection is a
new opportunity™. www.pb.com
About the Survey:
From April 20th to April 27th 2011, an online survey was
conducted among a randomly selected, representative sample of
500 American adults that are business owners with 1-99 other
employees, and who are Springboard America panel members. The
margin of error which measures sampling variability is ±4.4%, 19
times out of 20. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to
rounding.
Pitney Bowes (NYSE:PBI)
Historical Stock Chart
From Jun 2024 to Jul 2024
Pitney Bowes (NYSE:PBI)
Historical Stock Chart
From Jul 2023 to Jul 2024