Small businesses are figuring out you can’t go viral if you stay invisible.
Verizon Business teamed up with Morning Consult for its sixth annual State of Small Business survey, released May 20. In March, researchers spoke to 600 small and midsize business leaders nationwide, covering industries from restaurants to construction. All ran companies with 500 or fewer employees.
Among the findings, the survey showed that small businesses understand that content matters. Only 19% of businesses said they don’t produce any content at all, and just 8% said they have no intention to start. More than 60% either began creating their own media or boosted their budgets for it in the past year. Facebook still dominates as the favorite platform, with 82% of businesses active there, with Instagram in second place with 71% of respondents saying they use the platform. YouTube usage jumped past LinkedIn into third place. Short video platform TikTok rounded out the top five with a 58% usage rate, up 1% from the year prior.
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Whether TikTok will hold onto that gain, or even be around next year, is an open question. If it is eventually banned–the Trump administration keeps delaying implementation of a Congressionally passed ban–small businesses stand to lose out. A new study by two Columbia Business School professors looked at what happened when the app briefly went offline in January. Ad prices on Facebook and Instagram jumped 10% as bigger advertisers shifted their spending. Small businesses couldn’t keep up. The study concluded that a full TikTok ban would likely hit small advertisers the hardest.
As the new Trump administration took office, TikTok realized it needed to change who it was appealing to in order to avoid a ban. In the lead-up to a possible U.S. shutdown, the company pivoted its messaging to focus on how, as the Columbia study now shows, it delivers for small business owners, a group that, not coincidentally, aligns more closely with the current administration’s priorities and voter base. It’s keeping the pressure on the administration. As part of May’s Small Business Month, the platform is publicizing that it’s giving away $1 million in ad credits to small businesses.
Whether they post on TikTok or other platforms, most businesses handle content creation internally.
Just one-third have a formal content department, and another 38% rely on full-time, dedicated staff. Just 4% outsource creation entirely. The rest assign the job to existing employees who juggle it with their other duties.
However businesses choose to manage content creation, the investment usually proves worthwhile, according to data compiled by Forbes Advisor.
Content marketing pays off for small businesses because it’s affordable and effective. It generates three times more leads than traditional advertising, yet studies show it costs 62% less. Companies that invest in content see a return of $2.77 for every dollar spent, making it a powerful driver of revenue. Conversion rates are six times higher for businesses using content, underscoring its direct impact on sales and customer growth.
Still, many small businesses struggle with creating fresh, consistent media. According to Verizon’s survey, more than half say producing enough content to keep up with demand is a challenge. Another 54% said they have trouble keeping what they make up to date with the latest social media trends.
That gap between effort and payoff is where many businesses get stuck.
Almost everyone’s doing it, and the upside is hard to ignore. But getting results takes effort. You need ideas, time and someone to keep the content coming. For some businesses, it may be easier to skip the hassle and just buy ads.
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