Poll: 26% of Small Firms Use Social Media for Workers’ Comp Information

The majority of small businesses (52 percent) believe having a social media presence is important for companies, according to a poll commissioned by Employers, a small business workers’ compensation insurer.

The poll also discovered that about 7.7 million small businesses, or 26 percent, say they are likely to use social media channels to find information on workers’ compensation insurance.

The 7.7 million small businesses represent a “significant business opportunity for insurance providers to engage small businesses on social media platforms,” the company said.

The national poll also reveals that although there are nearly 5 million small businesses leveraging social media, that figure only accounts for 16 percent of the 29.7 million small businesses in the United States based on figures from the Small Business Administration.

Social media experts extol the benefits of social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and their own Web sites and blogs. As the Internet, e-mail and mobile communications have become widespread, the small business poll indicates that a relatively low percentage of small businesses are effectively tapping these opportunities.

However, the total still represents a significant critical mass of small businesses at 4.75 million.

Of the businesses polled:

• 52 percent believe having a social media presence is important for a company
• 59 percent of small businesses with social media presence say it has provided value to their business
• 16 percent of all polled have a business account (representing 4.75 million based on SBA data)
• 49 percent say that their social media presence has produced advocates for their business
• 65 percent with a social media presence say they actively use it to promote their businesses

Eight important tips to consider when using social media channels:

The survey commissioned by Employers sampled 500 owners or managers of small businesses with one to 99 employees last November. The sample includes firms in manufacturing/construction, transportation/ communication, wholesale/retail, financial services, or personal/professional services businesses. The survey was conducted by Opinion Research Corp.

Employers Holdings Inc. is a holding company with subsidiaries that are specialty providers of workers’ compensation insurance.

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