EMPLOYERS National Poll Reveals Small Business Mobile Technology and Social Media Trends
Written by Employers Holdings, Inc.
Wednesday, 25 January 2012
Mobile e-mail, Customer Relationship Management, payroll management and risk management services of interest to small businesses; 84 percent of businesses actively using social media leverage Facebook for marketing
RENO, Nev.---With the continued proliferation of mobile devices and business
applications, America’s small businesses continue to leverage emerging
technologies to help run their day-to-day operations more effectively
and efficiently. According to a recent EMPLOYERS® Small Business Opinion
Poll, more than one-third (38 percent) of small business decision-makers
use smartphones or tablets to help manage their businesses each day. The
larger the small business, the more likely the small business
decision-maker is to use smart devices to help run operations: 28
percent among those with one to four employees; 36 percent for those
with five to 19 employees; and 63 percent for those with 20-plus
employees.
When it comes to mobile business applications, 41 percent say they are
interested in using apps such as mobile banking, customer relationship
management (CRM), risk management, payroll management and insurance
policy management. Those in the transportation/communication and
financial services industries are the most likely to be interested in
using mobile apps to help run their businesses—47 percent.
Small Business Poll Snapshot: Most Common Apps Among Smartphone and
Tablet Users
93 percent: Mobile e-mail
64 percent: Location-based navigation services
41 percent: Mobile apps for Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter
41 percent: Mobile banking apps
Although the use of smartphones and tablets increases among small
businesses with more employees, the younger companies (in business 10
years or less) are more likely (52 percent) to use social media services
like Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter for marketing. That’s compared to 28
percent of those in business 11 to 19 years, and 28 percent of those in
business 30-plus years. Additionally, among companies using mobile
applications, those with the fewest employees (one to four employees)
are the most likely to use social media apps—54 percent compared with 46
percent among those with 5 to 19 employees and 24 percent among those
with 20-plus employees.
About the Small Business Opinion Poll
The study commissioned by EMPLOYERS surveyed 501 owners or managers of
small businesses with 1-99 full-time employees. Data was collected
through telephone interviews during the period October 6 – October 13,
2011 at the 95 percent confidence level. The sample is stratified across
business size and industry grouping, including
manufacturing/construction, transportation/ communication,
wholesale/retail, financial services, or personal/professional services
businesses. The survey was conducted by ORC International through its
Small Business CARAVAN.
About Employers Holdings, Inc.
Employers Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: EIG) is a holding company with
subsidiaries that are specialty providers of workers' compensation
insurance and services focused on select small businesses engaged in
low-to-medium hazard industries. The company, through its subsidiaries,
operates throughout the United States. Insurance is offered by Employers
Insurance Company of Nevada, Employers Compensation Insurance Company,
Employers Preferred Insurance Company, and Employers Assurance Company,
all rated A- (Excellent) by A.M. Best Company. Not all insurers do
business in all jurisdictions. Additional information can be found at: www.employers.com.
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