SMEs turn to the web for better business
52% of the UK’s SMEs use the internet as the primary channel to promote their company and to communicate with partners, better business
Just over half (52%) of the UK’s small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs) now use the internet as the primary channel to promote their company and to communicate with partners, according to a research report from BT Business.
Despite this, the Small Businesses and the Internet report highlights that 40% of the
Three quarters of businesses (74%), see the internet as playing an important role in achieving their goals in the next five years, with 63% believing that it allows them to compete with bigger players and in different markets.
The research also showed that more than half of respondents (57%) believed that the world of business has become less personal as a result of technology and 15% of SMEs never trust the companies that they meet on the internet.
Recommendations are also important in generating revenue, with more than half of SMEs (52%) seeing a significant proportion of their new business (up to half) coming through referrals. For 32%, three quarters of their work was referred.