Case Study: The Budgetary Challenge

In February 2011, MerchantCircle’s quarterly Merchant Confidence Index survey¹ found that local merchants are moving to online marketing with sites like Facebook and Twitter to expand marketing capabilities, but they have not fully committed to significant marketing budgets. One of the major reasons is cost. Of 8,500 small and local business owners surveyed, many are still leery of using newer marketing techniques such as mobile marketing and group buying with sites such as Groupon that market their products at a steep discounted.

¹ Social media continues to gain traction in marketing strategies, Lawn and Landscape Magazine (February 22, 2011), http://www.lawnandlandscape.com/ll-022211-Social-media-marketing-strategy.aspx.