What are the top small business marketing statistics and trends?
Marketing a small business is both exciting and challenging. With evolving trends and new tools, understanding where to invest your time and budget is key to success.
This guide provides key statistics and insights to shape your 2025 marketing strategy. You’ll discover:
- Emerging trends transforming small business marketing
- How small business owners allocate their marketing budgets
- The most effective marketing channels to drive growth
- And more!
Ready to make informed decisions and grow your business? Keep reading!
Top small business marketing statistics in 2025
- 47% of small business owners handle their own marketing
- 58% of business owners use digital marketing for customer acquisition
- 73% of small businesses have a website–61% of visitors won’t return to one that’s not mobile friendly
- 55% of consumers learn about new brands from social media
- 96% of small business owners use social media to promote their business
- 75% of small businesses use at least two social media channels, with social media and email marketing being the most popular marketing channels
- 40% of SMBs use AI in their businesses
- The most popular use cases for AI marketing among small businesses are email marketing automation (32%), image creation (28%), and social media management (28%)
Small business growth statistics
There are 33.3 million small businesses in the US
(SBA 2023 Small Business Profile, SBE Council)
According to the SBA, there are 33.3 million small businesses in the United States, representing 99.9% of all U.S. businesses. While these numbers highlight the importance of small businesses to the economy, challenges remain. Each year, 1 in 12 businesses closes. Survival rates show that 67.6% of new businesses make it to two years, 48.9% last five years, and 33.6% survive for a decade.
65% of small businesses are profitable
(Guidant Financial)
Profitability is a key milestone for small businesses, with 65% achieving this goal, as reported by Guidant Financial. However, reaching profitability takes time—on average, new businesses need three years. Meanwhile, 35% of small businesses are still working towards profitability.
64% of small businesses start with $10,000 in capital
(Small Business Genius)
Launching a small business often requires minimal capital. 64% of small businesses start with $10,000 or less. Interestingly, 25% of businesses begin without any financing, and micro-businesses typically start with just $3,000.
Social proof statistics
95% of customers read online reviews before buying a product
(Global Newswire)
Testimonials are important! Over nine out of ten customers (95%) read product reviews before they choose to purchase something. Additionally, 58% of these shoppers say they are willing to pay more for products with good reviews.
89% of global consumers say checking online reviews is part of their buying journey
(Trustpilot)
Around 89% of consumers say they make an effort to read reviews before buying products online. Checking reviews have become the norm and part of the shopping process and reviews matter—a lot. That’s why 49% of these global consumers consider positive reviews one of their top three influences for purchasing a product.
40% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations
(Bright Local, Review Trackers, G2)
Almost half of the consumers trust reviews as much as a personal referral from friends or family. This 49% of trusting consumers is a drop from last year, where 79% reported the same response. Why? Consumers are getting smarter and can now tell the difference between authentic reviews and those left by influencers or paid programs.
However, over half (53%) of consumers expect a reply to a negative review within a week. One-third of consumers expect this response in just 3 days or less. And 72% of buyers appreciate negative reviews on products and services, saying that these “help provide depth and insight to make a decision.”
88% of customers who read an online review say it influenced their buying decision
(Zendesk)
Online reviews drive purchasing decisions, influencing nearly 9 out of 10 shoppers, as per Zendesk. Customer service also plays a crucial role—97% of consumers reported that bad service deterred future purchases, while 87% were swayed positively by great service.
Digital marketing statistics
58% of small businesses use digital marketing
(Medium, Statista)
58% of small businesses leverage digital marketing to grow their brands. Moreover, 75% use at least two marketing channels, with 80% emphasizing the importance of digital advertising for success. Nearly 70% of small businesses plan to increase their online ad spending within the next two years, underscoring the growing role of digital strategies.
73% of small businesses have a website
(Zippia)
Zippia reports that 73% of small businesses maintain a website. Among the 27% that don’t, 23.5% plan to create one soon, while 40% opt out entirely due to high costs, the perception that their business is too small, or reliance on social media. Notably, over 20% use social media as a substitute for a website.
8 in 10 of the world’s top websites are mobile-friendly
(Digital Examiner)
Mobile-friendly websites are a must. 80% of the world’s top websites are optimized for mobile, and with most traffic now coming from mobile devices, small businesses must follow suit. Visitors demand quality mobile experiences—61% will not return to a site that isn’t mobile-friendly.
Almost 47% of small businesses in the US spend less than $10,000 on digital marketing
(Clutch, SBA)
Nearly 47% of small businesses in the U.S. spend less than $10,000 annually on digital marketing. Social media (54%), website improvements (51%), and email marketing (36%) account for most of their budgets. On average, businesses allocate 1.08% of their revenue to advertising, although this varies by industry.
75% use at least two marketing channels
(Statista)
Statista reports that 75% of small businesses use at least two channels to market their products and services. Their main objectives include increasing sales, generating leads, and building brand awareness.
47% of small businesses take care of their own marketing
(Leadpages)
A survey by Leadpages found that 47% of small business owners handle marketing tasks themselves. However, 49% are unsure about the effectiveness of their efforts, and 14% are certain their strategies aren’t working.
Small business owners use an average of 20 hours a week on marketing
(Constant Contact)
Small business owners spend a lot of time on marketing. While most SMBs do their own marketing, they spend an average of 20 hours–or 50% of a 40-hour work week–on marketing. However, as we’ll see, they also save time thanks to new technologies like AI.
Small business owners dedicate an average of 20 hours weekly—or half of a standard 40-hour workweek—to marketing activities. However, as we’ll see, they also save time thanks to new technologies like AI.
73% say they aren’t sure if their current strategy will help them achieve their business goals
(Forbes)
Despite their efforts, 73% of small business owners feel uncertain about whether their strategies will help them achieve their goals. Key challenges include:
- Finding new customers (60%)
- Determining what is working or measuring performance (33%)
- Lack of resources (time, budget, skills) (32%)
- Retaining current customers (31%)
- Creating a strategy or plan (25%)
- Sending the right message (25%)
- Using multiple platforms or tools (24%)
- Motivation (19%)
AI marketing statistics
40% of small businesses use AI
(US Chamber of Commerce, SBE Council)
AI adoption among small businesses is on the rise, with 40% leveraging generative AI tools such as chatbots and image generators, and 98% using software powered by AI. The top nine AI use cases for marketing include:
- Email marketing automation (32%)
- Image creation for logo and branding material (28%)
- Social media management (28%)
- Chatbots for customer support and service (27%)
- Content writing and creation (26%)
- Audio-to-text transcriptions (26%)
- Predictive analysis (23%)
- Sales team support and CRS systems (21%)
- Language translation (17%)
At the same time, 83% of businesses see AI as a top priority.
91% of small businesses say AI will help them grow
(US Chamber of Commerce)
91% of small businesses see AI as a critical tool for growth. However, 86% express concerns about potential regulations hindering their progress. Despite this, 77% plan to adopt emerging technologies like AI and the metaverse to stay competitive.
21% of new businesses use AI
(Gusto)
21% of new businesses utilize AI, with 82% applying it to marketing tasks like content creation and market research. Additionally, 46% use AI to enhance sales processes.
39% of SMBs save 26-40 minutes a week by using AI and/or automation technology
(Statista)
AI is proving to be a time-saver for small businesses. Statista reports that 39% of SMBs save 26–40 minutes per week through AI and automation, while 33% save over 40 minutes weekly. These efficiencies allow business owners to focus on growth-oriented activities while streamlining daily operations.
Social media statistics
55% of consumers learn about new brands through social media
(Sprout Social)
Social media is a powerful discovery tool, with 55% of consumers using it to learn about new brands. Generational differences are notable: 78% of Gen Z rely on social platforms for brand discovery, compared to just 35% of Baby Boomers.
77% choose a brand over a competitor after a positive experience on social media
A strong social media presence fosters loyalty. 77% of consumers choose a brand over competitors after a positive interaction on social media. Similarly, 78% are more likely to buy from brands they engage with positively on these platforms.
96% of small businesses use social media to market their businesses
(Storybox)
31.86 million businesses are active on social media in the US, which means that, with 33.3 million small businesses, 96% of them use social media as a part of their marketing strategies.
55% of small businesses in the US use social media advertising
(Statista)
Over half of U.S. small businesses use paid social media ads. Among advertising strategies, social media accounts for 27.2% of total ad spend, followed by online search ads at 16.3%.
Facebook and email are the most popular marketing channels
(Campaign Monitor)
69.6% of small businesses rely on Facebook for marketing, while 64.1% use email. Despite the rise of digital marketing, 52.4% of small businesses still use direct mail, and 45.7% incorporate print ads in their strategies.
Facebook and Instagram are the most popular social media platforms
(Statista, TikTok)
80% say they are active on Facebook and 64% use Instagram. The least used platforms among small businesses are Threads and Twitter (X). At the same time, platforms like TikTok are growing rapidly with seven million US SMBs using the platform.
72% of businesses use social media to make business decisions
(Sprout Social)
Businesses also use social media to make informed decisions and create their strategy. 72% of businesses use social media to make business decisions, while 85% say social data is the primary source of business intelligence.
Email marketing statistics
64.1% of small businesses use email marketing
(Campaign Monitor, Aweber)
Email marketing is one of the most effective marketing channels for small businesses. This is the second most popular marketing strategy after Facebook. 79% say email marketing is important for their overall strategy.
Businesses make $42 for every $1 spent on email marketing
(Litmus)
Email marketing has a higher return on investment than any other marketing strategy. Of course, the ROI depends on the industry. The Retail/eCommerce/Consumer Goods sector has a 45:1 ROI, while marketing/PR has 42:1 and software/technology has a 36:1 ROI.
59% of people say email marketing affects their purchasing decision
(Sales Cycle)
Nearly 6 out 10 people say they make purchasing decisions based on email marketing. Once a month, 50.7% buy something from a promotional email, while 23.8% do so many times in a month.
Text messages can improve email marketing results
(Adobe, Crazy Egg)
At the same time, though, email marketing can be improved by text messages. By sending a text follow up to an email, open rates increased by 20-30%. At the same time, 98% open marketing text messages.
45% of people reply to SMS marketing messages, which allows businesses to start a real-time conversion with consumers. What’s more, 5% of SMS subscribers unsubscribe, while 20% of email subscribers do so.
Content marketing statistics
90% of businesses use content marketing
(New York Times Licensing)
Content marketing is a widely adopted strategy, with 90% of businesses using it to connect with their audience. This approach encompasses blogs, social media posts, videos, newsletters, whitepapers, and ebooks. Not only is it cost-effective—62% cheaper than traditional marketing—but it also delivers impressive results, with leads being six times more likely to convert.
Businesses with blogs get 55% more website visitors
(Hubspot)
Businesses that maintain and regularly update a blog see significant benefits. These companies attract 55% more website visitors compared to businesses without blogs. Additionally, blogs help generate 67% more leads, demonstrating their role as a cornerstone of successful content marketing strategies.
Read more:
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