As a small business owner, how dependent is your business on the internet? If faced with a loss of internet service, what type of impact would it have on your overall business? According to a recent Wells Fargo/Gallup Small Business Index 35% of small businesses believe it would have a major impact on their business, including 18% who said it would put them out of business.
Small business owners use the Internet for:
- regularly gather information as well as business and industry advice online – 75%
- online banking – 58%
- social networking to make professional contacts – 50%
- advertising and marketing – 45%
- payroll management – 22%
Forty-four percent of small businesses report having their own website, with the top three uses for company web sites being: advertising company products and services (81%), soliciting customer feedback or queries (69%), and communicating with customers, suppliers and employees (68%).