The Great Divide

In this economy, businesses are cautiously eyeing the year ahead, seriously contemplating budgets and looking to get the most from their marketing spend in 2009. However a new survey from Nielsen Online and WebVisible, Inc. reveals that local businesses and consumers are too often failing to connect… despite billions of local consumer dollars up for grabs.

This study surveyed nearly 4,000 Internet users and business owners about their online consumer behavior and business marketing strategies. The data shows “great divide” between media usage the manner in which local business are marketing themselves. However the gap is closing and will change the way buyers and sellers come together.

In order to generate more quantifiable results from marketing spend and drive more business, small business marketers need to think and act like users; but they are currently not. This study provides valuable information local businesses that want to better understand online consumer behavior to maximize a measurable return-on-investment from their marketing spend.