Economic worry drives much of the angst—81% of the SMBs surveyed are concerned that the current economy could negatively impact their businesses.
Key insights from the data
- Economic anxiety dominates.
A striking 81% of SMBs worry that current economic conditions could harm their businesses. This backdrop shapes how they allocate time and resources. - Time scarcity is a major barrier.
Many business owners feel pulled in too many directions—serving customers, fulfilling orders, and running operations, leaving little time for marketing. Even when they do make time, they find marketing slow and complex, leading to procrastination. - Marketing underinvestment is common.
Though 34% see marketing improvement as a key opportunity, 56% spend an hour or less on it daily—far too little for meaningful progress. - Most time-consuming marketing tasks:
- Creating content: 51%
- Planning strategy: 40%
- Measuring results: 35%
- Posting on social media: 34%
- Managing email or ad campaigns: 19% each
- Most procrastinated activities:
- Posting on social media: 44%
- Marketing planning and strategy: 42%
- Performance measurement: 31%
- Marketing knowledge gap.
Many owners excel in their industries but lack confidence in marketing fundamentals. They find it difficult to judge campaign effectiveness or maintain consistent engagement with existing customers.
The takeaway is that small businesses recognize the importance of marketing but struggle to execute because of limited time, confidence, and strategy. This creates an opportunity for tools and services that simplify marketing planning, automate content creation, and provide clear feedback on performance.