Social media is a vital tool for SMBs with 89% using social media to build awareness and 72% seeing social media as essential for the future of the business. Revenue growth is directly related to increased marketing spend on social media. 58% of businesses experiencing hyper-growth directly attribute this to increased spend on social media advertising. LinkedIn offers opportunities for financial providers to inform and influence businesses through content on the LinkedIn platform.

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The role of social media in driving
growth for SMBs in Australia

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DEFINING
businesses
Small/Medium
$8M to $44.9M AUD
Upper Medium
Over $45M AUD
The role of social media in driving growth for
SMBs in Australia
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SMBs surveyed across Australia
240

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Key Findings
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SOCIAL MEDIA IS A VITAL TOOL FOR SMB’S
 89% use social media to build awareness
 72% see social media as essential for the future of the business
REVENUE GROWTH IS DIRECTLY RELATED TO INCREASED
MARKETING SPEND ON SOCIAL MEDIA
 58% of businesses experiencing hyper-growth directly attribute this to increased
spend on social media advertising
 Businesses experiencing hyper-growth are more likely to specifically use social
media to drive sales or growth
LINKEDIN OFFERS OPPORTUNITIES FOR FINANCIAL PROVIDERS TO
INFORM AND INFLUENCE BUSINESSES
 78% of businesses use social media for financial purposes
 55% of businesses are open to receiving financial information from LinkedIn
 66% of LinkedIn users have been driven to action by content on the network

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SMBs are a highly attractive
audience, and social media offers
a unique opportunity to engage
with them

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SMBs in Australia are currently experiencing widespread growth…
5
Have experienced an
increase in total revenue
over the past year
Have experienced an
increase in customer/client
numbers over the past year
Have experienced an
increase in overall
profitability over the
past year
70%
69%58%
Base: 240 businesses

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81%
Of businesses
currently use social
media
6%Plan to use social
media in the future
Social media is used by the vast majority of businesses in
Australia…
6
Base: 223 businesses

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Social media is largely used for
marketing and generating awareness. Top 5 uses of social media
Deliver content and
new information about
my company
01 51%
03 Generate word-of-
mouth about my
company
48%
04 Maintain a company
presence and identity
45%
05 Promotional purposes
and to provide deals
44%
02 Advertise to help
increase awareness
49%
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build awareness
89%
Increase sales
84%
drive business
growth
82%

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As such, many SMBs see social media as a vital tool
for generating growth.
% agreeing that…
8
Base: 167 small/medium/large businesses experiencing revenue growth
67% Using social media helps/will help me to stay ahead of the game
72% I see social media as essential for the future of my company
73% Social media is important for marketing my company
73% Having my company presence on social media is important

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The #1challenge facing businesses in today’s market is attracting
new customers
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65%say social media is a
vital resource for
getting new customers
#inFC14

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88%
Advertise to help
increase awareness of
my company, products
and services
83%
Maintain a company
presence and identity
79%
Deliver content and
new information about
my company
SMB’s see social media offering an effective channel for Marketing
and Driving Business.
% reporting that social media is effective for…
10
BRANDING
ADVERTISING CONTENT
DELIVERY
77%
Generating new
business leads
LEAD
GENERATION
Base: 214 social media users who access for specific business purposes

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75%
Find vendors/
companies that can
help my company
73% 65%
Learn from experts
in my industry
…. Along with impacting operational efficiencies and sourcing
% reporting that social media is effective for…
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Find and source
new employees
71%
Customer service/
support
FIND
VENDORS
INDUSTRY
INSIGHTS
RECRUIT
CUSTOMER
SERVICE
Base: 214 social media users who access for specific business purposes

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GROWTH
Increase in overall revenue
compared to last year
57%
30%
13%
NON-GROWTH
Decrease/No change in
overall revenue YoY
HYPER GROWTH
Significant increase in overall
revenue YoY
This in turn provides businesses with the opportunities needed to
grow…
12
Base: 240 small/medium/large businesses

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Over half of business experiencing hyper-growth directly attribute
revenue to social media spend.
% reporting that social media spend contributed to revenue growth
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Hyper Growth
58%
Growth
39%
Base: 167 small/medium/large businesses experiencing revenue growth

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Businesses in hyper-growth are more likely to use social media
specifically to drive sales and/or grow their operations
Reported motivations for using social media
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Base: 167 small/medium/large businesses experiencing revenue growth
91% 86% 79%
90% 97% 100%
BUILD AWARENESS INCREASE SALES DRIVE GROWTH
Businesses experiencing revenue growth Businesses experiencing revenue hyper-growth

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Social media (and LinkedIn in
particular) is highly influential when
choosing a financial services
provider
15

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Over 3 in 4 use social media
for financial purposes…
Top 5 uses of social media
for financial purposes
Keep up-to-date on
financial trends
01 43%
02 Gather preliminary
financial information
40%
03 Seek advice on a
financial decision
32%
04 Recommend a financial
product to others
26%
05 Evaluate or re-think a
previous financial decision
21%
Base: 223 social media users
have used social media for
finance-related reasons78%
16

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…with more than half of respondents suggesting they are
open to receiving financial information from LinkedIn
Openness to receiving financial content and information on social media sites
17
of hyper-growth businesses are receptive
to receiving financial content on LinkedIn
68%
55% 41% 35% 21% 18%46%
Base: 240 small/medium/large businesses

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CREDIBILITY
61% agree that LinkedIn allows them
to build credibility.
CONNECTION
66% agree that LinkedIn lets them connect
with vendors or potential partners.
CONTEXT
64% agree that LinkedIn provides a relevant
context to promote and advertise their
company.
COMMUNITY
69% agree that LinkedIn provides access to a
broader community of other companies to seek
opinions.
LinkedIn is seen to provide businesses with the 4Cs…
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Base: 143 LinkedIn users

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...providing a valuable resource across different activities in the
SMB value chain
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Open
Innovation
Marketing
& Sales
Sourcing
Customer
Service

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This allows LinkedIn to drive action through the content provided
to businesses...
20
Learned of a new financial
company
Shared information about
financial trends, products or
companies
Contacted a financial
representative / asked for
additional information
Discussed a financial product
with a friend or colleague
Learned of a new financial
product/policy
Conducted additional research
on a financial product
29% 27% 24%
22% 19% 17%
Base: 143 LinkedIn users

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…to a greater extent than other social media providers.
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% who actioned a response after receiving
information on each network
50%59%66%
of hyper-growth businesses actioned a
response based on LinkedIn content
71%
Base: 143 LinkedIn users; 177 Facebook users; 124 Twitter users

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Ensuring that LinkedIn users discover and consider
information is vital to driving action…
Path to Purchase
22
DISCOVERY
Gather info / stay up-
to-date
CONSIDERATION
Seek advice/info to make a
purchase
DRIVEN TO PURCHASE
ON LINKEDIN
(any action)
82%
Base: 143 LinkedIn users

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…and also to drive purchases.
Path to Purchase
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DISCOVERY
Gather info / stay up-
to-date
CONSIDERATION
Seek advice/info to make a
purchase
DRIVEN TO PURCHASE
ON LINKEDIN
(Insurance policy and/or
investment product)
36%
Base: 143 LinkedIn users

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SMBs are a highly attractive
audience, and social media offers a
unique opportunity to engage with
them
24

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There are opportunities to drive exploration of content by providing
information aligned to their businesses needs…
Top 5 types of financial content expected on social media
25
Base: 240 small/medium/large businesses
26%
26%
25%
21%
21%
52%
48%
46%
46%
44%
22%
26%
29%
33%
35%
New product information
Industry news / strategy information
Market and economic commentary
Networking opportunities
Company background
Info actually received Info expected to be received Remainder info

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Build your followers
Encourage referrals and
recommendations
Provide real-time
assistance
Build community
Publish thought
leadership
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SPONSOR
UPDATE
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GROUPS
…which allows us to build relationships with SMBs
through various touch points on LinkedIn.

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v
Best practices for marketers
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Enable learning throughout each phase of the purchase path
Fulfill unmet content needs
Target hyper-growth companies
Provide resources for the entire SMB value chain
Build your credibility by facilitating open dialogue with these businesses